Vegetarian Tostadas with Creamy Cilantro Sauce Recipe
These easy vegetarian tostadas are a budget-friendly weeknight meal! Topped with canned refried black beans to save time, plus tons of crunchy fresh veggies and a creamy cilantro sauce! They’re family friendly and simple to throw together!
Six years ago (oh my!) when I first started my private practice, my husband and I went on a major budget. You see, I did this kind of crazy thing where I quit my job and dove into private practice with basically no preparation. So my first months of private practice were basically learning how to run a private practice, not necessarily gaining new clients (aka little to no income!).
A big part of how we saved money was on groceries. Let’s just say we ate a lot of beans! Vegetarian chili…black bean grain bowls…chickpeas and greens…our cholesterol was very good and so was our digestion that year! These vegetarian tostadas, made with canned refried beans, crispy fried corn tortillas, and fresh veggies, served with a creamy cilantro-lime sauce, were on repeat. It’s an easy budget-friendly meal, and one that you can make with whatever vegetables and cheese you have on hand.
What Are Tostadas?
Tostadas are a traditional Mexican dish made of fried tortillas, which are used as a base, topped with yummy ingredients, usually beans, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, onions, and often meats, like carnitas. Ceviche is another popular tostada topping. Like chilaquiles and migas, it’s another one of those delicious and genius ways to use up leftover stale tortillas.
This recipe for vegetarian tostadas is made with canned refried beans, one of my pantry staples. I pretty much always have a can on hand for easy meals and snacks. Seriously, a bowl of cheesy refried beans topped with a fried egg and salsa or diced tomatoes and onions is a lifesaver of a meal on a busy night. Personally, I prefer refried black beans vs. the more traditional pinto beans, but feel free to use either. My personal favorites are Amy’s brand and Trader Joe’s, both of which are made with chiles for a hint of spice.
How to Make the Creamy Cilantro Sauce for Vegetarian Tostadas
The thing that makes this simple vegetarian tostadas recipe really special is the creamy cilantro sauce, a really simple blend of Greek yogurt, cilantro and lime. It’s adds creaminess, along with a bright citrusy and herbal flavor. Plus, it’s the prettiest shade of green! Just throw all the ingredients together in a blender and you’re good to go! You could also use sour cream in place of Greek yogurt.
This recipe makes extra creamy cilantro sauce, so feel free to use it as a dip for raw veggies as a snack, or as a salad dressing. Try it with my spicy fish taco salad, kale tortilla salad, or Mexican street corn salad. You can also freeze extra for later and just defrost at room temperature. The vegetarian tostadas recipe also makes extra pickled red onion, a condiment I love to use in all sorts of dishes from grain bowls to nachos to salads. You can keep them in a mason jar in the fridge up to a few months.
Vegetarian Tostada Recipe Adaptions
What I love about this vegetarian tostada recipe is that it’s barely a recipe - you can use the all sorts of different ingredients and switch it up as you like! As long as you’ve got fried tortillas, refried beans, some kind of veggie and a yummy sauce, you’re good to go! Feel free to use grilled zucchini and corn as a veggie, or save time with a southwest salad kit as a topping. You could also add more protein to this with grilled shrimp or add chicken or pork.
Feel free to save time by purchasing premade tostada shells, which are already sold fried and crispy. My kitchen has awful ventilation, and every time I fry something I regret it as I’m trying to finish up dinner while waving away smoke from a blaring smoke detector!
If you like this recipe for vegetarian tostadas, follow my Mexican recipes pinterest board for more inspiration.
This vegetarian tostadas recipe was originally published April 2014. Recipe, images and text have been updated to give you the best possible content.
Vegetarian Tostadas with Creamy Cilantro Sauce Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
Pickled red onion:
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup hot water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Tostada
Neutral flavored oil
Corn tortillas
Canned refried black beans
Chopped romaine lettuce
Halved cherry tomatoes
Chopped radishes
Chopped cucumber
Crumbled feta or queso fresco cheese
Cilantro Sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 cup cilantro
Juice from 1/2 lime
Instructions
First, pickle the onions. Mix the onions, vinegar, hot water, salt and sugar together in a bowl. Let sit at least 15 minutes to pickle.
Next, make the cilantro sauce. Blend yogurt, cilantro and lime juice in a blender. Season with salt to taste.
Warm refried black beans in a skillet on medium heat or for a few minutes in the microwave.
Next, make the tostadas. Heat a generous layer of oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. When hot, fry tortillas for a minute or two until golden and crispy. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and repeat with remaining tortillas.
Spread warm refried beans on the fried tostada shells. Toss lettuce with tomatoes, radish and cucumber, and divide over the tostadas. Sprinkle cheese and pickled red onion over the top. Drizzle with cilantro sauce and serve.
If you like this vegetarian tostadas recipes, you might also like these easy Mexican recipes:
Easy Tex-Mex Migas
Vegan Potato and Chorizo Tacos
Baked Eggs and Tortillas in Spicy Tomato Sauce
