Air fryer bean tostadas
Corn tortillas air-fried until they crunch like a chip, then spread with warm refried beans and piled high with crisp lettuce, tomato, avocado and salty cotija.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $3.08 a serving
- 610 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 can vegetarian refried beans
- 1½ cups shredded lettuce
- 1 Roma tomato, diced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- ¼ cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- ½ cup salsa
- ¼ cup sour cream (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp water
Each serving has about 610 calories, 22 g protein, 81 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $3.08 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No shredded lettuce? Iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Brush both sides of each tortilla lightly with oil.
Air fry at 400°F in a single layer 4 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway, until and like a chip. Work in batches.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: They crisp more as they cool, so take them out when they feel firm.Warm the beans with the cumin and 2 tablespoons water in a small over medium-low heat, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes, until soft and spreadable.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Low heatTimer: 3 min
Spread the beans over each tostada, right to the edges.
Pile on the lettuce, tomato, avocado and cotija, spoon salsa over the top, and add a dab of sour cream.
Dolly’s tip: Eat them flat, like an open-faced taco. They crack as you bite, which is half the fun.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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