Gone are the days of having to sacrifice your budget for a delicious, healthy, and satisfying meal. When it comes to budget-friendly recipes, the options typically fall into two buckets: A frozen TV dinner that lacks flavor and tastes like an airplane meal or an unhealthy takeout alternative after a long workday.
One solution? Smoky bean tostadas. The recipe takes less than 30 minutes to put together, and the price per serving is incredibly low. In fact, this recipe — starring Heyday Enchilada Black Beans — which serves 3-4, will run you about $8 in total.
The rich, savory beans meet a foil in a bright jalapeño and charred scallion salsa, bringing just the right amount of heat and crunch to the situation. If you’d like, have fun with extra toppings: sliced avocado or guacamole, crumbled Cotija cheese or queso fresco, pico de gallo, and hot sauce to name a few.
Plan on 2 to 3 tostadas per person; sans cheese, the meal is vegan and gluten-free (be sure to check the tostada package to ensure this, though). For a slightly heftier version, use two cans of beans.
Ingredients For The Easiest Bean Tostadas
Image via Heyday Beans
- 1 lime
- 1 large jalapeño
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 bunch (6-8) scallions
- 1 (15-oz) can Enchilada Black Beans
- 8-12 tostadas
- 1 ounce (about ¼ bunch) cilantro (leaves and all stems)
- Sliced avocado or guacamole, for serving (optional)
- ½ cup crumbled Cotija cheese or queso fresco, for serving (optional)
How To Make This Enchilada Bean Tostada Recipe
Image via Heyday Beans
- Heat the oven to 250ºF. Zest lime into a medium bowl, then halve and juice it. Stem the jalapeño and finely chop (removing ribs and seeds if you’re sensitive to spice) or very thinly slice into rings. Add to the bowl with the lime juice and season with a big pinch of salt. Toss to combine, let set aside to lightly pickle.
- Heat a medium skillet over high until smoking, then oil. Let heat for 20 seconds, then add the scallions in a single layer. Shake the pan to coat all the scallions in oil, and let cook undisturbed until charred on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook undisturbed, tossing every 2 to 3 minutes until the scallions are evenly charred.
- Remove from heat. Season with salt, and slide out onto a cutting board, hanging onto the skillet. Let cool slightly, then trim the ends and slice the scallions into 3-inch pieces. Toss into the bowl with jalapeño.
- Heat the beans in the reserved skillet over medium-low, string occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange the tostadas on a sheet pan and bake until warm and crisp, about 5 minutes.
- Roughly chop the cilantro. Divide the warm beans evenly between the tostadas (figure 2 to 3 per person), then top with jalapeño-scallion mixture, cilantro, and avocado and/or cheese if using.
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Lead image via Heyday Beans.
