Once you learn how to make tostadas in the oven, your lunch will never be the same!
Tostadas are one of my favorite meal prep hacks for Mexican food. You can top a tostada with almost anything, so they’re a great way to use up leftovers from other meals without repeating exactly the same meal.
Tostadas are also really customizable, so I love to recommend them to my clients who are trying to feed family members with different preferences.
While you can always buy tostadas at the store, baking them yourself is incredibly easy and is a great way to use up tortillas that are about to go stale.
Ready to make your own tostadas at home, in the oven? Grab your tortillas and let’s get started!
Why baking instead of frying?
I may be a dietitian, but the main reason I prefer to bake tostadas instead of frying them isn’t about the nutrition.
It’s true, that baked foods have less fat. And consistent high intake of fried foods over time may increase risk of heart disease (#).
But even so, small amounts of fried foods in moderation can be part of an overall balanced diet. I’m not in the business of making every single item as low calorie as possible.
But I still like baking better, purely because it’s easier. While frying food isn’t difficult, the hot oil can be dangerous. And the clean up involved after frying food is more intense.
Finally, when I bake tostadas I can put all of them in the oven at once, whereas when I fry them I have to do 1-2 at a time. So it just takes less time overall to bake tostadas.
How to serve tostadas
Tostadas are a great base for a variety of proteins and toppings.
The best thing about tostadas is how customizable they are. You can save time on meal prep by having a “build your own tostada” meal.
To do so, provide the following items:
- Tostadas
- A base like mashed avocado or refried beans
- A protein: shredded chicken and ground beef are two of the most popular options
- Vegetable garnishes: Shredded cabbage or lettuce, diced onion, radish slices
- Your favorite salsa. Try my salsa ranchera, tomatillo salsa, or extra spicy pepita salsa
- Other toppings: crumbled queso fresco, hot sauce
When you do this, you only have to spend time preparing one or two ingredients. It’s a great way to use up leftovers, and to accomodate different diets or preferences.
Some other dishes that go great with tostadas include:
How to Make Tostadas in the Oven
Crunchy Baked Tostadas
Ingredients
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit
- Meanwhile, heat up a comal over medium heat. Place a very thin layer of olive oil in the comal. You want the oil to barely coat the surface.
- Place a tortilla in the comal and heat until it starts to soften.
- Flip the tortilla and heat on the other side until it just starts to puff up. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each tortilla.
- Place the tortillas in a single layer directly on the oven rack (or on a separate rack, but it’s important to have the air circulation of the rack to get the tostadas crispy)
- Bake for 7 minutes
- Flip the tostadas so the opposite side is facing up
- Bake for 3 more minutes
- Remove from oven, let stand for at least 5 minutes to fully crisp up
Nutrition
Tostadas, made from corn tortillas, are a whole grain food. The process of turning corn into a corn tortilla (and then into a tostada) adds some unique nutrition benefits you won’t find in fresh corn. For a full explanation of this process and its nutrition benefits, check out my post on nixtamalization here.
For a full explanation on the health benefits of tostadas, and how to build a healthy tostada, read “Are Tostadas Healthy?”
Need more healthy Mexican meals?
As a Latina dietitian, I’m passionate about helping my fellow Latinas feel their best while eating the foods they love. Thankfully, it’s easy to eat healthy Mexican meals!
That’s why I created this sample 2-day Mexican meal plan to get you started. Get your copy when you sign up below.
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