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Home » Main Dish » 30 Minute Meals » Veggie Tostadas

Veggie Tostadas

By Valerie · June 22, 2012 · Updated May 24, 2020 31 Comments

30 30 Minute Meals H Holidays MD Main Dish
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A special method creates these lightened up Veggie Tostadas. A healthy way to satisfy your craving for Mexican food.

A plate of Veggie Tostadas.

Most of the cooking I do is with others in mind. My boys, my husband, you get the gist. This one, however, is for me. It’s all for me I tell you!

I have strong feelings for tostadas. We go way back. This recipe came about years ago in my quest to continue this long standing relationship but stay in the same size jeans. The no-oil cooking method results in tortillas just as crispy as if they were fried. Load them up with some refried beans and lots of sauteed veggies. You can add a touch of cheese and light sour cream and still have an extremely lightened up version of the classic.

I’m dreaming of simple, healthy food like this right now as I’m in the midst of chaos, running from thing to thing to thing and then back to the first thing. We have a cabin in the mountains waiting for us and we are trying to do the impossible – get all of our boys together for a vacation at the same time. As they get older, get jobs and lives of their own, it is harder and harder to make this happen. It has taken a huge amount of coordination, planning, negotiating, prodding, begging, cleaning, shopping, and packing. Before we leave, we will squeeze in a 2 day water polo tournament and watch Boy #4‘s team vie for a spot in the upcoming Junior Olympics. After his last game on Sunday we are off! I’ve also managed to get a cold to make it just a bit more challenging. The housesitters are arranged, the instructions have been typed out and the Nyquil is by my bedside.

Let’s get this show on the road.

All the required ingredients for making Veggie Tostadas on a counter top.

The grocery list – corn tortillas, refried beans, a small zucchini, an ear of corn, red bell pepper, onion, cilantro, avocado, shredded cheddar/jack cheese, salsa, and light sour cream. You’ll also need some non-stick cooking spray to prepare the tortillas.

Corn on the cob being cut off with a knife.

Cut the kernels from the ear of corn on to a cutting board. Transfer the corn kernels to a small mixing bowl.

A bowl filled with cut vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil.

Add the diced red bell pepper, zucchini, and thinly sliced onion. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the veggies and mix to coat them. Season them with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Cut vegetables cooking in a pan.

Lightly coat the bottom of a large pan with olive oil and saute the vegetables over medium heat for a few minutes until just fork tender. Remove from heat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if needed.

Get the refried beans into a small pan over low heat and let them simmer. I didn’t think you needed a picture of that – it’s just refried beans in a pan. Simple. Let’s move on.

A cookie sheet covered with aluminium foil and sprayed with cooking spray.

Time to prepare the tortillas. Turn your oven to broil and move the oven rack to one of the higher positions – whatever you use for broiling. Grab some foil and cover a baking sheet. Coat the foil with the non-stick cooking spray.

Four tortillas sitting on the aluminium lined cookie sheet.

Coat both sides of 4 tortillas with the non-stick cooking spray and place them on the prepared baking sheet.

The four tortillas sitting in the over being broiled.

Pop them under the broiler and watch closely. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and flip them over as soon as one side is nicely browned. Remove from oven when golden and crispy.

A toasted tortilla covered with refried beans and cooked vegetables.

Time to put them together. Start with a little refried beans and a good spoonful of the veggies. The refried beans provide a nice base for the veggies.

A spoonful of salsa being added to the top of the tostada.

How about a little salsa? Why, yes, I will.

Shredded cheese being sprinkled to the top of the tostada.

Maybe just a touch of cheese. Surely.

Avocado, cilantro, and sour cream garnish the tostada.

Some chopped avocado, cilantro and a touch of light sour cream. Thank you very much.

The completed Veggie Tostada served on a plate.

This is a fantastic way to satisfy that craving for Mexican food with no regrets.

I will be back from vacation, healthy (hopefully), refreshed (am I dreaming?), with lots and lots of new recipes very soon.

Enjoy!

A veggie tostada on a plate.

Veggie Tostadas

A special method creates these lightened up Veggie Tostadas. A healthy way to satisfy your craving for Mexican food.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 tostadas
Calories: 394kcal
Author: Valerie Brunmeier

Ingredients

  • 16 ounce can refried beans (regular or vegetarian)
  • 1 ear of sweet corn
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 small zucchini diced
  • 1/2 small yellow onion thinly sliced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil , plus additional to coat pan
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • corn tortillas
  • non-stick cooking spray

For garnish

  • 1/2 cup salsa
  • 1 avocado , chopped
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar/jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup light sour cream
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro , chopped

Instructions

  • Place refried beans in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Allow to heat while you prepare veggies.
  • Remove the husk from the ear of corn and using a sharp knife, remove the kernels from the cob. Place the corn kernels in a small mixing bowl. Add diced red bell pepper, zucchini, and thinly sliced onion. Drizzle veggies with 1 tablespoon olive oil and mix until all the veggies are lightly coated with oil. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and salt and pepper, to taste, over the veggies and mix well.
  • Pour just enough olive oil into a large frying pan to lightly coat the bottom. Place over medium high heat and when oil is hot, add the veggies. Cook and stir for about 3 or 4 minutes until veggies are just fork tender. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Remove from heat and set aside.
  • Set your oven to the broil setting. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat it with non-stick cooking spray. Place 4 corn tortillas on the prepared foil and spray them generously with the non-stick cooking spray. Flip them over and spray the other side. Place baking sheet under broiler and watch closely. Flip the tortillas when they have browned on one side. Remove from oven when both sides are nicely browned and tortillas are crisp.
  • Assemble the tostadas by placing 1/4 of refried beans on one tortilla. Add a heaping spoonful of the cooked veggies and garnish with salsa, avocado, shredded cheese, light sour cream, and cilantro. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tostada | Calories: 394kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 1091mg | Potassium: 707mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1907IU | Vitamin C: 56mg | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 2mg
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Categories: 30 Minute Meals, Cinco de Mayo, Holidays, Main Dish, Mexican, Recipe, Vegetarian

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Reader Interactions

Latest Comments
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  1. Rachael says

    September 17, 2014 at 8:17 am

    I am going to make these for lunch! They look fantastic. Thanks for sharing. Pinned.

    Reply
  2. Mary Ellen says

    September 16, 2014 at 7:17 pm

    Love the tip of doing the tortillas under the broiler. I’ll be trying that soon and the filling on top looks fabulous!

    Reply
  3. [email protected] Tastes Good says

    September 16, 2014 at 6:55 pm

    So many fabulous veggies! I know the fam would love this lightened up version, and I just might have to make it soon! Thanks for sharing!! I know how hard it is to just try to nail down 1 kid – I can’t even imagine trying to wrangle 4 and get them all in one spot at the same time!

    Reply
  4. Kristin @ Dizzy Busy and Hungry! says

    September 16, 2014 at 3:23 pm

    Great recipe! Love your step-by-step pictures too.

    Reply
  5. Sheena @ Hot Eats and Cool Reads says

    September 16, 2014 at 2:53 pm

    We love meatless recipes, and this one looks especially good! So fresh!

    Reply
  6. Kim Bee says

    July 19, 2012 at 8:22 pm

    Please send me the leftovers. Or fly down and make it for me. I vote for option # 2.

    Reply
  7. Jennifer says

    June 30, 2012 at 10:37 pm

    Love your blog! I’ve nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award. Check it out at http://www.carolinagirlcooks.com. Cheers! Jennifer

    Reply
  8. Carrie @ Bakeaholic mama says

    June 30, 2012 at 6:39 pm

    Valerie these looks awesome! I’m always on the look out for new Mexican inspired dinners. It’s my favorite type of food and I think my whole family could live off of it!

    Reply
  9. Katherine Martinelli says

    June 30, 2012 at 6:57 am

    Wow, these sound awesome!! I love that they’re a bit lighter than tostadas normally.

    Reply
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