Roasted Red Pepper Tostadas with a Black Bean Mash

Instead of Taco Tuesday, how about Tostada Tuesday?

I mean…it’s basically the same thing, right?!

Most of the time, tostadas are served on those giant corn tortilla chips (which we love!), but on this particular night, I heated up flour tortillas on the griddle until they were a bit crispy and then piled all of the goodness on top.  Whether you serve this on an actual tostada chip, use the filling as a soft taco or crisp up tortillas like me, you’re going to love it.  Roasted red peppers, a black bean mash, seasoned ground beef and all the toppings…this is why we do Taco Tuesday…it’s too delish to miss each week!

Enjoy!

This recipe serves 4 to 6.

Shopping List
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
salt and pepper
1 pound of ground beef
2½ tablespoons chili powder, divided
1 red onion, chopped (you’ll reserve some for garnishing)
1 (15 oz) can of black beans, drained and rinsed
4 to 6 flour tortillas (or tostada shells)
Guacamole to garnish
chopped cilantro to garnish
chopped green onions to garnish

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

On a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up), lay out your sliced bell peppers.  Drizzle EVOO on top along with a big pinch of both salt and pepper.  Pop them in the oven to roast up about 20 minutes.

While they’re roasting, pull out two skillets (one for your black bean mash and the other for your ground beef).  In one skillet, brown up your ground beef until it’s crumbly and cooked through over medium-high heat in a drizzle of EVOO.  Next, stir in 2 tablespoons of chili powder and a pinch of both salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and allow the taco meat to simmer.

Meanwhile, in the other skillet add in your chopped onion and saute until tender.  Next, add in your drained and rinsed black beans along with ½ tablespoon of chili powder and allow the beans a few minutes to heat up.  After a few minutes, using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon, lightly start to mash the beans into the onions.

If you want your tortillas to crisp up, at this time, you can add them to your griddle or a grill pan on 400 degrees and allow them to warm (a few minutes on each side) or you can serve them in the tortillas like a soft taco or on a crispy tostada shell.

When it’s time to assemble, take your base (the tortilla or shell) and add some of your black bean mash on top followed by your roasted red pepper slices, ground beef and then your guacamole, cilantro and/or chopped green onions.  If you have a few leftover pieces of red onion, you can add that on top too for a bit of color.

It’s a colorful and flavorful meal every time!

Enjoy!