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In This Post: Everything You Need For Red Chile Tostadas
Watch how to make these Pre-made tostadas or make your own? Want to bake your tostadas? Read this first Prep now, enjoy later! Let’s make it dairy-free! Red chile enchilada sauce is the clear winner for us Choosing the right pan Reviews
OKAY! Okay, okay! These tostadas are just my favorite thing on the planet Earth right now. These guys are crispy, drippy, savory, salty, and all-around just in your face in the best kind of way. Here’s what’s happening:
a crispy fried corn tortilla a layer of refried black beans a fried egg cooked in red chile enchilada sauce a cheddar cheese crispy edge around the egg a little tangle of pickled red onion on top cilantro
The combination of flavors and textures is unmatched, plus so many of these things can be made ahead or store-bought (the enchilada sauce, the refried beans, the tostada if you want). It is my perfect food combination: something creamy, something crunchy, something tangy, and something drippy and messy to really make you feel alive. I have eaten (slash, continue to eat) these for ANY meal of the day, which is another reason why I love them. They are breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner all in one cute, crunchy little package. I hope you love these as much as I do – and if you do, these cauliflower tostadas with queso are your next stop!
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
Can You Use Pre-Made Tostadas?
Yes! That would be a huge time saver and very convenient which is what this series is all about! 4.8 from 26 reviews
6 corn tortillas 1/4 to 1/2 cup avocado oil or vegetable oil for frying one 14-ounce can refried beans 1 cup red enchilada sauce (I’ve been loving this Siete Foods Red Enchilada Sauce lately!) 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 6 eggs
Other Optional Extras:
2 tablespoons cilantro 1 avocado Pickled red onions
The tortillas need to fry quickly in order to get crispy, so make sure your oil is nice and hot when you put them in the pan! It shouldn’t take more than 3-4 minutes to fry them. I’ve also found that using corn tortillas out of the refrigerator makes them chewy instead of crispy, so I’d recommend using room temperature tortillas. I never heat up my refried black beans because the other elements are warm and it all just works for me as-is! But if you want, you can microwave your beans or heat them on the stove. That said, it’s hard to beat the taste and texture of a freshly fried corn tortilla, so that’s what I usually do!
Can You Bake Tostadas?
I find that they get too chewy (not crispy, but chewy and hard to eat) when baked, so I don’t recommend it.
How Do You Make This Ahead / What Do You Do with Leftovers?
This works really well to prep ahead in segments – just to assemble until right before you eat it. The tortillas will stay crispy and yummy for a day or so after frying (obviously best coming off the pan, but still delicious a couple hours later). And the beans, sauce, and pickled onions keep in the fridge! When I’m ready to make one of these, I just pull out all my individual items, fry my egg up, and assemble!
How Can You Make This Dairy-Free?
Just skip the cheddar cheese edge on the egg!
Do You Have To Use “Red Chile Enchilada Sauce”?
Frontera’s red chile enchilada sauce was one of my all-time favorite shortcut products – we’ve used it in multiple recipes like the beans and greens tacos, and the red chile chicken tacos. But unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to find now – they may have discontinued it! Instead, I’ve been using the Siete Foods Red Enchilada Sauce (affiliate link) and it’s great! Highly recommend.
What Kind Of Pan Works Best For This Recipe?
I normally use my cast iron to fry the tortillas, and my Caraway nonstick (affiliate link) for the eggs. But if you want to make these all in one pan, I’ve also used both types of pan for everything start to finish. You have options!
If You Like This, You’ll Also Probably Like…
The Best Chicken Tinga Tacos (yes, these really are the BEST!) The Best Migas (eggs and crisped tortillas meet again in a beautiful match) Breakfast Crunchwrap (breakfast favorites snuggled up inside a tortilla grilled to perfection) Crispy Black Bean Tacos with Garlic Cilantro Lime Sauce (this sauce is life-giving)
