Baked tostadas topped with seasoned ground beef, refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce. They’re super simple to make and one of my favorite nostalgic comfort foods.

Today, I pay homage to my childhood with these super simple and wildly inauthentic beef and bean tostadas. If you’re like me and spent a chunk of your childhood living in the middle of the U.S. during the 1980s, these beef and bean tostadas may resonate with you, too.

They’ve got old school taco meat with refried beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. I like to bake them so you get a toasty hot tostada shell and lots of melty cheese. They’re a fun dinner if you’re craving a nostalgic taco night.

Ingredients

Ground beef: I like lean beef or you can use ground turkey.
Taco seasoning: Straight from the yellow packet, friends.
Tostada shells: Yes, you can buy corn tortillas and fry them, but why not, for nostalgia’s sake, use the packaged tostada shells? So much easier. I like Guerrero brand tostadas.
Refried beans: Refried pinto beans or black beans – your choice.
Shredded cheddar cheese
Diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and chopped cilantro

How to Make Them

☑️ Make the Seasoned Beef

Brown the beef and drain off the fat. Add the taco seasoning, water, and stir. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook it for a few minutes or until the liquid has reduced.

☑️ Warm the Beans

The beans will be hard to spread on the tostadas if it’s not warmed up. So, pop them in a microwave-safe bowl and warm them for a minute or so. Or, warm them in a pan on the stove.

three photos showing how to make the tostadas.

☑️ Assemble the Tostadas

Top each tostada with the refried beans, taco meat, and cheese. Place them on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

☑️ Bake

Bake the tostadas for about 10 minutes at 375°F or until toasty hot.

☑️ Add the Toppings

Top each tostada with lettuce and tomatoes and other toppings you like. Salsa, sour cream, guacamole, diced avocado… you get the idea.

overhead shot of tostadas with beef cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

More Recipes with Ground Beef

close-up shot of the finished tostadas on a wood platter.

Beef and Bean Tostadas

Baked tostadas topped with seasoned ground beef, refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce.

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Author: April Anderson

Servings: tostadas

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 35

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground beef 97% lean
1 (1-oz) packet of taco seasoning mix
2/3 cups water
10 tostada shells
10 ounces refried beans warmed
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings: Salsa, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown it, breaking it apart as it cooks, until it’s no longer pink. Add the taco seasoning and water. Adjust the heat to medium and stir the beef until the liquid thickens.
Lay the tostada shells in a single layer on the sheet pan. Spread a generous tablespoon of warm beans on each shell. Spoon a few tablespoons of the taco meat on top. Divide the cheese evenly among them.
Bake the tostadas for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tostada shells are warmed.
Garnish each tostada with salsa, lettuce, tomatoes, and cilantro.

Notes

I use about one cup each of the salsa and lettuce, half a cup of diced tomatoes, and a couple of tablespoons of chopped cilantro for the garnishes. You can also add sour cream, guacamole, diced avocado, or other taco toppings you like.

The nutrition estimate does not include the toppings.