Meal Planning Made Easy with a Trio of Recipes

Third time's the charm, right?

This time around we'll be making tostadas. If you've never had them before, they're a little like nachos, but instead of several little and likely broken chips covered in good stuff, they're one BIG chip piled high with nacho-like ingredients.

While it's not necessary, we do recommend adding some refried beans, guacamole, shredded lettuce and/or sliced avocado to this round. The additional ingredients really give this meal a flavor and texture boost - but we understand some picky eaters find them... objectionable, to say the least. Two of them are vibrantly green, so your veggie haters will be on guard immediately, and the other two are lumpy. So if you skip these, or just don't want to put in that extra layer of prep, it's absolutely okay. Your tostadas will still be tasty and nutritionally complete, we promise. We also like cilantro as a garnish, but we know some people find it soapy and unappealing.

You'll need your filling (the last portion left in the freezer from your original batch), and also:

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas
remaining 1/4 lb cheese (brick, shredded)
4 oz salsa
remaining sour cream

Optional:
refried beans, guacamole, lettuce, avocado, fresh cilantro

Baking pan with rack (or an air fryer if you're fancy), microwave safe dish or saucepan with lid, aluminum foil, cooking spray, plate or platter, grater, spoons and butter knife for dividing and spreading ingredients, knife and cutting board if adding lettuce or avocado, and some way to handle hot food (tongs, mitts, etc.)

As we did last time around, start by getting the filling out to thaw. Once you can remove it from the container it was frozen in, put it into a saucepan, drop a lid on it and set it on a burner on low. Alternatively, you can use a microwave safe dish and zap it for a few minutes on low to heat it through. Whichever method you choose, be sure to stir frequently in order to avoid scorched spots and frozen centers.

Separate your tortillas - but this time there's no need to wrap them up. Today, the goal is to crisp them. Lay them out on the platter and give them all a spray with your cooking spray, then flip them all and repeat the process so that both sides of each have a thin coating of oil.

If you have an air fryer, feel free to preheat it to 375 now. In an air fryer, you'll have to work in stages, even if you have a layered rack, so don't expect to be able to do more than two tortillas at a time. Place a single tortilla on each layer of the rack and, ideally, weigh it down with something oven-safe and kind of heavy. Pie weights work well if you have them, or you might use an oven-safe mug, ramekin or dessert plate if you have the vertical space to accommodate them in the fryer. If not, it's no big deal - tostadas are messy to begin with, and the only thing affected by them being a little wobbly and uneven is their presentation value. Run them through the fryer for about five minutes each. When you remove them, do so with grill gloves or tongs - anything that's not your bare hand! Burnt fingers ruin dinner for everyone.

Should you choose the more conventional route of using an oven instead of an air fryer, you should preheat that to 375 and place the tortillas in a single layer on the baking rack. Set them on the top rack of the oven and allow them to bake for ten minutes, flipping them over at the halfway mark. Be sure to take them out before the edges blacken. Every oven is a little different, so you know better than we do if you're at risk for that.

Did you save any of that shredded cheese from the last go-round? If not, grab the grater and shred the last of the brick you started with, or re-enlist that helper from before to take care of it for you.

This is also a good time to wash and chop lettuce if you've chosen to add it.

Once all your tortillas have been crisped and removed from the heat, begin layering toppings. It's best to put something unlikely to soak into the tortilla on the bottom, so we frequently place our thin layer of shredded cheese here, then build up.

Refried beans, if you're using them, are an excellent next layer because of their sticky, gluey nature (unless they're the too-thin kind you sometimes encounter - maybe skip if they're watery). Spread them out a bit with a knife so they're not all clumped up in the center, then add a few spoonfuls of your warm filling.

We'd go with guacamole and lettuce next, and a little dollop of sour cream on top with just a dash of cilantro, and then serve with a little bit of salsa... But this is the time to make it your own. You don't need to top it just with the things we've suggested.

Perhaps top it with another addition of your own design. By now, you're familiar with the flavor profile and have had a chance to think about what you'd like to add - maybe you like goat cheese, or a specific brand or flavor of hot sauce. Maybe you think it could benefit from the addition of some chorizo or queso blanco. What if you have some fresh peppers taking up space in the fridge that could add some texture and color?

There are no rules with tostadas, so long as the base is a crispy tortilla. It's perhaps a bit safer to keep any warm or soggy ingredients at the base and build upward with the crumbly and cool ingredients, but that's just a suggestion based on experience. Treat it like a crunchy open-faced sandwich and have fun with it! And don't be scared to make a mess eating yours - that's all part of the fun!

Let us know what you thought of our final meal planning recipe over on Facebook! We’d love to hear from you.

So long as your stove is fine, you’re good to go after this point, but what if it’s your washer that’s on the fritz? If that’s the case, you can give us a call at ((214) 599-0055) or head over to our website. Wherever you live in Carrollton and the surrounding areas, we’ve got you covered. Appliance Rescue Service is here to help and here to keep your home, and your home appliances, running smoothly.

Additional Reading
Meal Planning One: Tacos for Days

Meal Planning Two: Enchiladas for Everyone