I’m excited to share this tostadas recipe with you. Before we get to it though, you need some backstory. Breakfast and I have a long history of not being friends. For years, eating it made me feel nauseous. Additionally, it always seemed to get in the way of my morning schedule. Where exactly am I supposed to fit breakfast into the 30 minutes it takes to crawl out of bed and into the car? I’m lucky to squeeze into a fresh pair of underwear and pull on some socks before leaving for work.
About a year ago, I sat down for a serious heart-to-heart with my breakfast cereal. Raisin Bran was its name. We both had a lot of baggage to unload. I blamed my cereal for sucking. It blamed me for being a lazy breakfast eater. I told it how lame and devoid of flavor it (and all of its boxed and bagged relatives) was. It looked hurt and countered by responding that I was a picky eater. This time I was offended. Didn’t it know that I of all people eat anything, including river snails, chicken heads, and bull testicles? How dare this soggy excuse for a breakfast call me a picky eater.
“You don’t know me!” I gasped and stuck my nose into the air.
But my cereal had started me a’thinkin. What was it that kept breakfast and me apart? Things weren’t always this way. Where did we go wrong? And then it hit me: I was bored with breakfast, and my breakfast was bored with me. I had defaulted to the same meals over and over again. I had reached the point where I would rather skip it than think about eating the same blasted thing again.
I resolved to break up with my Raisin Bran. “It’s not you, it’s me,” I said. My cereal cried large milky tears down the sides of its bowl. I will admit that in moments of weakness, we have shared a morning or two since then. But for the most part, breakfast and I once again have an exciting relationship.
That’s where black bean breakfast tostadas come in. Tostadas are super versatile (and it’s fun to say!) and can be used for anything from snacking to main courses. I always have black beans on hand, and I also happened to have an unopened bag of tostadas. They had been sitting for two weeks in my pantry just begging for some action.
An idea began to formulate. Why not combine two cultures into one simple and tasty breakfast? Looking around for what I had on hand, I was disappointed to find I had neither ham nor bacon (tears of sorrow!) in the refrigerator. Seriously, am I even American? After weighing my options, I decided on a black bean, vegetable, and egg tostada.
Turns out I struck gold. Not only does it taste delicious, but once all the ingredients are prepped, you can easily heat them again in the mornings for a 5-minute breakfast on the run. Now we’re talking. My Raisin Bran has never been so jealous!
Let’s stop wasting time and jump right in.
Black Bean Breakfast Tostadas
Ingredients
Main
Toppings
Method
There are a few things you should know about this recipe before getting started:
- The toppings are really versatile. Seriously. Try all sorts of different things and see what you like.
- The cheese is also flexible. I like using queso fresco (the crumbly cheese) or cheddar sometimes.
- Not everyone keeps tarragon in their spice cabinet. It’s a shame, really. It’s so full of flavor. Omit it if you have to. Or you could just go buy some. Yeah. Do that.
- You can make your own tostada shells if you want, but they’re dadgum cheap, so it’s not always worth the hassle. You can find them in the Foreign Foods aisle.
- If you don’t have parsley on hand, use some cilantro instead. Different flavor, still delicious.
First things first, gather all the ingredients you’re going to need. I find it’s helpful to practice mise en place (everything in it’s place) and to prep everything before moving to the next step. If you’re wanting to, though, while the beans cook for a few minutes, you can prep your toppings.
Dice your onion and jalapeño and mince your garlic. I prefer a small dice on a jalapeño. Sauté the onion and jalapeño together for a few minutes before adding your garlic with a dash of olive oil.
If you’re in to burning your mouth off and feeling it a couple days later, add some jalapeño seeds by all means, otherwise, leave them out.
Once your veggies are sautéd, throw in your beans and broth. Let the beans cook for about 10 minutes so that they’re warmed up and soft.
If you didn’t prep your toppings earlier, now’s a good time to finish those off. Slice your cabbage thin, dice the tomatoes, and shred your mozzarella cheese.
Now that the beans are heated up, add the lime juice, savory, thyme, and tarragon. Then take a potato masher, big spoon, or an immersion blender (my tool of choice) and mush them up until they form a chunky paste. Keep these over the lowest heat setting until you’re ready to eat. Cover with a lid if you don’t want them drying out too soon.
While you’re doing this, fry some eggs. Sprinkle your eggs with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. This will serve up to 8 tostadas, so keep that in mind when you’re cracking shells.
Now it’s time to build the tostadas. Yeehaw! Start by separating your bean mixture into equal portions (makes up to 8 tostadas). Spread a teaspoon of chipotle mayo over each tostada shell.
Then add an equal portion of your glorious black bean mixture. Next, sprinkle cheese over the top of the black beans and top with an egg, thinly sliced cabbage, diced tomatoes, and a few parsley leaves. Now that it’s built, sink your teeth into your black bean breakfast tostadas and enjoy!
I often make a batch of this at the beginning of the week and then keep left overs in the fridge. The beans are easy to reheat and make for a super fast breakfast in the mornings.
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Black Beans Breakfast Tostadas Recipe (PDF, 2 pages)
Servings | Prep Time |
4 people | 15 minutes |
Cook Time |
15 minutes |
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In an effort to switch up our breakfast routine, I decided to blend two cultures into one. These tostadas are filling, packed with both protein and fiber. For a slight flavor change, swap out mozzarella cheese for queso fresco (the crumbly cheese).
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- 8 tostada shells 6" & crispy
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 large yellow onion diced
- 1 jalapeño small diced (add seeds if you like the heat)
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup chicken (or vegetable) broth
- 1 can black beans (16 oz.) drained & rinsed
- 1/2 tsp savory
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1/2 tsp tarragon
- 1/2 lime juice from
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 tsp chiptole mayo
- 8 large eggs
- 1 dash smoked paprika
- 2 cups cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 large Roma tomatoes diced
- 1 bunch parsley
- Dice the onion, jalapeño, and mince the garlic. Over medium heat, sauté the onion and jalapeño in olive oil. Add the garlic after a few minutes to prevent it from burning.
- Add the chicken broth, black beans and let cook until beans are heated and soft (about 10 minutes). While beans are cooking, slice the cabbage and dice the tomatoes. Heat a separate pan for frying eggs.
- Flavor the eggs by sprinkling with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. While eggs are frying, add the savory, thyme, tarragon, and lime juice to bean mixture. Use a large spoon, potato masher, or immersion blender to mush the beans together and form a chunky paste. Salt and pepper if needed. Divide beans into 8 equal portions.
- Complete the tostada by spreading 1 tsp chipotle mayo of crunchy tostada shell, followed by the black beans, cheese, and then the egg. On top of the egg, add the cabbage, tomatoes and some parsley leaves. Serve warm and enjoy!
If you like the heat, add some of the jalapeño seeds when you're sautéing the first few ingredients.
Kim P molodically voices...
These look yummy! I’m looking for better breakfast options that have some protein to keep me full longer, I think these would be great for that!
Chris Mower totally conveys...
I hope you enjoy 🙂