There are few things I love more than tacos. Yearround, you can ask me what I’m craving to eat, and I’ll probably say tacos! And I love every kind—pollo, pescado, carnitas, vegetarian—you name it. So when taco Tuesday comes around, as it does once a week, you know I won’t think twice about whipping up one of my favorite meals.
On this particular Tuesday, however, I decided to shake up the traditional taco game and make some crispy tostadas. Similar to tacos in almost every way, tostadas are make distinct by their crispy shells. You can use flour tortillas here, but I used to corn to enhance the flavor and amp up the nutrient value.
What makes a tostada
In Spanish, the word “tostada” literally translates to “toasted”. So unlike a taco which is typically served in a soft or hard tortilla shell, the base of this dish is a flat tortilla that has been toasted or fried into a crispy state. It’s then topped with a plethora of ingredients that can include meat, cheese, beans, veggies, and pretty much anything else you could desire. In the end it’s basically like a giant tortilla chip with all your favorite fix-ins!
when spice is so nice
It’s no secret that I love spicy foods. Does my face get beet red and I beg for ice-cold water when I eat it? Usually, but that doesn’t stop me from piling on the chilis and hot sauce! This dish is particularly hot due to the mix of spicy chorizo, hot poblanos, and the optional hot sauce you may drizzle on top. Although the poblanos and chorizo aren’t exactly optional for this dish, you can always forego the hot sauce or cool these down with some sour cream or avocado.
Quick hit of ingredients
The list of ingredients for this recipe is surprisingly brief considering the insane amount of flavor packed in this dish!
Chorizo You can typically either buy chorizo in sausage form or in bulk form where it’s ground up. You’re going to want bulk chorizo for this recipe, and you can typically find it at the meat counter of the grocery store
Poblano peppers These chili peppers are typically green while similar to jalapeños, they’re characterized by their pointy tips. They can be slightly hot, but they also have a delicious sweetness that’s hard to resist
White onion While I use pickled red onion in a lot of my taco recipes, this one calls for white onion. It adds just the right amount of zing and crunch to every bite!
Sliced radishes A must-have to top these babies off!
Cilantro & queso fresca As always you can skip some of these extra toppings, but I don’t recommend it. The queso will also add a cooling factor if you find these tostadas too spicy!
Corn tortillas As I mentioned, you can use flour tortillas, but I would push you toward corn for the amazing flavor and health benefits
Tostada Tuesday, here we go!
⟶ the recipe
spicy chorizo & poblano tostadas
ingredients
1 pound of bulk chorizo
1 large poblano, chopped
½ white onion, chopped
Sliced radishes
Handful of cilantro
Spoonful of crumbled queso fresco
4 corn tortillas
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook time
10 minutes
Total time
20 minutes
Makes 4 tostadas
instructions
Start by sautéing the chopped poblanos and half of the prepared white onion over medium heat in a bit of olive oil. After a few minutes and the onions are beginning to sizzle, add the chorizo meat, and break it up into small pieces as it cooks through.
Once the meat has cooked completely and you’re a few minutes away from serving, pop the corn tortillas under the broiler until they’re crispy and beginning to brown on the edges.
Top the toasted tortillas with the warm chorizo mixture, the other half of the raw white onion, sliced radishes, cilantro, and queso.
Serve with a squeeze of lime and hot sauce for some extra heat.
⟶ modifications
- The corn tortillas make these gluten-free, and to make these vegetarian, just swap the chorizo with something else. If you want to replicate the meatiness, you could use ground Beyond Beef, or you could add an extra veggie like cauliflower or use black beans
⟶ make it ahead
- You can quickly make the chorizo mixture ahead of time and store in an airtight container. When you’re ready to serve, just reheat on the stove.
- Unfortunately, once you toast tortillas, they don’t keep very well so I would recommend only doing that step when you’re ready to eat or serve. It should only take a couple minutes!
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