Carne Tostada Recipe (Ground Beef)
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My carne tostada recipe is crispy, delicious, and loaded with sauteed beef, potatoes and carrots in a savory tomato sauce and served with your favorite toppings. It’s easy and will please a hungry crowd!
Looking for a fun way to switch up your normal Taco Tuesday menu? You are in luck because this beef tostada is the perfect way to add a variety of flavors to your recipe rut.
This tostada recipe is one from Nopalito, one of my favorite Mexican cookbooks. These Ground Beef Tostadas start with crispy corn tostada shells, refried beans, savory, spiced ground beef loaded with some tasty ingredients and are great when feeding a crowd. Plus, it feeds a crowd, so it’s ideal for feeding friends and family.
It’s no secret that I love Mexican inspired dishes. I wanted to share a few with you that are very popular amongst my readers. Authentic Refried Beans are so tasty! You’ll also want to try out my Pickled Red Onions because they are so bright and vibrant, and they both toppings for this recipe.
I have a feeling you will also enjoy my Easy Ground Beef Tacos, Crispy Ground Beef Quesadillas, and Ground Beef Enchiladas.
- Ground Beef – I prefer hamburger, but ground turkey or chicken would also work too.
- Spices – Using a combination of chili powder, Mexican oregano, and ground cumin are amazing.
- Onion – Using white onion is my preference, but yellow or red onions would also be fine.
- Jalapenos – Add a little bit of heat with some jalapenos. Be sure to remove the seeds and dice them up.
- Tomato Paste and Roasted Tomatoes – They are incredible together!
- Carrots – Sneak in some valuable nutrients by dicing up some carrots. They also give the dish a natural sweetness.
- Potato – I prefer to use a Yukon Gold potato. It holds its shape well and tastes good too.
- Refried Beans – I could seriously eat these beans with a spoon! But they take the dish to the next level.
- Corn Tostadas – You can make your own tostadas or buy them pre-made. Both are fine options!
Toppings I recommend
- Cabbage – Fresh green cabbage is hard to beat. If you wanted to swap it for purple, that’s fine too.
- Cheese – I highly recommend using either Cojita or Queso Fresco cheese. Perfection!
- Mexican Crema – If you don’t have access to Mexican Crema, thin some sour cream with a little water, works fine too.
- Pickled Red Onions – These are the best-pickled onions I have made, and once you taste them, I’m sure you will think the same thing.
- Cilantro – Chop some fresh cilantro and sprinkle on top before serving.
- Prepare the meat. Start by cooking the hamburger and seasonings in a dutch oven or stockpot. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
- Mix in more ingredients. Mix in the onions, jalapenos, and tomato paste and cook. Then mix in the tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Mix in potatoes and carrots. Place the potatoes and carrots to the mixture and continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes. Stir frequently until they are softened.
- Assemble the tostada. Add a layer of beans on the shell and mix in beef. Then sprinkle with cabbage, cheese, crema, red onion, fresh cilantro, and enjoy!
Storage
If you don’t end up devouring every bite, you can certainly save the leftovers. Let them cool down to room temperature, and then place them in a container with a tight-fitting lid. They will last in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or until hot. Make sure to add a paper towel when microwaving because it tends to get messy otherwise. You can also warm it in a skillet using medium heat until it reaches the desired temperature.
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Carne Tostada Recipe (Ground Beef)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp chili seasoning
- 1 tsp oregano, Mexican preferred (See Note 1)
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 large white onion diced
- 2 jalapeños seeded and diced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 16 oz diced roasted tomatoes
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 1 large Yukon Gold potato diced (about 1 cup+)
Assembly
- Corn Tostadas (See Note 2)
- 2 cups Refried Beans (See Note 3)
- Green Cabbage sliced thin (2 cups)
- Cotija or Queso Fresco cheese
- Mexican crema (or sour cream)
- Pickled Red Onions
- Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Over medium high heat in a dutch oven or large stock pot add the ground beef, kosher salt, chili powder, oregano and cumin. Cook until no longer pink, about 6-7 minutes.
- Stir in onion, jalapeños and tomato paste. Cook for several minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juices. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes.
- Add diced potatoes and carrot, stir and continue cooking for another 20 minutes. Stir occasionally and add some water if it gets too thick and does not scorch bottom of pot.
- Assemble by spreading some refried beans on each tostada shell and top with ground beef mixture. Add chopped cabbage, cheese, creama, pickled red onion and chopped cilantro.
Notes
- A little information for you on the two different oreganos: Mexican oregano is a relative of Lemon Verbena and is native to Mexico. Similar in that it’s pungent like Mediterranean oregano, Mexican oregano has notes of mild licorice and citrus. Mediterranean oregano is a member of the mint family and most often is used in Greek and Italian recipes. Mediterranean oregano is the one most found in spice racks and supermarkets.
- If making your own corn tostada shells:
To Bake: Preheat oven to 300°F. Place the corn tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet and spray each side with cooking spray. Bake for 20-30 minutes until crispy, turning once.
To Fry: Over high heat in a skillet add oil to reach 1/2 inch up sides of pan. Add 2-3 tortillas at a time and working quickly, fry until golden and crispy, carefully turning. Drain on paper towels and set aside. - I make my own refried beans, super easy and less salt than canned.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Really enjoyed reading this recipe and your blogs in general. Looking forward to learning more and I will check out the cookbook.
Thank you for sharing this! I am glad you enjoy reading them! I appreciate hearing that!
Does the beef mixture freeze well?
If you freeze it let me know how it does! I am sure it would freeze great!
I am sure it would freeze well! Let me know if you do!
So, I was curious about potato and carrot in my tostadas. I like both and new recipes and this one was unique to others so it was the chosen one. I had planned on omitting the carrots as I was afraid “others” would question its appearance and I also didn’t want it to happen overpower the flavor and make the dish sweet. To eliminate its appearance I shredded the carrot and no one knew it was there. 😉
I’m so glad I tried this recipe! It was flavorful, savory and had a kick to it. I was a mint in the heat, so I used only one of the Jalapeños. Otherwise everything else to a T. Well done, I plan to use this again!
Thank you for sharing! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I’m sitting here just dreaming about eating these. I absolutely love tostadas, and these sound just incredible!
Thanks Danielle. Definitely check out the cookbook, he is amazing!
I just realized something this week. I never buy ground beef! I’ve been seeing lots of recipes recently using ground meat and I now realize things must change! It just seems so versatile to use in meals. So thanks!
Ground beef, chicken and turkey are always getting used on something here each week. Versatile indeed Mimi! 🙂