Smashed Black Bean & Chicken Tostadas
with Green Pepper, Pico de Gallo & Lime Crema
- Milk
- Soy
- Wheat
Can’t decide between the mouthwatering flavors of your favorite taco and the satisfying crunch-factor of a plate of nachos? Enter the tostada, aka the perfect marriage of the two. Here, you’ll toast tortillas in the oven for a flat, golden, crispy base. Then, you’ll layer on all your toppings—think creamy spiced black beans, melty Mexican cheeses, sautéed pepper and onion, homemade pico de gallo, and tangy lime crema. Yep, it’s pretty safe to say these tostadas are a SMASH hit.
Ingredients
1 unit
Onion
1 unit
Tomato
¼ ounce
Cilantro
1 unit
Lime
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
1 unit
Black Beans
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
6 unit
Flour Tortillas
(Contains: Soy, Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
1 unit
Tex-Mex Paste
½ cup
Mexican Cheese Blend
(Contains: Milk)
10 ounce
Chopped Chicken Breast
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil
Olive Oil
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position (top and middle positions for 4 servings) and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion; mince a few slices until you have 2 TBSP (4 TBSP for 4). Dice tomato. Roughly chop cilantro. Quarter lime. Halve, core, and thinly slice green pepper into strips. Drain and rinse beans. • In a small bowl, combine minced onion, tomato, half the cilantro, and a squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. • In a separate small bowl, combine sour cream with a squeeze of lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add green pepper, sliced onion, and half the Southwest Spice Blend (you’ll use the rest in the next step). Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred and softened, 5-7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat; transfer to a plate.
Before cooking veggies, open package of chicken* and drain off any excess liquid. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken or beef*; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes (it will cook through in Step 5). Turn off heat; transfer to a plate. Drain any excess grease from pan, then cook through the rest of this step as instructed.
• Heat pan used for veggies over medium-high heat. Add beans, Tex-Mex paste, remaining Southwest Spice Blend, and 1⁄4 cup water (1/3 cup for 4 servings). Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has mostly evaporated, 3-4 minutes. • Remove from heat; gently mash beans with a potato masher or back of a spoon. Stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted. (TIP: If mixture is too thick, stir in a splash of water.) Season with salt and pepper.
• Drizzle tortillas with 1 TBSP olive oil (2 TBSP for 4 servings); brush or rub to coat all over. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer (divide between 2 sheets for 4). Gently prick each tortilla in a few places with a fork. • Bake on top rack, flipping halfway through, until lightly golden, 4-5 minutes per side. (For 4, bake on top and middle racks; flipping tortillas and swapping rack positions halfway through.) TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning.
• Once tortillas are toasted, remove sheet from oven. Carefully spread each tortilla with smashed beans, then top with veggies and Mexican cheese blend. • Return to top rack until cheese melts, 2-3 minutes.
Add chicken or beef to tostadas along with veggies, then top with Mexican cheese blend. Return to top rack until chicken or beef is cooked through and cheese melts, 2-3 minutes.
• Divide tostadas between plates. Top with pico de gallo, lime crema, and remaining cilantro. Serve with remaining lime wedges on the side.
Chicken is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 165°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the taste, especially when adding chicken for extra protein and flavor 🍗.
- Ease of prep: Some found it time-consuming with multiple steps, but others enjoyed its flexibility and ease of customization.
- Suggestions: Consider dicing the peppers for more even distribution, and watch the tortillas closely to avoid burning.
- Portions: Adding extra chicken or ground meat can make the meal more filling and serve more people.
- Texture: Achieving the right crispiness for the tortillas can be tricky; poke holes carefully to prevent air bubbles.
Reviews from our home cooks
Absolutely fantastic recipe. Easy to adjust spice levels and can even add ground beef to feed more people.
Great recipe, but I just can't get the tortillas prepared right. I poke holes as suggested but they always get big air bubbles
Took a little bit longer than I expected due to smashing the beans, but we really enjoyed it. It was more than we expected.
I add chicken to this and it's absolutely delicious! Probably one of my favorites!
Great flexible. I made bean burritos using this recipe at the end of the week.
Felt like a lot of work and time consuming: chop five things, two pans for cooking three things, taking the tortillas in and out of the oven three times. Tasty, but man alive.
Added some diced chicken & it was too die for. Very delicious
Loved these. Burnt 3 of the tortillas so had the second portion with rice and it was so good
Extra tortillas, batch burned even while watching oven and time carefully
Hello Fresh's tostadas are always good! I added 2 x's the chopped chicken breast to the recipe and the outcome was yummy!
