Smashed Black Bean Tostadas
with Long Green Pepper, Pico de Gallo & Lime Crema
- Wheat
- Soy
- Milk
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
4 tablespoon
Sour Cream
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
1 unit
Black Beans
1 unit
Tomato
1 unit
Lime
6 unit
Flour Tortillas
(Contains: Wheat, Soy)
1 unit
Tex-Mex Paste
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
¼ ounce
Cilantro
½ cup
Mexican Cheese Blend
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Olive Oil
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
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 all 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. • 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.
• 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; flip tortillas and swap rack positions halfway through cooking.) TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning.
• While tortillas bake, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add green pepper, sliced onion, and half the Southwest Spice (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.
• Meanwhile, drain and rinse beans. • Heat pan used for veggies over medium-high heat. Add beans, Tex Mex paste, remaining Southwest Spice, and ¼ cup water (1⁄3 cup for 4 servings). Bring to a simmer and cook until liquid has mostly evaporated, 3-4 minutes. • Remove from heat and gently mash beans with a potato masher or back of a spoon. Stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4). If mixture is too thick, add a splash of water. Season with salt and pepper.
• Once tortillas are toasted, remove sheet from oven. Carefully spread each tortilla with smashed beans, then top with veggies and Mexican cheese. • Return to oven until 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.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Apr 2026- Flavor: Many loved the spicy, smoky bean flavor and fresh pico combination, though some found it bland without extra seasoning.
- Ease of prep: Customers appreciated the simple concept but noted it's time-consuming with many steps and dishes to clean.
- Suggestions: Watch tortillas closely as they burn easily; try 2-3 minutes per side instead of the full time recommended.
- Portions: Not enough beans or vegetables to generously fill all tortillas; consider making fewer tostadas with heartier portions.
- Tortilla tips: Poke more holes to prevent puffing; many preferred making soft tacos or bowls for easier eating.
- Spice level: Start with half the Tex-Mex paste as some found it overpowering or too salty for their taste.
Reviews from our home cooks
Loved these tostadas. The only problem i had was that I prepared four tostadas (two each for me and my husband). We used all the pico de gallo and onion/pepper mix for those four. There's no way we would have had enough to make six tostadas per the recipe. But they were really good and they were easy to prepare ahead of time
I love how easy this was. It was very tasty. I had some extra pico de gallo from another meal, so I added that to the tostada. Really tipped it over the edge for flavor.
This dish was so full of flavor and texture for the mouth! Crispy tostada with taco-seasoned creamy beans covered with melted cheese, cool flavorful pico and tangy lime cream.! Had leftovers with this dish!
The Pico de Gallo made this dish. There is a similar HF Black Bean Tostadas recipe with no Pico de Gallo and it was not as good. This dish just needs a little freshness and the Pico de Gallo did it for me. We loved it!
Love these tostadas. The bean spread was a bit dry so I added a splash of water to the mixture. The beans had a spicy smoky flavor. Loved the pico and lime splashed sour cream on top. Overall very good.
I love any taco recipe that has smashed black beans in it. Wish it had an extra crunch factor (I really like the other black bean tacos with slaw on it) but still great.
I did not use any meat with this recipe. I used 1/2 lime and squeezed the juice in the sour cream drizzle. After the beans were smashed and cooked, i then mixed the vegetables, undrained tomato relish/ salsa. I used the other 1/2 of the lime and juiced it into the bean mixture. Great flavor!!! I loved this dish.
The instructions were too complicated and not accurate. I cooked the chili and the onions for a lot longer than 7 minutes and added water but they were still hard. Also please stop saying put half an ingredient in then the other half at the end as garnish. It complicates things unnecessarily. Also tostadas are made from corn tortillas not flour. Also the tomato was almost rock hard probably because they are not in season yet or it hasn't been hot enough. On a positive note the beans were tasty and everything was fresh.
This was a big hit with the kids, one of whom doesn't particularly like beans. But they devoured these, so I'll probably be making them on my own in the future, probably with a chunky guac. The "pico de gallo" was more like a regular salsa, and they didn't like it at all. I did alter the recipe slightly as the adobo paste is spicier than they can handle, and I felt the same seasoning in the veg and the beans was repetitive. (Used it all in the beans, just salt & pepper on the veg. Also only used a little adobo, plus pineapple vinegar in beans.)
Since joining Hello Fresh, I've learned I apparently like Mexican spices and toppings because I love cumin and chili powder, green onions, sour cream, and pico de gallo! Before Hello Fresh, I wouldn't eat beans past the occasional black eyed peas, which I still wasn't crazy about. Now that I've found these spices and toppings, I don't even notice the beans, so I can get some affordable protein AND enjoy the meal. Love, love, love.
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