Beef Tostadas (with pico de gallo and spicy crema)
Super delicious, crispy ground beef tostadas, topped with a simple, fresh tomato-onion salsa and a dollop of spicy crema. Betcha can’t eat just one …
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tablespoon baking soda, optional (see note)
- Chili spice blend (see below)
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- 2 teaspoons beef stock concentrate
- 1/2 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
- Hot sauce of your choice
- 2 limes, halved
- 2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 small onion, 1/2 thinly sliced and 1/2 diced
- 2 green bell peppers or poblano peppers, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- 8 flour tortillas (small or “taco-sized”)
- Olive oil, as needed
- 1.5 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
Chili Spice Blend
(Combine all ingredients in a bowl, stirring until well-mixed)
- 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Put the beef in a mixing bowl, along with the baking soda. Toss and work it gently to mix. Let it sit while you prepare the salsa fresca and crema.
- Combine the chopped tomatoes, diced onion, cilantro, and the juice of ½ lime in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream and as much hot sauce as you like. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet set over medium high heat. When it’s hot, add the ground beef in a big, spread-out layer, the chili spice blend, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until deeply browned, about 7 to 8 minutes, stirring and breaking it up occasionally.
- Add the sliced onion and peppers to the beef, followed by the stock concentrate, and ¼ cup water. Stir to mix and simmer for a couple of minutes until nice and saucy. Keep warm.
- Brush the tortillas on both sides with a layer of oil and lay them on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle each tortilla with a little of the cheese and bake until golden and crisped; about 4 to 5 minutes (watch them!).
- To assemble a tostada: Spoon some of the beef mixture onto a crispy tortilla and top with a mound of the fresh tomato-onion salsa. Add a sprinkle of some cheese and a dollop of the spicy crema, and serve with the extra limes for squeezing (makes all the difference!)
Notes
- NOTE: The addition of the baking soda may seem strange, but it will prevent the beef from getting watery as it tries to brown. This will result in much better browning and crisping for you, and will look more appetizing in the end. Totally optional, but it really makes a nice difference.