Milk Street Recipe

Mely Martinez’ Black Bean Tostadas

Name: Mely Martinez’ Black Bean Tostadas
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 Servings
Ingredients: 2 15½-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained; 3 tablespoons lard or neutral oil; 1 medium white onion, finely chopped; 3 jalapeño chilies, stemmed, seeded and minced; 1 tablespoon ground cumin (optional); Kosher salt and ground black pepper; 8 tostadas (see headnote); Shredded iceberg lettuce, to serve; Queso fresco, crumbled, to serve; Mexican crema or sour cream, to serve; Cilantro, to serve; Lime wedges, to serve

30 minutes

Tostadas are the ultimate comfort food for Mely Martinez, food blogger and author of “The Mexican Home Kitchen.” She favors cooking dried beans, but canned beans and store-bought tostadas (corn tortillas that are fried flat) allow this recipe to come together easily and with amazing speed. Martinez prepares her black beans simply, without added spices, but we like them spiked with ground cumin. We’ve kept the cumin optional, so the choice is yours whether or not to add it. Either way, the tostadas offer a delicious contrast between crunchy and creamy, with salty notes from the queso fresco, coolness from the lettuce and creaminess from the Mexican crema (or sour cream).

4

Servings

Tip

Don’t forget to cover the skillet when sautéing the onion and chilies. This helps soften the aromatics so they melt into the beans rather than retain their texture.

30 minutes

Ingredients

2

15½-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
3

tablespoons lard or neutral oil

Directions

01

In a food processor, process the black beans and ½ cup water until smooth, scraping the bowl as needed. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium, heat the lard until shimmering. Add the onion, jalapeños and ½ teaspoon salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is softened and lightly browned, 7 to 9 minutes.

Reviews

Andy B.

June 11, 2022

so good!

I have made this many times. It has become a standard in our house.

Ken L.

I LOVE this recipe! It’s so simple and tastes amazing. Sautéing some red peppers and onions to put on top also added some extra flavor, but it’s excellent - and truly comforting - as is.

christine d.

This recipe is delicious! We already made it twice, once for dinner, once for breakfast with an egg on top. The flavor of the black beans hits the spot.

Susan M.

I used dry beans that I cooked myself, and the end result was so yummy.

Astra F.

I used the canned black beans as I was feeling pretty lazy. I blended them up in my food processor w jalapeño white onion cumin and a few cilantro stems, then fried them in vegetable oil. Really great result. I feel like I broke some rules but the beans were so flavorful.

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Mely Martinez’ Black Bean Tostadas