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These were sooooo good!! The acidity is the onion with the roasted smokiness of the cauliflower and the creaminess and spice of the queso was *chefs kiss*
Kate
This is a brand new recipe that’s part of our Fall 2022 SOS Series! View the full series.
Listen, whenever we whisper a prayer to the air that’s like “oh no, it’s dinner o’clock what do I doooo?”, that answer is always: taco-y things!
And this crisp, salty, quick-fried tostada topped with creamy refried black beans, seasoned roasty cauliflower, and some fresh tangy pickled red onions is NOT. HOLDING. BACK. And neither should you.
Did we mention the drizzle of your favorite queso on top? Yeah, all the best things! Super quick and easy with lots of available shortcuts and lots and lots of yum.
In This Post: Everything You Need For Tostadas
- Watch How to Make These Cauli Black Bean Tostadas
- What Makes This the Ultimate Shortcut Recipe
- How to Make Pickled Onions
- How to Make Tostadas
- Other Ideas for These Tostadas
- How to Eat a Tostada
- Frequently Asked Questions About Tostadas
Prefer To Watch Instead Of Read?
What Makes This The Ultimate Shortcut Recipe
This recipe is already pretty darn quick and easy, with several delicious shortcuts that will move this lil’ baby right along. We are already using a packet of favorite taco seasoning, canned refried beans (Amy’s organic is tops), and jarred queso (hello have you had the Queso Mama green chile variety?! drool.) because SOS forever, but you could get even SOS-ier if that is the night you’re having.
Though it’s hard to beat the delicious fresh salty crunch of the quick-fried tiny corn tortillas, you could totally buy pre-made tostadas to save that step. Also, if breaking up that head of cauli isn’t your thing (we get it, how do those little pieces wind up EVERYWHERE?!), buying those pre-cut florets will certainly save you even more time (and crumbles and sanity).
Just, make sure you take any extra minutes you save to make those super easy, quick-pickled red onions, ok? You won’t regret it. They are truly unbeatable and for sure a taco’s best friend.
You could also prep the different components in advance if you’re into a meal prep schedule. Just store everything separately and you’re good to go come dinner time when you just need to quick heat and stack!
How To Make Pickled Onions
Speaking of this tangy, bitey delicious little frand, pickled onions couldn’t be easier to make!
- Thinly slice one red onion. A mandoline like this one (affiliate link) makes very quick, easy work of this!
- Place onions in a jar and fill about 1/3 of the way with white vinegar, the rest with water.
- Add a pinch of salt and sugar, give it a shake, toss in your fridge for a bit, and you’re in business.
They’ll keep in the fridge for several days so then you have them ready when you inevitably make this tostada stack again tomorrow. Or, as mentioned, literally any other taco-inspired thing because these are just so perfect with all of it.
How To Make Tostadas (And Our Tortilla Of Choice)
Our favorite tortilla option here is definitely a yellow corn tortilla. Particularly, the cutie little “street taco” Mission brand ones. The flavor is great, they fry up beautifully, and they are a perfect little tostada serving size.
Seriously, just a few minutes and a pair of tongs and these hot delicious little crunchers are yours.
- Heat some oil in a large skillet and add your tortillas a few at a time once the oil is hot.
- Fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown then put them on a paper towel to dab out any excess oil.
Sprinkle some salt on those babes and get ready for SUCH a delicious journey to tostada town. And as mentioned before, if you’re feeling very “Food. Eat. Now.” you could certainly buy pre-made tostadas and go from there.
Other Ideas For These Tostadas
There are lots of ways to play around with this one, too. If you want to add a little protein boost, some chorizo would be delicious mixed in with that cauli, or you can’t go wrong with an egg or two on top.
The tostada crunch stack is a fave over here but this combo can flex into any of your favorite preps. You could certainly pile it all on a pan full of chips and pop it under the broiler for nacho night. Just want to wrap it and in a warm tortilla burrito-style or your favorite taco shell? Yes, delicious.
If you’ve got some leftover tostadas and toppings, we hope you’ll venture toward something chilaquiles-ish the next morning for breakfast. Add a couple avocado slices to that, an egg or two…now we’re absolutely talking.
How To Eat a Tostada
Listen, you might think we’re joking but this can actually be a little tricky depending on a few factors like pile height, tostada crisp-level, your willingness to have messy fingers. It’s not the easiest knife-and-fork option because the tostada is so crunchy, but if you pile it too high, it’s a precarious balancing act to pick it up and bite into it.
But if you keep the pile per tostada pretty reasonable, it’s a delicious and easy pick up and chomp. But if you like rules and directions, there actually IS A TOSTADA GUIDE that exists! What a delightful world.
However you decide to tostada, it’s gonna be great.
Tostadas: Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The beauty of this recipe is that you can stack just about anything. Pre-cooked chicken, some chorizo, maybe an egg or two – the possibilities are endless.
Just swap out the queso for another favorite! Like this 2-Minute Creamy Avocado Dip, 3-Ingredient Vegan Queso, Chipotle Cashew Queso, or 5 Minute Magic Green Sauce.
Use pre-cut cauliflower instead of a whole head, storebought tostadas (instead of making your own), and pre-pickled onions (or pickled jalapeño if that’s your thing!).
Cauliflower Black Bean Tostadas with Queso and Pickled Onion
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Tangy, creamy, crunchy, smoky, seasoned vegetarian goodness on a perfectly crisp little corn tortilla disk. Cauliflower Black Bean Tostadas to the rescue!
Ingredients
Cauliflower:
- 1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- salt and olive oil
- 1 package taco seasoning (I like Siete brand)
Tostadas:
- one 14-ounce can refried black beans (I like Amy’s brand)
- 8–10 small corn tortillas (I like Mission street tacos tortillas)
- 1/4 cup of vegetable or canola oil
- cilantro
- pickled red onion
- queso (I like Queso Mama brand – the green chile variety)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425. Arrange the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 25-30 minutes until browned and tender. Add taco seasoning directly to the pan; toss with the cauliflower using tongs until it’s well coated. (You might not need a full taco seasoning packet for this.) Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes to get it nice, soft, and roasty-delicious.
- Heat 1/4 cup of oil in a large skillet. You want the oil to be hot enough so that a speck of water dropped in will sizzle across the top. Add your tortillas to the oil, a few at a time depending on size, and fry for a few minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Place on a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil, and repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Top tortillas with warmed black beans, roasted cauliflower, cilantro, pickled onion, and warmed queso. Sprinkle with salt and lime juice as needed / wanted. OMG. Crunchy, creamy, tangy, and so darn good.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican-Inspired
Keywords: tostada recipe, cauliflower black bean, vegetarian tostada
10/10, no notes. This instantly got added to my rotation of vegetarian recipes. Super quick and easy to pull together for a weeknight dinner, and the flavor is so balanced.
I love the concept of these tacos but I didn’t do something right and my cauliflower wasn’t as flavorful as I’d hoped and not as roasted – while also seeming overcooked – as i would have liked. Family enjoyed it and I will try again for sure.
These tostadas hit the spot! Our family ate every last bit of the cauliflower. So delicious. I love the pickled onion. Thanks for another great recipe!
Trying to eat less meat so gave this recipe a try, It was delicious and very easy to make! The only changes I made were subbing a can of regular black beans for refried beans and used taco-seasoned, shredded blend of cheeses instead of queso. Didn’t miss the meat at all!
My family went crazy for this meal! It was easy to make (just took time to fry the tortillas) and inexpensive. I served it with a side of Mexican rice. My kid actually thanked me multiple times for cooking this and has already requested I make it again. That’s rare!
I love all your vegetarian recipes including this easy one which is perfect for weeknights. We turned it into a bowl and added avocado. Yummy!
These are weirdly so so good! One of my favorite recipes.
My whole family LOVES this recipe. Rich, satisfying and full of flavor.❤️
This was delicious! I did add ground beef, but it does not need it.
Going to make again and again, etc!
A favorite! So easy and the entire family loves it!!! Thank you!
Made this with CSA cauliflower and ready made tostada shells. Also just put cheese into our beans instead of buying queso separately and topped w avocado bc how could you not. It was a great easy meal! Def need the pickled onion and lime to balance the savory with some acid. Will be adding it to our regular rotation meals
This looks delicious! I have some homemade taco seasoning at home – any idea how much is in a typical packet or how much I should use? Thanks in advance! We are always looking for quick vegetarian meals to try.
OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My new favorite meal!! IT IS SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODELICIOUS! I need to go and get more cauliflower and make it again! Thank you for this recipe- it is so dang good!
I made these Tostadas tonight and they were outstanding! I did not have the onions and topped with shredded white cheddar, gonna make these often, thank you!
This recipe is SO GOOD! We have not traditionally been fans of cauliflower, especially my husband. But this recipe has us coming around because of how the cauliflower gets so roasty and delicious. Pickled red onions are a must, and I have liked the Queso Mama queso that was suggested as a grocery store option. However, in the few times I’ve already made this recipe, I have never used anything but store-bought tostadas. Solid SOS move right there! 🙂
These are good! Like, really good! We had some hard shell tacos so decided to make them that way instead of tostada and worked well. Agree/ don’t skip the red onions…
Absolutely fantastic! I put one large (Siete seasoned) shrimp on top of each taco. I immediately shared this recipe with my adult kids and their partners. ❤️❤️❤️
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for awhile and finally got around to making it today. Probably top 3 things I’ve ever tasted. The combo of all the components were just magnificent. My favorite were the east pickled red onions which I will be putting over every meal from here on out. Great recipe, easy and delicious!
This recipe was great but my tostadas came out kinda chewy and not crispy. I followed the directions exactly. Do you know what went wrong?
These are so tasty! We’ve made them several times and really love them her suggestion for the queso was great.
My only edit has to do with frying the tortillas. My husband religiously follows instructions, even when he should maybe read between the lines. The recipe calls for heating oil in a pan, and then says the pan should be so hot that a drop of water sizzles across the top. Well, my husband did heat a pan of oil, and then dropped in a big handful of water to the hot oil which caused a huge Pop and splattering of oil across the kitchen. Follow the directions! But not that closely.
Thanks for sharing this delicious recipe with us.
I cannot believe how good this is! My husband glanced at the recipe while I was making it and I could tell he was dubious, but after one bite we both started talking about how soon we could make it again. It’s so easy and quick but the flavors are fantastic. Thank you so much for yet ANOTHER great recipe!
I think I’ve made this five times already. SO SO good and so easy!!
Made this yesterday and even the slightly picky teens ate it up! My husband picked jalapenos and red onions in the morning. I made a quick green chile queso while the cauliflower roasted in the oven! Super delish. This will make it into the meatless Monday rotation for sure!
Can the tortillas go in the oven instead of frying?
Hi, Berneda! They definitely won’t be as crispy like a tostada, but that should work still.