Macheesmo

When people think Tex-Mex they usually think of some sort of protein in a taco or burrito. You know what I’m talking about: ground beef, chicken, or maybe pulled pork. But good Tex-mex can be way more versatile than that.

Sometimes that extra meat just gets in the way of the real flavor. Which, in this case, is beautifully roasted tomatillos with chili, onion, and garlic. Toss that all together and spoon it on super-crispy tostadas and it’s a whole new Tex-Mex world.

I call it my Chunky Tomatillo Tostadas, but there’s a lot more going on here than tomatillos!

Chunky Tomatillo Tostadas

by Nick

Serves:

Serves 4

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

45 mins

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These crispy tostadas are topped with roasted tomatillos and pinto beans. Quick vegetarian Tex-mex dinner alert!

Ingredients

10 medium tomatillos

1 large jalapeno, halved

1/2 red onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper

2 (15 oz.) cans pinto beans, drained

12-14 small corn tortillas, baked

4 oz. queso fresco

Avocado, sliced thin

Hot sauce

Scallion, garnish

Sour cream mix:

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 lime, juice only

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss together quartered tomatillos, chopped red onions, jalapeno, garlic cloves, olive oil, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper.

2) Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet lined with foil and roast for about 20 minutes until the tomatillos are breaking down.

3) Let the tomatillo mixture cool for a few minutes and then roughly chop everything and stir it together with the drained and rinsed pinto beans.

4) While tomatillo mixture bakes, spread out a few corn tortillas on a baking sheet and bake them for 10-15 minutes until they get crispy. Optionally, you can brush them with some canola oil for faster crisping!

5) To make a tostada, top a baked corn tortilla with a big spoonful of the chunky tomatillo mixture and a sprinkle of queso fresco. Return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt cheese.

Top baked tostadas with avocado, sour cream mixture, hot sauce, chopped scallions and maybe a spritz of lime.

Chunky Tomatillo Tostadas

Tomatillos are common in salsa because when they roast down they get kind of mushy. That’s okay though as long as you have them mixed with other stuff. You wouldn’t want straight tomatillos on these tostadas, but you want a healthy amount of them.

I also like to toss in some other big flavors like jalapeno, red onion, garlic, and spices.

Toss that all together and lay it out on a baking sheet. It’ll already smell good before it even hits the oven!

The tomatillo and veggie mixture will need to roast at 450 degrees F. for about 20 minutes so you can make some tostadas while that’s happening.

There are a lot of ways to make crispy little corn tortillas. Of course, these days you can buy them but I find they are a bit sturdier if you make them from corn tortillas. I just brush mine with a little canola oil and bake them for about 15 minutes until they are nice and crispy.

You don’t have to brush them with oil, but I think it helps them crisp up evenly.

When the tomatillo mixture comes out, the tomatillos will be pretty mushy. The veggies should be blackened in spots which is just fine.

Roughly chop all that stuff up. I just ran my knife through it a few times, but spent more time chopping the jalapeno so there weren’t huge pieces of it in the final mix.

Then stir that together with the drained and rinsed pinto beans. The juices from the tomatillos will kind of hold everything together. It’s almost a salsa, but much heartier.

Finishing the Tostadas

Now pile that tomatillo mixture onto a few baked corn tortillas and top with some crumbled queso fresco.

Back in the oven these go.

When they come out, top each tostada with some thin sliced avocado, sour cream (stirred with lime and cumin), hot sauce, and scallions.

Three of these is a pretty serious meal.

The next time you see the neglected bin of tomatillos in the store, don’t walk by it. Grab a few and make these quick, vegetarian tostadas!