Have you ever tried the Black Bean Tostada Pizzas at California Pizza Kitchen? They are absolutely bomb! They are also inspired by the traditional tostada. However, these tostadas are inspired by those tostada pizzas!

Are you confused? Well, traditional tostada involve fried or baked tostada shells topped with bean (or other protein), lettuce, veggies, and cheese. They are typically not baked after the toppings are added.

However, these mini tostada pizzas start with a taco sauce base, black beans and cheese. This base is then melted/ baked in the oven to achieve a pizza effect. The tostadas are then topped with lettuce and veggies.

This is similar to the tostada pizzas at California Pizza Kitchen that involve the same process on a pizza crust. You get all the melty, cheesy pizza vibes and Mexican flavors together on a crunchy tostada shell! It’s a simple and delicious dish that’s perfect to make for a quick week night dinner!

I hope you love this creation of mine! Keep scrolling for a detailed recipe and a VIDEO TUTORIAL . 🙂

The Black Bean Tostada Pizzas at CPK are usually served with fire roasted salsa and a creamy ranch dressing. However, I also love topping these Mini Tostada Pizzas with a dollop of creamy Avocado Ranch sauce, that combines avocados and sour cream together! It’s based off the Avocado Ranch sauce at Taco Bell, but has a bit of an extra kick. You can find this recipe here.

Mini Tostada Pizza

Recipe by Chaitra KCuisine: Mexican

Servings

4

servings

Prep Time

5

minutes

Cooking Time

10

minutes

Calories per Serving

390

kcal

Tostadas inspired by the Black Bean Tostada Pizzas at California Pizza Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 tostada shells

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp taco sauce

• 1 cup cooked black beans (1/3 cup dry beans) or a 8 oz can

• 2 cups Mexican cheese

• 2 cups romaine lettuce (roughly chopped)

• 1/2 medium tomato (finely chopped)

• 1/4 medium red onion (diced)

• 1/4 cup black olives (sliced)

• 1/4 cup mini tortilla strips

Instructions

• Cook 1/3 dry cup of black beans in an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker to get 1 cups of cooked black beans (see “Notes” section below for cooking instructions). Alternatively, you can use a 8 oz can of cooked black beans. Keep aside.
• Place 4 tostada shells on a flat baking tray
• Smear a bit of olive oil on each tostada. Flip over. Smear a bit of olive oil on the other side too. (Note: I like to use a brush for this.)
• Spread about a 1/2 tbsp of taco sauce on each tostada.
  
• Add about 1/4 cup cooked black bean on each tostada.
• Sprinkle Mexican cheese on top.
• Bake tostadas at 350 °F for 10 min.
• Top the baked “mini tostada pizzas” with chopped romaine lettuce, chopped tomatoes, diced red onions, sliced olives, and more Mexican cheese.
• Add some mini tortilla strips for extra crunch and drizzle creamy Avocado ranch sauce or your favorite type of ranch dressing! Enjoy 🙂

Notes

• If you are cooking the black beans, I would suggest you soak them overnight in enough water to completely cover them. If cooking in a pressure cooker, cook at medium heat for 3 whistles. If cooking in an Instant Pot, cook soaked beans for 20-25 min or dry beans for 6-8 min.
• Feel free to use any taco sauce you like for the base. You could even use enchilada sauce, chipotle sauce, or even Taco Bell sauce! I used Cholula chipotle sauce.
• I used a shredded blend of Mexican cheeses. Alternatively, you could use Quesadilla cheese or Pepper Jack.
• There are many versions of this recipe. This is my tried and true version that I came up with.  I hope you love it!
• Vegan option: Use vegan cheese or nutritional cheese.

Did you make this recipe?

I hope you all try this recipe out! I would love to see your own adventures in cooking! Please take a pic and share them with me on Instagram/Facebook @chaitrascreations.