Savory

December 21, 2021

Butternut Squash Tostadas

As I was watching a recent episode of The Kitchn, I was reminded of my deep love for Mexican tostadas. Quite literally, tostadas translated in Spanish means toasted, referring to a toasted or fried tortilla loaded with a variety of toppings. In the most traditional form, they are typically layered with ingredients like refried beans, ground beef, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, cheese and sour cream.

However, since we are deep into autumn, I thought it would be fun to do a fall version of this classic. While still maintaining the integrity of dish by keeping the refried beans, I added a variety of cozy autumn flavors that bring a whole new level of originality to the plate.

What are the layers?

  • The toasted tortilla. White corn tortillas make the perfect base to this dish. Yellow ones work well, too. These couldn’t be easier to prepare – brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with a pinch of salt, thrown in the oven for a few minutes, and they’re ready to be the center of attention.
  • Refried black beans. There’s only one answer to this, Ducal Refried Black Beans. This is a Guatemalan brand I became obsessed with when I lived there and to my surprise, are sold in many grocery stores in the U.S.! They’re also sold on Amazon. I can’t express how deeply I love these beans and could eat them for every meal of every day. Ask anyone.
  • Sausage, apples & greens. After caramelizing onion and garlic, I added some Bourbon Apple Chicken Sausage (any Italian sausage will work) diced Honeycrisp apples, baby spinach and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to bring all of these flavors together. This savory mix can truly be a great addition to any rice or Buddha bowl!
  • Butternut squash. Roasted, of course – this pairs so well with the ingredients above adding hints of sweetness and nuttiness.
  • Crunchy and creamy toppings. These include pomegranate seeds, pepitas and cotija cheese. There’s something so satisfying about peeling and eating pomegranate seeds – check out my video here! The crunch of the pepitas and the salty creaminess of the cheese elevate the flavors of the tostada making it drool-worthy.

While you might be wondering, beans and all these toppings, really?! Yes, really! I promise you the combination of these flavors is nothing like you’ve ever tried before. Smooth, crunchy, savory, hints of sweetness, warm flavors, it’s everything you never knew you loved so much.

Equipment you'll need:

  • Large sheet pan
  • Medium and large saucepan
  • Cheese grater

Give these a try and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Butternut Squash Tostadas

Filled with cozy fall ingredients like bourbon apple chicken sausage, sautéed greens, butternut squash and fresh herbs, these flavors all come together on a bed of refried black beans and a crispy tostada. Crunchy, savory & a hint of sweetness!

Author:

Lauren Negrete

Prep:

5

min

cook:

30

min

total:

35

min

Ingredients

  • 2 cups butternut squash, chopped
  • 1.5 bags Ducal black refried beans
  • Dash of cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 sweet onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated
  • 3 Bourbon Apple chicken sausage links, chopped* (see note above)
  • 1 Honeycrisp apple, diced
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1/2 lemon, freshly squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 6 white corn tortillas
  • Garnish: pomegranate seeds, pepitas & Cotija cheese

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425. Season butternut squash with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
  2. Meanwhile, dice 3/4 of the sweet onion. Reserve half. With the other 1/4, sauté over a skillet with olive olive, a dash of cumin, garlic salt, salt and pepper. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until fragrant on medium-low heat. Once translucent, add 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and 2 tablespoons of water. Allow to simmer for about 30 seconds. Add a little more olive oil to pan and add beans until smooth and throughly heated. Add more olive oil as needed until consistency is like pasta sauce. Cover and keep warm until serving.
  3. In a separate medium saucepan, sauté remaining onion and garlic. After a few minutes, brown sausage in the same pan. Add applies, rosemary and spinach. Then add lemon juice and sauté until greens are wilted.
  4. Remove butternut squash from the oven and keep warm in foil. Lower oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Place tortillas on a cookie sheet and brush each side with a generous amount of olive oil. Sprinkle both sides with salt. Bake for 4 minutes on each side in the oven. Let cool for a few minutes.
  5. Layer time! Use the tostada as the base, spoon beans, then sausage & greens mixture, top with butternut squash and garnish with toppings! Serves 6 – enjoy!
Thanks for contributing to our community! Your comment will appear shortly.
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
December 7, 2021
Bri
These are for sure a recipe repeat! The squash + rosemary + apples all made for the taste of fall on a tostada - so delicious and comforting for this season!!
December 1, 2021
Ashley
I made this for a group and it was a hit! People especially liked the pomegranate seeds. I'd never had these Ducal refried beans before and I definitely want to eat them again. A delicious taste of fall!
November 29, 2021
Virginia
These butternut squash black bean tostadas are ridiculous. They are so easy, so delicious and feed a lot of people. I also appreciate how the pomegranate seeds are such an unexpected and beautiful garnish. So fun!