Black Bean Tostadas with Pineapple Pico de Gallo

The easiest, tastiest meal you'll serve this week for dinner. Crispy tostada shells, a simple and flavorful creamy bean spread, fresh avocados, and my favorite pineapple pico de gallo. So simple, but seriously something you'll want to make again for dinner before you even take a second bite.

My husband and I usually stick pretty strictly to our  slow-cooker-Sunday meals. It's easy to just throw everything in, leave it be, and then come back from church to a lovely hunk of juicy roast! However, unless it's maybe a pork roast, the $ usually can add up if we're buying a lot of meat each week for Sunday. So this past week, we decided to skip the meat, and go with something a bit more simple. THESE amazing tostadas came into play, and we've already had them a couple times since. Ryan was a sweetheart and chopped up all the salsa ingredients while I prepared the bean spread and avocados. I don't get to cook in the kitchen with him often, so it was definitely a treat! A man doing my dishes and helping me in the kitchen is definitely my love language. haha. 

The bean spread is very simple, you could even skip all the bean spread steps altogether and just buy "refried black beans", but what's the fun in that, eh? ;) I decided on using refried pintos and whole black beans, heating them up together, and then seasoning them with a little garlic paste, cumin, and salt and pepper to taste. It gave the bean spread a bit more depth in flavor, and made for a fun dip with any broken tostada shells! 

The pineapple pico is the best part, I tell you. The ingredients are painfully simple, but there's just something about the sweet-hot combo of pineapple and jalapeno, with the softness of the cilantro and sweet red onion, that pulls together into something really beautiful. Contrast that with the crunchy tostada, soft bean spread, and a little sprinkle of queso blanco and you are well on your way to your new favorite weeknight meal. I can't wait to make this again when we bust out our grill for the summertime! Grilling the pineapple for these tostadas are the only way I can imagine them tasting any better than they already are. Hope you're all having a beautiful week! 

Easy Black Bean Tostadas with Pineapple Pico De Gallo

makes about 4 servings

method:

Tostada:

12 tostada shells

1 can re-fried beans

1 can black beans, drained

1/2 t cumin

1/2 t garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 batch pineapple salsa (below)

avocados, sliced 

queso fresco, crumbled

pineapple pico de gallo: 

2 C diced fresh pineapple

1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 C diced red onion

1 medium jalapeno, seeded, and diced 

2 T fresh lime juice

1/4 t cumin

1/4 t salt

1/8 t black pepper

method:

1. Prepare pineapple picco: Chop all ingredients, add to a small bowl, then toss together. 

2. To make the bean spread: On the stove top in a small pan or in microwave (covered) in a microwave safe dish, heat beans through until very warm. Stir in cumin, garlic powder, and salt & pepper. Using an immersion blender, blend beans until the black beans puree in with the re-fried beans. Make bean spread as chunky or soft as desired. Set aside. 

2. Lay out tostadas on the counter, slather with bean spread, top with fresh avocado slices, a couple tablespoons of the pineapple pico, and then sprinkle with the queso fresco. Serve immediately and enjoy! 

Recipe adapted from Gimme Some Oven