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Ready in only 15 minutes, these Mexican Street Corn Tostadas make for an easy lunch or quick dinner that’s also gluten free and vegetarian.
Table of Contents
Something pretty amazing happened this past week.
- These Mexican Street Corn Tostadas happened. Duh.
- I got a new kitty cat!
- One of my best friends got engaged.
- It’s almost Halloween and I’m pretty sure I know what I want my costume to be. (That’s if I actually find somewhere to wear my costume, but that’s besides the point.)
- There is no number five. I’m just getting a little carried away. I love numbered lists!
Okay, let me bring it down a notch and start from the top.
These Mexican Street Corn Tostadas.
Have you ever heard of or made Mexican Street Corn (Elotes)? Like the name suggests, Mexican street corn is usually sold in little food stands along streets in Mexico where there’s lots of tourists and pedestrians walking around.
It’s often sold on the cob or in a cup (called Esquites) and is slathered in mayo, cotija cheese, chili powder and herbs and spices. It may sound a little weird if you’ve never had it before, but trust me, as soon as you try it, you’ll get over it. It’s dammmmnnnn good.
Mexican street corn + refried beans + one crunchy tostada = heaven in my mouth.
Don’t know what a tostada is? I’ve got you. It’s basically a giant, round, thick tortilla chip that you top with whatever your little heart desires and you pick it up and eat it like a pizza. I mean, what doesn’t sound good about that? I purchased the tostadas at my local grocery store in the Hispanic foods aisle, but if you can’t find them there, you might want to go to an ethnic/Hispanic grocery store near you. OR check out Amazon. Because they’ve got it all. Here’s the brand that I recommend: these or these.
Moving on in my list – I got a new kitten late last week! Her name is Lucy, she’s about 5 to 6 months old and she’s black with a little white spot on her chest. She has so much energy and is very outgoing. She seems to have handled the transition wayyy better than Charlie did, at least in the beginning. Now, about 6 days in, Charlie and Lucy are becoming better friends every day. Charlie loves to lick Lucy and seems to be taking on a big brother/dad role. Love it.
Here’s a little video of all the cuteness.
Next, one of my best friends got engaged over the weekend! I’m super excited and happy for her. So nice to see huge smiles on the faces of people you love. 🙂
Lastly, I think I know what I want to be for Halloween. Even if I don’t have anywhere to wear my costume. Ready? I want to dress up as Linda from Bob’s Burgers! Wait – is that lame? Was that a let down? If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll know how perfect it is for me. I’m basically Linda. Linda is a cartoon version of me. She sings ALL the time about everything, the way she talks to her kids is how I picture talking to my kids one day and her and Bob’s relationship is definitely what me and John are like. Linda and I are seriously twins.
If you make this recipe, let me know in the comments below or snap a photo and tag me @isabeleats on Instagram. I’d love to see what you cook!
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Mexican Street Corn Tostadas
Ingredients
- 1 15-ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Juice of half a lime
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cotija cheese, plus more for topping
- 1 15-ounce can refried beans
- 8 tostada shells, store-bought or homemade
- chili powder to season for topping, optional
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add corn, mayonnaise, red onion, cilantro, lime juice, salt and 2 tablespoons of cotija cheese.
- Mix together with a spoon until the corn is evenly coated with all the ingredients. Set aside.
- Heat up the refried beans in a glass dish in the microwave for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until fully heated through.
- To assemble, spread about 3 to 4 tablespoons of refried beans onto each tostada and top with a scoop or two of the street corn mixture.
- Sprinkle with some cotija cheese and a dash of chili powder.
- Eat up!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these tonight and they were a hit! Thank you for the awesome recipe for this family of four.
So happy your family liked it! Thanks for the kind words 🙂
I had everything I needed for these and made them for a really quick dinner today. I brushed some flour tortillas with oil and baked them and it turned out just great. For some reason my corn mixture turned out pretty wet though, next time I will try and pat the corn off with a paper towel (after draining) before adding the other ingredients. I added chili pepper to the corn mixture and olives on top and I recommend both additions! Thanks for the super easy and quick recipe!
Do you know of a source for organic tostadas? We used to have tostadas several times a week but I can’t find any that are organic. Since all corn products tend to be GMO unless they’re organic, I just stopped buying them. I know I can make my own with organic masa flour but with 5 kids (3 of them teenagers) that’s a lot of homemade tostadas! I can find most things organic these days but I’ve had no luck with tostadas and the only corn tortillas I can find are very crumbly.
We’ve turned around major health problems by eating all natural, organic and non-GMO and my oldest child is a cancer survivor, so I am pretty serious about what food I’ll feed our family.
I really miss tostadas and may just spend a Saturday making up a batch to have them again. Of course, that gets rid of the “15 minutes” element. 🙂 This recipe looks like a keeper, though. I’m pinning it to try as soon as I can!
Hi Alicia, that’s a really good question! So I’ve personally never seen any organic tostadas in stores, but I did a online search and I found these that are certified organic on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/BEARITOS-Organic-Tostada-Shells-Yellow/dp/B000LKYNJS . Another option would be to buy organic corn tortillas and bake them in the oven until they get crispy. I know it’s more work, but it would be easier than making tortillas from scratch and then frying/baking them to make tostadas. I know La Tortilla Factory sells organic corn tortillas – https://www.amazon.com/Tortilla-Factory-Corn-Yellow-8-46/dp/B01AN8EB62/ref=sr_1_1_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1492995792&sr=1-1&keywords=organic+corn+tortillas . Hope this helps!
I am making this for the second time in a month. My husband & I love this recipe. I also made some homemade jalapeno simple syrup & then juiced limes for homemade jalapeno margaritas. It is the perfect combination with these tostadas. Yum & thanks!!
Oh my goodness, jalapeno margaritas are right up my alley! And it sounds like a perfect pairing with these tostadas. I’m so happy you two love it as much as I do! Thanks for all the kind words, Julie 🙂
Looks great! Just wondering if you fry the corn tortillas or by pre-made.
Thanks, Paula! I used the pre-made tostadas, but you can definitely fry the tortillas if you’d like. Buying them just saves me some time and cleanup.
This recipe looks delicious. I may just try it as a salad. Just layer the hot refried beans, then add the corn mixture on top. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the recipe.
That sounds like an awesome idea! That’s part of what I love about street corn – just so versatile. 🙂
I subbed mine out with non fat greek yogurt instead of the mayo for less fat- and sheer deliciousness followed!! Great find! Thank you so much!!
Ooh, that’s a great idea! I’m glad to hear that it tasted great. I’m going to try that next time!
Not sure if this is a dumb question but do I drain and cook the corn first?
Hey Jennell, it’s not dumb at all. So you do drain the corn, but you don’t cook it. It’s already cooked! Just drain it and place it into a bowl.
Ok so I do not know why this does not have more comments because these are amazing!! I literally never leave comments but these were so good! My boyfriend and I are trying to go vegatarian for at least a few nights a week and these are prefect and so simple to make.
Thank you so much, Sidney! I know, I can’t believe how easy it is to make either. Literally just stirring some ingredients together and voila! It’s the best. 🙂 So glad you and your boyfriend loved them.
These look really good. I’ve never had Mexican Street Corn but would love to try it. Glad to hear Lucy has settled in. I know what it’s like when trying to bring a new one in. I have taken in a few strays myself 🙂