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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.
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it’s always a hit with my family. I love that it’s easy, and flavorful. It’s an absolute winner in my recipe book!
This is a great recipe. We have this in regular rotation at our home. It’s super quick and a nice meal to have when we are short on time to make a meal. I love to add spanish rice as a side (either homemade if there is time or the 90 second microwave bags if we are in a time crunch). Perfect, perfect perfect!
I am so glad that I found your site! I love Mexican food and make it every chance I get! I will definitely be trying your recipes! The only problem I have is that I could spend all day reading you recipes! Thank you so much for sharing!
This was very good. I added a jalapeno for heat and an avocado mixed in with the corn and mayo mixture. And, Chalula sauce on top. Will make it again!
Hi Isabel,
Is there a particular brand of refied beans that you recommend?
Hi Kiara! We like to make our refried beans from leftover stovetop beans. However any canned refried beans are good too! You can also add a little bit of cumin or chili powder and garlic powder, or dice onions to make the canned ones a little better!
I’ve been making this recipe for years (with frozen corn that I first thaw) and my favorite thing is to turn it into a dip for picnics. It goes fast! I just spread the beans on the bottom of the dish and top it with the corn mixture. I serve it with strong tortilla chips like Scoops and set a spoon out in case scooping individual chips is too time consuming for the long line 😉 thanks so much for the memories!
That is such a great idea! Thanks for sharing your tip!
Could you use fresh corn? Would you just heat through and then mix in?
Hi Michelle! Yes, you can use fresh corn! Just cook it through and then cut the kernels off and then follow the directions as directed.
We made this for dinner as a quick new meal for our newfound vegetarian diet. It was hands down one of the most flavorful and delicious meals we’ve had! I am so happy to have come across your website. Thank you for these recipes. 🙂
Hi Kassie! Thank you so much!
Thank you for this recipe, it was absolutely delicious! It was so quick and easy to make and the flavor was amazing. Love this recipe! Definitely will be making this a staple in our meal rotation!
Thanks, Kailey!
No specific comment as I’ve only tried a few recipes. But, loved all of them. Just wanted to say thank you for sharing your thoughts, wisdom and talent with us! Grateful, I stumbled unto your site.
With immense respect,
Angela Gutierrez Blakeslee
Hi Angela! Thank you so much!