The Best Tostada You Never Dreamed of: Broccoli Cheese Tostada

A crispy corn tortilla topped with melted cheddar cheese, refried beans and roasted broccoli, drizzled with a creamy, dreamy tarragon mustard sauce. This easy plant-based tostada has so many surprising flavors with a fabulous mix of textures that is frankly just divine. It defies all the rules and crosses cuisine lines. And yet it’s mild in flavor, leaving behind the spice and hot peppers that might come to mind when you think Mexican.

I crave these tostadas regularly. And so far my broccoli plants continue to indulge me. Sometimes I toss in some sweet onion with the broccoli. In my mind, that makes these crave-worthy tostadas even better.

The idea for this tostada was born one day when I had loads of fresh broccoli from the garden. But I was craving a crunchy tostada. My tostada cravings have totally skyrocketed since I discovered freshly air-fried tostada shells. If you’ve got an air fryer, people, my advice is to grab a big bag of corn tortillas and some avocado oil and make your crunchy tostada shells at home!

So yes, first, I air fried the tostada shell. And then air fried the broccoli as well, which gives it a lovely roasted quality with a nice little bit of crunch on the florets. SO good! The creamy refried beans serve as the glue that sticks the broccoli to the crunchy tortilla “plate”. Plus they’re a great source of plant-based protein and fiber.

The final, and totally unexpected, component of this is the drizzle of tarragon mustard sauce. The creamy sauce definitely feels more French than Mexican, but it totally works with these tostadas. When I said it’s amazing on just about everything, well, yeah, that’s no lie.

What if I Don’t Have an Air Fryer?

While I totally LOVE my air fryer, it also took me a long time to even get one and even longer before I started using it on a regular basis. So I totally understand if you don’t have one. No worries! You can absolutely make these delicious tostadas without an air fryer. I’ve provided options in the recipe below for oven-roasting the broccoli.

Is this Broccoli Cheese Tostada Healthy?

Absolutely! Especially if you air fry your tostada shells using a heart healthy oil. Like avocado oil. You’ll get almost 7 g of fiber and over 24 g of protein in just one tostada. And that’s without ANY meat.

Plus these tostadas are loaded with great nutrients like:

• Vitamin C to boost your immune system and pamper your skin
• Vitamin K1 to help your blood clot and protect your bones
• Folate for tissue growth and healthy cells – especially important for pregnant women!
• Potassium for heart health and lowering high blood pressure
• Iron for delivering oxygen all over your body
• Magnesium which helps make protein and bones
• Resistant starch (from the beans) which help you feel full and control appetite – and helps control diabetes

Yes, you could also add meat or shrimp … or scrambled eggs, if you like, for a breakfast-y version. Just be aware that any additions or changes will alter the nutrition profile.

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