Garden Fresh Tostadas

Growing up, we always had a big garden. As a little girl, it seemed huge. We were each assigned a few rows, and every Saturday morning, we would have to go out and pull the weeds from our rows. It was almost torture for a young girl in the summer. All I wanted to do was sleep in or watch cartoons, but I also wanted to get out and weed before it got hot outside.

As much as I didn’t like pulling those weeds, I loved the food that the garden brought. To this day, garden-inspired meals are my favorites.

Now that I’m grown, I think I appreciate gardens even more. We don’t have room for a garden right now, but we did have one for several years in our last house. It was a lot of work, but when I would saw a green zucchini or bright red tomato, it was all worth it.

No matter the size of the garden, it seems to produce an endless bounty. And what do you do with all of those veggies that you can’t seem to keep up with? These tostadas are a surefire way to get through some of that garden goodness. Even as a meat-eating family, we really love these. And they are very versatile because you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand.

You will need 1 can Old El Paso® refried beans, 1 red bell pepper, 1 small zucchini, 1 small yellow squash, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, 1 package tostada shells (10 shells), 1-1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, 2 scallions and 1 avocado.

Cook the beans according to the directions on the can. While the beans are heating, cut up the zucchini, squash and red pepper into large chunks.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

While the vegetables are cooking, slice the scallions and dice the avocado.

Place the tostada shells on a baking sheet.

Spread tostadas with warmed beans; top each with some of the cheese. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Make sure to keep an eye on them–the cheese melts quickly!

Take them out of the oven and top with cooked vegetables.

Garnish with sliced scallions and diced avocados for a hearty and filling vegetarian dinner.