It's true, this is a personal concoction that you might not find in the heart of Mexico, but don't let that stop you from making it!
Taking a cue from these refried beans, we'll be using some chipotles in adobo to whip up a wildly versatile chickpea puree -- it's a great alternative source of protein and perfect for those nights when something new (and easy) sounds appealing.
How To Make Chickpea Tostadas
For this batch I made tostadas with avocado bits, pickled jalapenos and Queso Fresco, but feel to get creative with the fixings as the puree is more than willing to accommodate your palate.
Start by briefly cooking 1/2 small onion and a peeled garlic clove in some oil over medium heat.
Once the onion has softened you can add:
1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
2 chipotles in adobo
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 cup stock (or water)
Note that using 2 chipotles in adobo will give it some heat! If you want a milder version I would recommend starting with a single chipotle.
I usually cut off the stems and scrape out the seeds of the chipotles, but this is optional -- and if you're new to chipotles you can read more about them in this chipotles in adobo post.
And don't worry about scrambling for any stock if you don't have any hand -- I've made this exact recipe using water as the liquid and you still get a good result.
Bring everything up to a uniform temp and then add it to a blender or food processor. Give it a whirl and take a taste.
I usually start with a bit less salt in this recipe (just 1/4 teaspoon) and then adjust after doing some taste testing.
So for this batch I added another generous pinch of salt and a pinch of cumin. I was happy with the heat level from the two chipotles, but feel free to add more 🙂
And just to reiterate the versatility of this puree, take a look at this pic:
That's a layer of the chickpea puree on a freshly baked tostada shell. You can consider this a blank canvas for your chickpea masterpiece, so go crazy with the fixings!
For me that meant:
Avocado bits
Pickled jalapenos
Queso Fresco
Freshly chopped cilantro
And they were a real treat 🙂
Keep some leftover puree in the fridge and you can make easy, delicious meals in a matter of minutes. Sound good?
Okay, don't forget that it's best to start small on the chipotles if you want a milder version. You can always add more chipotle to increase the heat, but it's tough to put it in reverse once it's too hot for your palate.
Buen Provecho.
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Spicy Chickpea Tostadas
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
- 1/2 small onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 chipotles in adobo
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup stock (or water)
For the Tostadas:
- 6-8 tostada shells
- 1 avocado
- pickled jalapenos
- Queso Fresco
- freshly chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Start by peeling the garlic clove and roughly chopping 1/2 onion. Cook the onion and garlic in a glug of oil over medium heat (you can leave the garlic clove whole).
- Once the onion is starting to brown, approximately 5-8 minutes, add 1 can chickpeas (drained and rinsed), 2 chipotles in adobo, 1/4 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/2 cup stock (or water). Let simmer for a few minutes until heated through and then add everything to a blender, combining well.
- Take a taste for seasoning and heat. I added another generous pinch of salt and cumin to this batch, but I was happy with the heat level.
- For the tostadas you can warm up store-bought tostada shells or bake your own. Then simply add a layer of the chickpea puree, diced avocado, pickled jalapenos, Queso Fresco, and some freshly chopped cilantro. Serve immediately. Keep in mind that you can customize the tostadas to your palate (and based on what's in the kitchen!).
- Store leftover chickpea puree in an airtight container in the fridge where it will keep for a few days.
Notes
Still hungry?!
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Dean
Great recipe, it turned out wonderful! I've been doing ground beef tostadas and tacos for awhile and this is WAY better IMHO, less $ as well. I doubled the recipe so that we'd have enough leftovers for at least one other meal.
Patrick
Thanks Dean!
Debbie
Cooked a bag of dried chickpeas and used some to make this purée. So easy and so good. Perfect for lunch at work. Thanks!
Patrick
Ahh good to know, thanks for your note Debbie!
Joy Hart
Patrick, I had decided to cook with chickpeas today and there was your recipe in my inbox. I had all the ingredients on hand. And I had already made corn tostadas from Bob's Red Mill's Masa Harina as you already told us about. I julienned a calabacita and sauted it as a topping, along with avo bits, a dollop of sour cream, and queso fresca. Muy bueno!
Patrick
Ha good timing Joy! Sounds like a tasty combo 🙂 Cheers.
tanya
hi, patrick---i have never understood why so many recipes say to drain and rinse the beans, then add water when processing them. surely there are some nutrients leached from the beans into the canning liquid. i think that practice started when people were rinsing the beans to get rid of salt. when you are adding salt anyway, there is no reason to rinse, that i can see. i enjoy your blog. adios, tanya
Patrick
Hi Tanya! Yeah, this one seems to split the world in half: those who rinse their canned beans and those who don't. I like starting from scratch with salt so I usually drain them and add salt afterwards -- I feel like this gives you a little more control over the final flavor of the dish. But if you feel like you're wasting some nutrients you can use the liquid and still get a good result. Cheers.
geraldine
Hi Patrick, LOVE this; recipe. As you know I live in Spain, our garbanzos come to cook or in glass. Can you please tell me the weight in the can after rinsing.
AND, what the heck is a tostada shell? I make all of my own tortillas, no idea what a shell is?
Thanks again for all of your FAB inspirations, you site is great.
G in Spain
Patrick
Hey Geraldine, hope all is well over there!
A typical can of garbanzos is 15oz. in the States and that's what I used in this recipe. And since tostadas are crispy they are sometimes referred to as tostada shells, even though it's kinda redundant 🙂 It's just a corn tortilla that's been fried or baked to crispiness and that retains its original, flat shape.
I'm so glad you are finding some keeper recipes on my site! Let me know if you have any other questions. Cheers.