Tostada Stack
Two tostadas, beans and beef between them, sauce and cheese on top. A Taco Bell knockoff that survives a pack.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 300 ml boiled
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Backpacking
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Tostada shells | 4 | pack them in a hard container or you carry chips |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried ground beef | 3 oz dry | or a shelf-stable pouch of taco filling |
| Taco seasoning | 1 tbsp | |
| Instant refried bean flakes | 3/4 cup | |
| Enchilada sauce | 1/2 cup | single-serve pouch, mild |
| Shredded parmesan or other hard dry cheese | 1.5 oz | grate at home |
| Dried minced onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Boil about 300 ml of water. Pour half over the freeze-dried beef and seasoning in the pot and let it sit five minutes off the heat.
- Stir the oil into the beef. Scrape it into a mug or bowl so the pot is free.
- Put the bean flakes and dried onion in the pot and add the rest of the hot water a little at a time. Stir until it is thick enough to hold a spoon upright.
- Lay a tostada on a plate or a lid. Spread beans, then beef, then the second tostada on top.
- Spoon enchilada sauce over the top shell and cover with cheese. The sauce is warm enough to soften it slightly. Eat right away, before the shells go limp.
- Repeat for the second stack.
The original is fast food built on refrigeration: fresh beef, sour cream, lettuce, tomato, shredded cheese blend. The structure survives that being stripped out. Two crisp shells with something soft between them is the whole idea, and instant bean flakes do that job better than canned refried beans because they hydrate to whatever thickness you want. Too thin and the shells go soggy in a minute. Keep it stiff.
Freeze-dried beef rehydrates in five minutes and carries the seasoning fine. Hard grated cheese replaces the melty blend since nothing here gets hot enough to melt anyway. The enchilada sauce goes on last and stays on top, not soaking in. Assemble one stack at a time and eat it standing up; there is no version of this that keeps.
Packing
Beef, seasoning, bean flakes, and onion each go in their own small bag inside one dinner bag. Cheese and the sauce pouch ride separately. Shells go in a rigid container at the top of the pack, nowhere else.
Variations
- Skip the beef and double the beans for a lighter, cheaper stack.
- A packet of hot sauce and some dried jalapeno makes up for the mild sauce.
- Car camping: bring a real block of cheddar and a tomato, and it closes most of the gap to the drive-thru.
https://homeandkind.com/blogs/food-recipes/mexican-pizza