Quick and Easy Tostadas

Tostadas are delicious and easy . Sure, you could run to Taco Bell and grab a couple; or you could make them yourself. They can be thrown together for a quick dinner, which is something that happens in my house A LOT.

Some of my favorite things about these guys are they can be simple with just a couple ingredients or you stack them high. If you have a few extra minutes in your schedule, your whole family can help with adding what they want on top.

So let's get started.

Here is your shopping list:

• tostada shells

• refried beans

• mexican shredded cheese

• onions (optional)

• lettuce (optional)

• tomatoes (optional)

• sour cream (optional)

Like I said earlier, the sky is the limit with adding toppings. You could add chicken or beef, banana peppers or jalapenos and cilantro or even trade the sour cream for greek yogurt.

Preheat your oven to 350. While its heating, let's start assembling. I find it easiest to get two large sheet pans (mine are 21x15) and lay all the shells out at once. This way you can eyeball portions of each ingredient. Equally spoon a heap of refried beans on to each shell and spread, being careful not to press down to hard so that the shells stay whole. Next, add the cheese, being sure to spread it all the way to the edges of the shell. I added raw yellow onions next, but like previously stated, this is totally your preference.

Once the first three ingredients are added, stick the pans in the oven and bake for 7-10 minutes, or just enough time for the beans to be warm and the cheese to be melted. You could also turn turn the broiler on high and melt the cheese, but watch them closely, perfect goes to burned very quickly on broil!

When the cheese is melted nicely, take them out and continue with assemble. I added tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream.

I don't ever serve a side with these, because I figure you have all your food groups in one place, but you could add rice for a more robust meal.

This truly is a simple, quick meal that the whole family will like! What fun toppings would you add?