Frugal Large Family Cooking: Celebrating Beans Tostadas

The Tostada is the next meal you can make with beans for very little to fill a crowd and make them happy!

Servings 16

• 4 cups Homemade Beans [free these should be left overs]
• 4 Tablespoons margarine/butter [10.25 cents based on margarine)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese (.32 shredded on sale)
• Shredded iceberg lettuce (.50 1/2 a head)
• 1/2 # tomatoes diced (.50)
• corn tortillas (or pre-made tostadas or corn meal to make tortillas) [$1 for 1/2 of 32)

Only use if you happen to have:

• diced or sliced olives
• sour cream
• salsa

1. Take you homemade beans heat them up butter/margarine & milk and mash them. (You do not have to mash them if you don't want to. My family doesn't care if they are mashed. If you aren't going to mash them don't add the milk!)
2. Either toast the tostadas, fry the corn tortillas or make homemade tortillas according to the package directions (listed in order of cheapness)
3. Top the tostadas 1/4 cup of beans, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes (or any order that makes sense to you *smile* I put cheese on first because I like it melted but you may want to put it on top of the lettuce)  and extras

We serve this with homemade Mexican Rice.  Total Cost....$2.42 or .15 per tostada *BIG SMILE*