Guest Post: Steak Tostada Bites

Note from Nick: This recipe is from my latest blogger friend, Meghan, over at Cake ‘n’ Knife. I love this recipe SO much. Take it away Meghan.

Hi there! My name is Meghan and I am the cook, photographer, writer, and kitchen-mess maker over at Cake ‘n’ Knife. I am a full-blown food addict, so I cook, bake, and eat A LOT. I believe in creating fresh and oftentimes indulgent food that is simple to make and impossible not to devour. When I’m not busy cooking or eating, you’ll usually find me writing or playing with my puppy.

I am absolutely thrilled to be here on Macheesmo today! I have been following this site for a long time and as a fellow Colorado blogger, I am excited to share some delicious food with you.

Tostadas have become somewhat of an obsession of mine ever since I figured out how to fry tortillas without starting a fire in the kitchen (it’s all about heat control, in case you were wondering). I just love those crunchy shells topped with beans, meat, and cheese. I can’t get enough of them!

So what better way to share my love of food than to bring you some of these crunchy Steak Tostada Bites topped with Mexican flare and most importantly, STEAK.

These little bites of heaven have a punch of flavor that you can’t help but fall in love with. The chimichurri sauce really gives these tostadas an extra kick, especially if you crank it up a notch by adding some extra red pepper flakes.

Steak Tostada Bites

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2.67 from 3 votes

Author: Nick Evans

Servings: 15 Servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Tiny homemade steak tostada bites made with marinated flank or skirt steak and topped with Mexican cheese and a chimichurri sauce.

Equipment

• 1 cast iron skillet

Ingredients 

• 1 lb skirt or flank steak
• 8-10 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into 2-inch rounds
• 1 15 ounce can black beans
• ½ cup queso fresco or Cotija cheese, crumbled
• Olive oil for frying

Steak marinade:

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 limes, juice only
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Chimichurri sauce:

• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano

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Instructions

• Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Add the flank steak to a zip lock bag and pour in the marinade. Shake the bag until the steak is thoroughly coated and let it marinade for an hour (or more) in the refrigerator.
• To make the chimichurri sauce, combine all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and puree until smooth. Set aside.
• Cut the small corn tortillas into 2 inch rounds with a cookie cutter. In a medium sauté pan or cast iron skillet, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan . Heat the pan over medium heat until the olive oil begins to shimmer. Add the tortilla rounds in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until golden brown. Remove tortillas to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and immediately sprinkle with a pinch of salt on both sides.
• After the steak has been marinating for an hour or more in the refrigerator, remove it from the bag and wipe off as much of the marinade as you can. Season the steak with salt and pepper and add to a hot grill pan or cast iron skillet over over medium-high heat. Cook steak for about 2-3 minutes per side until medium-rare. If you’re using flank steak, which is a bit thicker, you’ll want to cook for 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare. Remove from pan and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
• Assemble bites with a small spoonful of cooked black beans as a base layer on the tostada. Then add a couple thinly sliced pieces of steak, drizzle on some chimichurri sauce, and then top with a sprinkle of crumbled queso fresco. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 2Bites | Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 0.5g | Vitamin A: 261IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 72mg | Iron: 2mg

Course: Appetizers, Main Dishes, Snack Time

Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Steak Tostada Bites

Marinating the Steak

Combine ingredients for the steak marinade in a small bowl and mix well.

Nick Note: I used a little mini food processor to mix up my marinade, but you could also just dice up the ingredients finely and stir them together.

Add the flank steak to a zip lock bag or bowl and pour in the marinade. Let it marinade for an hour (or more) in the refrigerator.

Chimichurri Chachacha

 The chimichurri sauce is very important to this Steak Tostada Bites recipe. Don’t skip it!

Luckily, it’s easy to make. Just combine all ingredients in a food processor (or blender) and puree until smooth. Set aside. The longer it sits the better it gets!

Making the Chips

Store-bought chips won’t really be able to hold up to these toppings so you need to make your own which will be thick and crunchy and perfect.

Cut the small corn tortillas into 2 inch rounds with a cookie cutter.

In a medium sauté pan (Nick used a cast iron skillet), add enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat the pan over medium heat until the olive oil begins to shimmer. Add the tortilla rounds in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.

Fry until golden brown. Remove tortillas to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and immediately sprinkle with a pinch of salt on both sides.

Cooking the Steak

After the steak has been marinating for an hour or more in the refrigerator, remove it from the bag and wipe off as much of the marinade as you can. Season the steak with salt and pepper and add to a hot grill pan or cast iron skillet heated over medium-high heat. Cook steak for about 2-3 minutes per side until medium-rare. If you’re using a thicker cut flank steak, you’ll want to cook it for 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare.

Remove from pan and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it nice and thin.

Time to assemble your Steak Tostada Bites! What I like to do is add a layer of cooked black beans as a base layer on the tostada. I follow this with a couple thinly sliced pieces of steak, drizzle on some chimichurri sauce, and then top with a sprinkle of crumbled queso fresco.  Serve immediately and enjoy!

I mean, come on. How can you possibly resist a mouthful of crunchy, chewy, salty, cheesy goodness?

You can’t.

In all likelihood you will end up stuffing your face with all of these. Which is nothing to be ashamed of, considering I did just that…

Another Note from Nick: I can absolutely vouch that these will disappear. I made about forty of them for some friends and they were gone in roughly four seconds. Thanks for the great recipe Meghan!