Simply Made Recipes

Cooking with Amber

You are here: Home / Archives for main dish

main dish

Ground Beef Tostadas

Ground Beef Tostadas are made with corn tortillas baked crispy with refried beans, seasoned ground beef, shredded lettuce, red onion, fresh tomatoes and avocados piled on top with a drizzle of crema and plenty of crumbled queso fresco cheese. 

I am gearing up for Cinco de Mayo in a few weeks so I have tacos on the mind. Okay, honestly- tacos are always on my mind. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is. It is nice to switch up the regular taco night though and do something just a little bit different. For my family, a tostada is just a fun way to eat a taco! 

Feel free to switch up your toppings. Try any of these delicious combinations of toppings: 

  • shredded lettuce
  • refried beans
  • black beans
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • shredded queso fresco
  • avocados
  • guacamole
  • diced tomatoes
  • diced onions 
  • cilantro
  • salsa
  • corn salsa
  • jalapenos
  • whatever your heart desires!

Ground Beef Tostadas

Ground Beef Tostadas start with that crispy baked corn tortilla. You can buy tostadas ready to eat from the grocery but making them at home is really easy and they taste soooo good. Just place the corn tortillas on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive and some salt. Bake and done. 

Besides the crispy shell on the bottom, there are two other components that are really important with these Ground Beef Tostadas : the spicy ground beef and the crema over top. The ground beef has very simple seasoning but is just the right amount of spice and flavor for this dish.  The crema can be made the day before and adds that cool layer that balances that spice from the meat. Delish!

Ground Beef Tostadas, Taco Tuesday recipes, Cinco de Mayo recipes, how to make tostadas, corn tortilla tostada, spicy ground beef
Print

Ground Beef Tostadas

Ground Beef Tostadas are made with corn tortillas baked crispy with refried beans, seasoned ground beef, shredded lettuce, red onion, fresh tomatoes and avocados piled on top with a drizzle of crema and plenty of crumbled queso fresco cheese. 
Course dinner, Entree
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword Tacos, Tostadas
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Author Amber

Ingredients

Spicy Ground Beef

  • 1 pound ground beef lean
  • olive oil
  • 1/2 white onion diced
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup water
  • red pepper flakes optional

Totstada

  • olive oil
  • 8-10 corn tortillas
  • salt

Crema

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon lime juice

Toppings

  • 16 ounces refried beans
  • 1 cup lettuce shredded
  • 1 tomato diced
  • 1/4 red onion diced
  • 1 avocado peeled, pitted and sliced
  • 1 cup queso fresco cheese shredded

Instructions

Crema

  • Begin with crema. Ideally you make this a few hours to a day prior. Whisk together 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 Tablespoon lime juice. Cover and place in fridge to store before serving. 

Toastadas

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees. 
  • Spread out the corn tortillas on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt. Rub the olive oil all over the tortillas on each side. 
  • Bake in 4 minute increments flipping between each. Bake until the tortillas are crispy and a golden brown color. This should take 2 flips or 12 minutes. 
  • Let cool. 

Spicy Ground Beef

  • Heat a nonstick skillet on the stove top on a medium-high heat. Drizzle the pan with olive and drop in the diced white onion. Let cook 1 minute and then add the ground beef. Break up the ground beef into equal pieces until browned. 
  • Drain the meat if needed. If using a really lean meat, you may not need to. Put the meat back in the pan and add 1/2 cup water and the seasonings. Red pepper flakes are optional if you just want a little extra kick. Bring to a simmer, lower heat and cover for 15 minutes. Stir a few times to ensure the meat isn't sticking. 

Ground Beef Tostadas

  • Heat up the refried beans as the meat finishes cooking and assemble your tostadas. 
  • Start with a layer of refried beans on the crispy corn tortilla, add some spicy ground beef, top with shredded lettuce, diced red onion, diced tomato, and sliced avocado. Sprinkle with queso fresco and then drizzle with the crema to finish. 

Mustard Glazed Ham

amazon

Mustard Glazed Ham is a bone-in, spiral cut ham baked with glaze made from honey, brown sugar, ham drippings and stone ground mustard. 

After that Air Fryer Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze from last week, I decided that a similar recipe for ham needed to be done with the upcoming Easter holiday around the corner. I wanted the glaze to have great mustard flavor with a touch of sweetness that roasted up beautifully. This Mustard Glazed Ham really works and makes a gorgeous main course on your holiday table. We pair this ham with Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes, gravy and Roasted Asparagus.  Simple, traditional, gorgeous food- that’s what it’s all about. 

Mustard Glazed Ham

I really focused on pulling that mustard flavor out with this Mustard Glazed Ham. Expect that little mustard kick with each glazed bite! It is really delicious. My ten-year-old asked if I could just give him “end” pieces because it was tasty. He just wanted to eat the glaze and I can’t even blame him. 

How To Keep Your Ham Moist

Ham is one of those foods that can very easily be dried out when cooking. This can be because it is over-cooked or not properly prepped before cooking. I kept this recipe really simple today and if followed correctly, you will get a very moist ham. Here are the main three things to pay attention to while cooking this ham: 

WATER

Instead of having the ham baste in its juice, we are cooking it in a roasting pan. This means we will need to count on steam to keep moisture inside the ham. Steam comes from water so put 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of your roasting pan and you can go ahead and add any extra ham juices leftover from the packaging. 

FOIL

You can’t steam well in an open area. Right? Think of a hot shower in a small bathroom. When the door is closed, their is crazy steam. When the door is open, there is virtually no steam. We all know this. Same applies in the oven. Create a small area to steam the ham like a closed door while showering. That aluminum foil over the top of the ham needs to be fitted tightly with the roasting pan. 

COOK TIME

Be mindful not to over-cook the ham. Most hams are already cooked meaning we just need to re-heat. Pick a bone-in, pre-cooked, spiral-cut ham in the 8-10 pound range. Now, bake 10 minutes for every pound. An 8 pound ham would cook for 80 minutes and a 10 pound ham would cook for 100 minutes. Once the ham is cooked, you crank the heat, remove the foil and pour the glaze on to roast. 

Note that you can cook a larger ham if needed. Adjust your cook time accordingly using the 10 minutes per pound calculation. 



Mustard Glazed Ham, honey baked ham, stone ground mustard ham, easter ham, holiday ham, christmas ham, how to bake a ham, how to cook a spiral ham, bone-in spiral ham cook times, easter recipes, holiday main dish
Print

Mustard Glazed Ham

Mustard Glazed Ham is a bone-in, spiral cut ham baked with glaze made from honey, brown sugar, ham drippings and stone ground mustard. 
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword Easter, Ham, Holiday
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Author Amber

Ingredients

  • 8-10 Pound Spiral Cut Ham Bone-In, pre-cooked
  • 1/2 Cup Honey
  • 1/2 Cup Stone Ground Mustard
  • 1 Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 Cup Ham Drippings
  • 1/2 Cup Water

Instructions

  • Heat oven to 325 degrees. 
  • Place the ham onto the rack in a roasting pan. 
  • Add 1/2 cup of water to the bottom of the pan. I also like to add in extra ham juices from the bag the ham came in. 
  • Wrap the the top in aluminum foil. Make sure you have a tight wrap where the ham can steam inside. 
  • Bake for 10 minutes per pound. My ham was 8 pounds so I cooked it 80 minutes. 
  • When there is 20 minutes left for your ham to cook, begin the glaze. 
  • Using a basting syringe, pull 1/2 cup worth of ham drippings and put the liquid in a non-stick pan on the stove-top. Make sure to cover the ham back up well. 
  • Along with the ham drippings, add honey, stone ground mustard and brown sugar. Bring the glaze to a low simmer and let simmer for 5 minutes. Set to the side. 
  • After the ham has cooked, take it out of the oven and raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees. 
  • Remove the foil and pour half the glaze over top of the ham. 
  • Return to the oven for 10 minutes. Leave the foil off. 
  • Pour the rest of the glaze over top and cook another 5 minutes. 
  • Remove from oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving. 

Notes

You may substitute butter for pan drippings to create your glaze.