Shredded Beef Tostadas (with easy Mexican shredded beef)

Forget Taco Tuesday, let’s taco every day. These shredded beef tostadas feature immaculately tender Mexican shredded beef piled high on crispy tortillas with an incredible avocado chimichurri that will make your tastebuds do the tango. Someone grab me a margarita!

Erica’s thoughts:

Ask me what food I’d choose if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life… Tacos. My answer is tacos. Which is a total cheat answer because tacos can be literally anything… including tostadas. Which is basically a taco but with a just-fried, perfect crisp tortilla which makes it next level. I’ve made these shredded beef tostadas three times in the past three weeks- we are obsessed over here.

There are multiple reasons why these beef tostadas are a thing of dinner dreams:

1. The beef: made with a handful of simple ingredients and done in 45 minutes, this Instant Pot shredded beef is so tender and full of flavor.
2. The avocado chimichurri: chunks of avocado and finely minced jalapeño tossed in an herb dressing made with parsley, cilantro, red wine vinegar and olive oil. It is fresh, herbaceous yet sumptuous and the perfect compliment to the beef.
3. Quick and easy: since we’re using an Instant Pot for the beef chuck roast, this recipe comes together quickly and is perfect for an easy weeknight meal. The prep time is a little longer than most of my recipes but start the meat and while it’s in the Instant Pot you can prep the chimichurri, fry the tortillas, chop the additional toppings and sip a margarita. Muah! And… although it’s an easy dinner, it is one million percent delicious enough to serve for a dinner party!
4. The FLAVOR errrmegerd: yeah yeah, it’s a flavorful life, we get it. But truly. These beef tacos are better than anything you could get at a Mexican restaurant, I mean it!

What you’ll need to make shredded beef tostadas:

How to make shredded beef tostadas:

Cook the beef: Cut chuck roast into 3-inch chunks, trimming away any large pieces of visible fat. (No need to be precious, just discard the very large, in-the-way pieces) Season the meat on all sides with salt, pepper and taco seasoning.

Place the beef chunks in the Instant Pot. Add the garlic, orange juice and tomatoes. Secure the lid, set the valve to ‘sealing’ and pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. When the timer is done, natural release for 10 minutes and then set the valve to ‘venting’ for quick release.

Remove the meat chunks with tongs and set on a cutting board. I like to place a dish towel underneath the cutting board to catch any juices to avoid a mess. Set the pressure cooker to ‘Sauté’ mode to bring the remaining juices to a boil and reduce/thicken for a few minutes while you shred the beef. Use two forks to shred the meat- it should be very tender and falling apart. Turn off your Instant Pot and return the meat to the juices, tossing to combine.

Whip up the chimichurri: Cube the avocado and squeeze it with lime to prevent browning. Place avocado, jalapeño and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. In a food processor or blender, combine the cilantro, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic and red wine vinegar, pulsing to combine- about 15-30 seconds. Add the olive oil and process again until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Pour the chimichurri onto the avocado and toss everything to combine.

Fry tortillas: In a large skillet add a thin layer of avocado or vegetable oil over medium heat. To the hot oil, add 1-2 corn tortillas (based on how large your pan is), frying for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Line corn tortillas on a baking sheet lined with paper towels or a wire rack.

Assemble: Layer each tortilla with lettuce, beef, chimichurri, queso fresco, cilantro, green onions, and a big squeeze of lime juice.

This is a delicious meal the whole family will love!

Expert tips and variation ideas:

• See the notes section in the recipe card for oven and crockpot cooking methods if you don’t have an Instant Pot!
• Weeknight shortcuts: although I’m partial to making my own tostada shells you can use premade tostadas shells as a shortcut. Another epic shortcut idea- use ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning if you don’t have time to make the shredded beef.
• This recipe makes a pretty large batch of beef. You can freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
• Feel free to add more toppings! Refried beans, fresh salsa, hot sauce or extra herbs are a great idea.

FAQs:

If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!

Shredded Beef Tostadas (with easy Mexican shredded beef)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 8 reviews

• Author: Erica
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 65 minutes with hands-off time
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Instant Pot
• Cuisine: Mexican
• Diet: Gluten Free

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Description

Saucy shredded beef and sumptuous avocado chimichurri all piled high on a crispy corn tortilla, these shredded beef tostadas are what taco dinner dreams are made of.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Beef

• 3lb beef chuck roast
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2/3 cup orange juice

Avocado chimichurri

• 2 large avocados, cubed
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1 small jalapeno, minced
• pinch red pepper flakes, optional
• 1 cup cilantro
• 1 cup parsley
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped

Tostadas

• Corn tortillas
• Avocado oil, for frying
• Romaine lettuce, shredded
• Queso fresco
• Cilantro, green onions, pickled red onions, grape tomatoes, etc.

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark while cooking this recipe!

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Instructions

Beef

Cut the beef into 3-inch chunks, trimming away any very large pieces of fat. (No need to be precious, just discard the very large, in-the-way pieces) Season the meat on all sides with salt, pepper and taco seasoning.

Place the beef chunks in the Instant Pot. Add the garlic, orange juice and tomatoes. Secure the lid, set the valve to ‘sealing’ and pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. When the timer is done, natural release for 10 minutes and then set the valve to ‘venting’ for quick release.

Remove the meat chunks with tongs and set on a cutting board. I like to place a dish towel underneath the cutting board to catch any juices to avoid a mess. Set the Instant Pot to ‘Sauté’ mode to bring the remaining juices to a boil and reduce/thicken for a few minutes while you shred the beef. Use two forks to shred the meat- it should be very tender and falling apart. Turn off your Instant Pot and return the meat to the juices, tossing to combine.

Avocado chimichurri

Cube the avocado and squeeze it with lime to prevent browning. Place avocado, jalapeño and red pepper flakes in a bowl. In a food processor or blender, combine the cilantro, parsley, salt, pepper, garlic and red wine vinegar, pulsing to combine- about 15-30 seconds. Add the olive oil and process again until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Pour the chimichurri onto the avocado and toss everything to combine.

Tostadas

In a large cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed skillet add a big swish of avocado oil (about 1-2 tablespoons or enough to create a thin layer of oil) over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add 1-2 corn tortillas (based on how large your pan is), frying for 1-2 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Assemble! Layer each tortilla with shredded lettuce, shredded beef, avocado chimichurri, queso fresco, cilantro, green onions, fresh tomatoes and a big squeeze of lime.

This is a good day.

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Notes

• Oven instructions: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Add the seasoned beef, tomatoes, orange juice, garlic and 1 cup beef broth to a large dutch oven or oven-safe pot with tight-fitting lid. Place in the oven and cook for 2 ½ hours. Remove lid, ensure there is enough braising liquid and continue to simmer another 30 minutes until beef is easy to shred with two forks. Shred the beef, reducing the remaining liquid on the stovetop, if desired. Return beef to the pot, tossing to let it soak up all that juicy goodness.
• Crockpot instructions: To make slow cooker Mexican shredded beef, place the seasoned beef chunks in a large crock pot and cover with garlic, tomatoes and orange juice. Cook on low for 6-8 hours until beef is tender and falling apart. Remove meat, shred with two forks. You can transfer the cooking liquid to a saucepan to reduce and thicken for a few minutes, but not required.
• Freezing instructions: Prepare beef per the recipe. Let cool completely. Place in a gallon-size Ziplog bag, seal and lay flat. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge, warm in the microwave or oven and serve with desired fresh ingredients!
• Refer to above blog post for expert tips, variation ideas and answers to frequently asked questions.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 tostadas
• Calories: 517
• Sugar: 5.4 g
• Sodium: 439.6 mg
• Fat: 25 g
• Carbohydrates: 36.9 g
• Fiber: 7.4 g
• Protein: 38.6 g
• Cholesterol: 100.5 mg