Butternut Squash & Black Bean Tostadas

1. Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add squash, cover and steam until very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and return to the pan. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons chile powder and salt. Mash until mostly smooth; cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, combine beans, scallions, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon oil, cumin and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon chile powder in a medium bowl. Toss lettuce with the remaining 1 tablespoon each lime juice and oil in another bowl.

3. Spread about 1/4 cup squash on each tostada. Top each with about 3 tablespoons of the bean mixture, 1/4 cup lettuce and 1 tablespoon cheese. Sprinkle with pepitas.

   

Tips

Precut butternut squash is usually sold in a 20-ounce package of large cubes (5 cups of 1- to 2-inch pieces) or in a 16-ounce package of smaller diced squash (3 cups of 1/2-inch pieces). If you can only find the smaller cubes for this recipe, you'll need to buy two 16-ounce packages to have 5 total cups of squash and reduce the roasting time by 5 to 10 minutes. Or, you can prep your own cubes of squash from a whole, peeled and seeded butternut squash.

You can make your own tostadas using fresh corn tortillas. Heat about 1/2 inch canola, peanut or avocado oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add a corn tortilla and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Repeat until all tortillas are cooked, reducing heat, if necessary, to prevent the oil from smoking or splattering.