Ever since I spotted a colourful rainbow pizza by the Novice Gardener, I wanted to take that brilliant idea in a Tex-Mex direction. At first I thought I would make chalupas, but then I found out that chalupas are shaped differently than I thought. Tostadas are flat, whereas chalupas are traditionally shaped into bowl-like “boats” to hold the fillings.
So to create rainbows it seems that, geometrically speaking, tostadas are the better surface. They’re also easier to whip up, since pre-made corn tostada bases can be found at any decent supermarket. If you’d rather make your own tortillas, I’ve got a basic flour tortilla recipe, or there are my more recent gluten-free fresh cornmeal tortillas that I adapted from another gluten-free corn tortilla recipe.
As much as I love homemade tortillas, for the sake of expedience, I often choose packaged tostada tortillas. Is anyone else feeling like March has so much going on? And there are some special events, like the Drop Box movie last week, that I didn’t want to miss. I am happy to keep things simple in the kitchen to make time for outings like that. So for lunch I can simply spread on some refried beans, add sweet peppers and onion, and bake or broil them briefly in the oven. The rainbow theme makes these tostadas especially fitting for St. Patrick’s Day this month. However, I am pretty sure we’ll be enjoying these all year long, since all those colours make them healthy, repeatable, and ever so fun! 
I really liked the vibrant colours of the vegan version that I made without cheese. But I was curious about the difference adding cheese might make, so I added a little to a few of the tostadas later. I did like the taste with cheese even better, but next time I will put it on underneath the veggies. If you eat dairy-free, try nutritional yeast or non-dairy cheese and see how you like it. Dairy lovers could also try adding sour cream “clouds” on top, which would be fun to see! Let me know if you try them! 
I’m bringing these tostadas to Angie’s Fiesta Friday party. Come on over and see what our group is sharing this weekend!
Rainbow Tostadas {with vegan option}
Ingredients:
- corn or flour tortillas (I prefer homemade tortillas or packaged tostada chips)
- refried beans (I used seasoned pureed black beans)
- red bell pepper (capsicum), sliced and/or diced
- orange bell pepper, sliced and/or diced
- yellow bell pepper, diced
- green bell pepper, diced
- red (purple) onion, diced
- cheese or nutritional yeast, optional
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 C). To assemble tostadas, spread tortillas evenly with refried beans. (You may need to heat them and add oil if they aren’t soft enough to spread.) Top beans with cheese or nutritional yeast if using. Arrange an outer circle of red pepper, followed by a smaller circle of orange pepper, then yellow pepper, and finally a small circle of green pepper. Fill the middle with red onion.
- Place 3 to 4 tostadas on a baking sheet. Bake until peppers are lightly roasted and beans are heated through. Serve warm, with salsa on the side.
I also share recipes here and at Savoring Saturdays.
Swirls and Spice 
What a ‘happy’ food to bring at FF. Inlove foods like this – it makes you happy before you put something on your mouth. And of course, it’s happier when you finally taste how delicious they are. 😀 Thanks for bringing these beautiful tostadas at FF table. Enjoy the party. 🙂
Thanks, Jhuls. Sometimes I crave colour and flavour in my food, and these tostadas satisfy both of those wishes. Happy Fiesta Friday to you too!
Brilliant idea! They look amazing!
These are soooo fun!!
These tostadas are so fun and colorful! 🙂
Thanks, Nancy! I think they’d be great for a party–planned or impromptu. 🙂
These are beautiful! What a fun idea 🙂
These are so beautiful, I love it! They look delicious too!
These look so happy! Great fun for spring.
I needed a sneak preview of the colours to come. It snowed again today.
Wow, these look almost too amazing to eat! This is such a nice and fun idea 🙂
http://la-fille-lumineuse.blogspot.de/
These are absolutely gorge!! Luv this idea. And you are supposed to eat the rainbow (wide variety of colors) every day anyway, so there’s that. – Kat
Thanks, Kat! Rainbows are fun!
I love these sassy and festive Rainbow Tostitos! Super yummy, popping over from What’d you do this weekend Party. Pinning!
Thanks! 🙂
These tostadas look so festive and delicious, Julia! I love all the pretty colors!
Thanks, Kelly! These would be fun for kids to help make too, even if they don’t turn out picture perfect! 🙂
These look so good! Thank you for sharing at Merry Monday
Those are pretty cute! I’m sure my daughters would love them. 😉 Thanks so much for sharing them with us at Savoring Saturdays!
Those are absolutely gorgeous! Must make!
These are so pretty, what a great idea! Thanks for sharing at What’d You Do This Weekend? I hope you will join us again this Monday!