Casa Mamita Tostada

Taco Bell has always been one of my favorite spots to go for comfort food. Sure, it’s not that healthy, and it’s not authentic Mexican food. Yet a large platter of Nachos BellGrande, especially with a taco on the side, really hits the spot. Grab a fountain drink and an order of cinnamon twists and you have the ultimate fast food meal. This was one of my preferred lunch combos during my years as a young journalist when I wanted to get lunch on the go.

One popular item on the Taco Bell menu is Mexican Pizza. Again, we’re not talking even remotely about real Mexican food here. A Taco Bell Mexican Pizza is more like a quesadilla than a pizza. It features classic Taco Bell seasoned beef along with refried beans sandwiched between two tortillas. The whole thing is topped with special sauce, cheese, and tomatoes.

The restaurant chain introduced its Mexican Pizza in the 1980s, and they removed it from the menu in 2020 citing the environmental impact of its paperboard packaging. Taco Bell brought the Mexican Pizza back in the spring of 2022 after fans petitioned for its return. Initially, Taco Bell was swamped with orders for the pizza and experienced supply shortages. Eventually, though, the Mexican Pizza became a permanent menu item in September of 2022.

At the time of writing, a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza cost $5. Or, Aldi is selling some limited-edition Mexican Pizzas for less than $4.

Casa Mamita Tostadas

Casa Mamita Tostadas cost $3.89 for an 8-ounce package at the time of publication. Each package contains one tostada, or one serving. These are sold in either beef or chicken flavors. They feature either ground beef or ground chicken, along with pinto beans and red sauce layered between two crispy tortillas topped with Monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and green onions.

These are an Aldi Find, so they’re only in stores for a short time. Each store gets one shipment, and after that sells out, they’re gone unless Aldi decides to bring them back at some later time. Aldi does not offer online ordering for products not in stock at your local store.

The boxes have directions for cooking these in a conventional oven (preferred), air fryer, or on the stovetop.

To bake in the oven, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove tostada from all packaging and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place on the center rack in the oven and cook for 15-18 minutes or until cheese is melted and tostada is cooked thoroughly.

To air fry, preheat the air fryer to 380 for 5 minutes. Meanwhile remove tostada from all packaging and defrost in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on medium power. Place tostada in the air fryer basket and heat for 5-6 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

To cook on the stovetop, defrost tostada in the microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on medium power. Place on a lightly oiled pre-heated pan over medium heat. Cover and heat for 4-6 minutes or until cooked thoroughly.

I opted to air fry the beef tostada and I baked the chicken tostada in the oven, so I could compare the results of the different cooking methods.

These smell very good when they’re cooking, and both turned out equally crispy. The air frying method is slightly faster, but you’ll have to make sure you have a large enough air fryer. (Mine is a 6-quart air fryer and the tostada fit fine.) One small downside to air frying is that you have to thaw the tostada first in the microwave on medium power, so it does require fiddling with microwave settings some. It’s still faster than baking in the oven, though.

The tostada sticks a little both in the air fryer and using the oven method (even though I lined the baking sheet with parchment paper before putting the tostada in the oven). You’ll want to have a good spatula on hand to gently pry up the tostada. The box doesn’t say to use cooking spray, but I might try a little next time.

If you’re looking out for allergens, both tostada varieties contain milk and wheat.

Keep reading for more information about each variety.

Casa Mamita Beef Tostada:

Casa Mamita Beef Tostada

Beef tostada after air frying.

I liked this variety the best. It has good Taco Bell vibes. It’s not a complicated meal by any means, but the combination of ingredients works.

Casa Mamita Beef Tostada

Closeup of beef tostada after air frying.

This has fewer calories and less fat and sodium than a Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. It’s still not great for you, though.

One Aldi beef tostada has 390 calories, 17 grams of total fat (22% DV), 6 grams of saturated fat (30% DV), 640 mg of sodium (28% DV), 42 grams of total carbohydrates (15% DV), 6 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of added sugars (2% DV).

Casa Mamita Beef Tostada

Casa Mamita Beef Tostada nutrition information, ingredients, and cooking directions. (Click to enlarge.)

Casa Mamita Chicken Tostada:

Casa Mamita Chicken Tostada

Chicken tostada after baking.

This was my least favorite flavor. The ground chicken just didn’t do it for me and gave the whole tostada an off flavor. It doesn’t remind me of Taco Bell and was simply okay. It’s also worth noting that Taco Bell does not sell a chicken Mexican Pizza; just a beef one. So if you’re craving Taco Bell, the beef tostada from Aldi is going to be closer to the real thing.

Casa Mamita Chicken Tostada 2

Closeup of chicken tostada after baking.

One chicken tostada has 380 calories, 15 grams of total fat (19% DV), 5 grams of saturated fat (25% DV), 630 mg of sodium (27% DV), 42 grams of total carbohydrates (15% DV), 6 grams of total sugars, and 1 gram of added sugars (2% DV).

Casa Mamita Chicken Tostada

Casa Mamita Chicken Tostada nutrition information, ingredients, and cooking directions. (Click to enlarge.)

The Verdict:

Casa Mamita Tostadas come in beef or chicken flavors. These are basically the Aldi version of the popular Taco Bell Mexican Pizza. They feature your choice of ground beef or ground chicken with pinto beans and red sauce sandwiched between two crispy tortillas and topped with cheese, diced tomatoes, and green onions. The beef tostada is pretty good. We didn’t care as much for the chicken one.

About Rachael

Rachael is the Co-founder of Aldi Reviewer. When she isn't busy shopping at Aldi, she enjoys cooking, gardening, writing gothic romance, and collecting more houseplants than she probably should. You can learn more about her at rachaelsjohnston.com.

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