Vegan Butternut Squash and Black Bean Tacos

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These vegan butternut squash and black bean tacos with caramelized onions and red pepper are about to become your new favorite healthy weeknight dinner! Packed with nutrients, plant-based protein, fiber, and heart-healthy fats, these delicious and flavor-filled tacos will leave you full and nourished!

This past Tuesday was the last #TacoTuesday of 2020, so naturally, I had to share my delicious recipe for butternut squash and black bean tacos to round out the year!!

I’m a big fan of tacos and one thing I’ve come to learn about mastering a good taco is the importance of spices and balance of protein, veggies, fat, acidity, and of course, the perfect tortilla. Once you’ve got these elements, you can mix and match ingredients to make a healthy and balanced taco!

Tacos don’t have to be unhealthy. In fact, swapping meat for a plant based option, adding plenty of vegetables, healthy fats, and fiber are great ways to make tacos healthier while still being delicious.

Balancing Elements of a Good Taco

This Christmas, my mom gave me the book “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” by Samin Nosrat and I haven’t put it down. It is fascinating to learn about how four seemingly simple elements of cooking (salt, fat, acid, heat) create incredible depth of flavor and transform any dish.

I love this book because it gives the reader the basic elements necessary to mastering any dish and empowers the reader to try a hand at their own recipe creations using these elements.

As I was coming up with the recipe for these buttenut squash and black bean tacos, I tried to incorporate a balance of salt, fat, acid, and heat to elevate the flavors of the sweet butternut squash.

1. Salt: I generously seasoned the butternut squash and black beans with salt as well as spices like smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, garlic powder, and black pepper to bring out the flavors when baking.
2. Fat: Olive oil is drizzled over the butternut squash and black bean tacos and is used to caramelize the onions and red peppers, giving them a rich taste and silky feel. I topped the tacos with thin slices of avocado for some added healthy fats.
3. Acid: I love to add a squeeze of lime juice on my tacos! It gives them a light and tangy taste and balances the richness of the fat. I also tossed the cabbage in lemon juice to give it a bright feel.
4. Heat: To caramelize onions, the key is keeping the temperatures low for a longer duration to slowly brown and allow them to release liquid. Heat is also important to getting the perfect char on your tortillas! I like to put the tortillas right on the stove top grate and char them on both sides for a few seconds on medium heat.

There you have it! Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat for the most delicious taco 🙂

Prepping and Cooking

1. After preheating the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, start by chopping off the ends of your butternut squash, peeling the squash, and chopping it into small, 1-inch squares.
2. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet and toss with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. This sheet pan will go in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until soft and slightly charred.
3. Next, we are gonna prep the ingredients that will be sautéed. Thinly slice half of a large red onion as well as two bell peppers into strips.
4. Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once shimmering, add the onions until they start to soften (about 6-8 minutes) followed by the red peppers, minced garlic, and teaspoon of diced Poblano peppers. Stir occasionally and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Turn the heat to low and season with a dash of salt, pepper, paprika, and chipotle chili powder. Cook on low for another 10 minutes.
6. While the veggie mixture is cooking, rinse and dry the black beans and spread them evenly on a baking sheet. Sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a small pinch each of paprika and chipotle powder. Bake for 10 minutes, then add the black beans to the vegetable mixture on the stove.

Heating Tortillas

To heat the tortillas, I like to place them right on the stove top grate on medium to low heat for a few seconds on each side to get a slight char on either side.

If the open flame is not your thing, simply heat the tortillas in a pan on medium heat and flip when slightly crisp.

The Toppings

The best part! I like to add sliced avocado, thinly sliced cabbage, parsley or cilantro, and a little squeeze of fresh lime juice. Now that is the proper way to dress up a taco!

Assembling your Taco

After heating up the tortillas, I like to place a scoop of the vegetable and black bean mixture on the base of each tortilla and layer on a scoop of the butternut squash.

Once you do this, feel free to experiment with presentation! I like to put a few thin slices of avocado on top and some thinly sliced cabbage to add a pop of color.

That’s it!!

Hope you guys get to give this recipe a try because it sure is tasty.

These tacos are the best recipe to make when you’re craving tacos and are looking for a healthier and plant-based version that is just as flavorful and delicious 🙂

If you liked this recipe be sure to check out some of my latest healthy dinner recipes!

• Butternut Squash Carrot Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
• Sausage, Kale, Butternut Squash Pasta
• Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomato, and Jamón Serrano Pasta
• Roasted Red Pepper Pumpkin Pasta
• Lentil Artichoke Sun-dried Tomato Stuffed Eggplant Boats!

Let me know what you think of this recipe if you give it a try by writing a rating and comment if you can! Can’t wait to see what you all think of these delicious vegan butternut squash and black bean tacos.

Hard to believe it’s finally 2021 but here we are!!

Cheers to new beginnings, a healthy mindset, the opportunity to grow, and of course a lot more tasty recipes to come 🙂

xoxo

Sip & Scone