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This Mexican recipe is a delicious alternative to meat tacos. Beans and roasted butternut squash make an outstanding vegetarian taco filling.
Tacos with Beans & Butternut
These yummy tacos will have you shouting "Ole!" … and then tightening your belt a notch! Mexican CAN be healthy!
Ingredients
Salsa
- 8 oz tomatillos
- 2 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 1 jalapeño pepper
- ¼ cup sliced white onion
- ½ ripe avocado diced
- 3 tbsp fresh cilantro chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp Freshly ground pepper to taste
Tacos
- 4 cups butternut squash diced
- 4 small dried red chiles
- 2 cloves garlic unpeeled, smashed and left whole
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ tsp dried oregano preferably Mexican, divided
- ½ tsp salt divided
- ¼ tsp cumin seeds
- ½ tsp ground toasted cumin seeds divided
- 2 cups cooked pinto beans drained
- ½ tsp chili powder
- ⅛ tsp Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 8 corn tortillas
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup red or green cabbage finely shredded and chopped
- 8 tsp queso fresco crumbled
Instructions
To prepare salsa:
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Remove husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cook the tomatillos in the boiling water until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Toast garlic cloves, jalapeno and onion in a dry medium skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned, fragrant and soft, 5 to 7 minutes.
- When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic. Remove the jalapeno stem and remove seeds if desired. Combine the tomatillos, garlic, jalapeno, onion and avocado in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth. Stir in cilantro, salt and pepper. Set aside for topping the tacos.
To prepare tacos:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Put squash in a medium bowl and, using kitchen shears, finely snip chiles to taste into small pieces (seeds and all) into the bowl. Add garlic, oil, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/4 teaspoon salt and whole cumin seeds; toss to coat. Arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until soft and beginning to brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Peel and finely chop the garlic when cool enough to handle; stir into the squash.
- Meanwhile, combine beans in a small saucepan with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon oregano and 1/4 teaspoon salt, ground cumin, chili powder and pepper. Heat over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.
- Warm tortillas one at a time in a dry large cast-iron (or similar heavy) skillet over medium heat until soft and pliable. Wrap in a clean towel to keep warm as you go. Spoon 1/4 cup of the warm beans into each tortilla; divide the roasted squash evenly among the tacos and top each with cilantro, cabbage, 1/2 cup of the salsa and cheese. (Refrigerate the remaining 1/2 cup salsa for up to 2 days.)
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