I have a deep love for all tacos, and these tacos are one of my favorite vegetarian meals. They’re incredibly easy to prepare, flavorful, and filling. This recipe features roasted sweet potatoes, black beans cooked with Sofrito, pickled red onions for some crunch and an easy cilantro tahini cream. Top these tacos off with some salty crumbled feta, crispy plantain chips and and some crunchy spicy sauerkraut (click for a link to that recipe) and you have a well-balanced fall dinner. This taco recipe is vegetarian (easily vegan) and gluten-free. If you do plan to use Sofrito, make sure you prepare it ahead of time. It’s the type of thing you need to make time for, but once it’s made it will last you a long time and save you tons of time in the long run!
Ingredients
For the Sweet Potatoes:
- 1 lb about 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and medium diced (~ 2 cups)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp coriander
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp cumin
For the Quick Pickled Red Onions:
- 2 large red onions, thinly sliced against the grain
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
For the Black Beans
- 2 tsp oil of your choice
- 4 tbsp sofrito, 2 ice cubes* see below if you don’t have sofrito
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt, or more to taste
- 2 cans black beans drained- but not rinsed (so the beans have some “sauce”)
- *If you do not have sofrito: you can use: 1 clove garlic grated on a microplane, 1 tbsp minced onion, 1 tbsp minced cilantro, 1 tbsp minced red peppers
For the Cilantro Tahini Crema:
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup cilantro
- 2 scallions
- ¼ cup spinach
- ¼ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp hot water
Optional additions and garnishes:
- Tortillas
- Cilantro
- Feta or Cotija cheese
- Diced avocado
- Crushed plantain chips
- Spicy sauerkraut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Prepare a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp salt,½ tsp coriander, ½ tsp smoked paprika and ½ tsp cumin. Spread them out on the prepared sheet pan.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, until golden.
- While the sweet potatoes are in the oven, make the pickled red onions: heat vinegar, water sugar and salt in a small pot until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add crushed red pepper. Simmer for a few minutes.Place onions in a bowl and pour liquid over the onions. Let cool then cover and refrigerate.
- For the beans, heat 2 tsp oil of your choice and add sofrito (or alternative listed above). Saute until fragrant 2-3 minutes and then add the cumin and salt. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the beans and stir to coat the beans with the seasonings. Simmer on a low flame until the beans are heated through (10-15 minutes)
- To make the sauce. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until completely smooth. If needed, add water to thin the sauce to your preferred consistency.
- To assemble the tacos, place the black beans on the bottom of the tortilla, then top with sweet potatoes, pickled red onions and the crema. Add any additional toppings like crushed up plantain chips, crumbled feta cheese etc.
