Description
These Crispy Zucchini Black Bean Tacos are a delicious and hearty vegetarian meal featuring sautéed zucchini and onions combined with spiced black beans, all stuffed into warm tortillas topped with melted Mexican-blend cheese. Served with a creamy homemade avocado sauce, this recipe offers a perfect balance of crispy, savory, and fresh flavors, ideal for a satisfying lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Vegetable Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 medium (12-ounce) zucchini, diced into 1-cm pieces
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup beer or vegetable broth
Tacos
- 12 small flour or corn tortillas
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Mexican-blend cheese
Avocado Sauce
- 1 ripe avocado, peeled and pitted
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 2 cups fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2/3 cup water (plus more to adjust consistency)
Instructions
- Make the avocado sauce: In a blender, combine the avocado, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, honey, salt, cumin, and 2/3 cup of water. Pulse until smooth. If needed, add a few extra splashes of water to reach your preferred sauce consistency.
- Sauté the veggies: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick sauté pan. Add the diced onion and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes until tender. Stir in the minced garlic, chili powder, salt, and cumin, and sauté for another 2 minutes, allowing the spices to become fragrant.
- Mash the black bean filling: Push the vegetable mixture to the edges of the pan to create space in the center. Pour the black beans and beer or vegetable broth into the cleared space. Using a potato masher, gently mash most of the beans. Then fold the veggie mixture into the black beans until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if necessary. If the mixture seems dry, add a splash more beer or broth.
- Assemble the tacos: Spoon about 1/3 cup of the black bean filling onto each tortilla, sprinkle with shredded cheese, and fold the tortilla gently in half to close. Repeat for all tortillas and filling.
- Cook the tacos: Clean the sauté pan and return it to medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with olive oil spray or a thin drizzle of olive oil. Place 3 tacos at a time (or as many as fit in a single layer) in the pan. Cook for 1 minute on each side until the tortillas turn lightly golden and crisp. Carefully flip the tacos to brown the other side. Remove from the pan and repeat with the remaining tacos, adding oil as needed and adjusting heat to prevent burning.
- Serve: Serve the crispy zucchini black bean tacos immediately with the creamy avocado sauce for dipping. Enjoy the perfect combination of crispy, cheesy tacos paired with a fresh and tangy avocado dip.
Notes
- You can substitute beer with vegetable broth for a non-alcoholic version.
- For gluten-free tacos, use corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.
- If you prefer spicier tacos, add a pinch of cayenne pepper or chopped jalapeños to the black bean mixture.
- The avocado sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated, but add water just before serving to adjust thickness if needed.
- Leftover taco filling can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheated.
