Roasted sweet potatoes and black bean tacos served with a delicious cilantro-lime sauce make the BEST easy Vegetarian Tacos!
Vegetarian Tacos
I was hosting a party last week where I had planned to make some pork tacos and then got a few late RSVPs from vegetarian guests. I had already bought a lot of the ingredients, so I still made the pork and then served it with a few extra veggie additions. As everyone dished up and we created our own tacos (some meat-filled and some meatless), these delicious Vegetarian Tacos with black beans were born and immediately obsessed over.
How to make these Vegetarian Tacos with sweet potatoes and black beans:
- Sweet potatoes: Peel and chop the sweet potatoes into bite-sized pieces. Toss the potatoes with olive oil and seasonings, then spread the sweet potatoes evenly on a sheet pan. Roast for about 20 minutes, then mix them around and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Black beans: While the sweet potatoes are cooking, you can prepare the black beans. Begin by chopping an onion and sautéing it in olive oil for 3 minutes. Then add in the garlic and stir for 30 more seconds. You can then add in the drained and rinsed black beans, salsa, and spices. The mixture should simmer for about 5 -10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slightly mash half of the beans for a thicker texture that helps hold everything together. If desired, you can make these tacos with kidney beans instead!
- Dressing: The dressing is as easy as it is delicious! Simply put all the ingredients (except the sour cream) into a blender until combined and smooth. Then pulse or whisk in the sour cream. Taste and adjust to your personal preferences, adding more salt/pepper, garlic, etc.
- Tortillas: While you can also warm up your tortillas in the oven or on a skillet, if you have a grill, I would recommend grilling them. See below in the post for more information on how to grill your tortillas to perfection!
What to top these easy Vegetarian Tacos with:
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is the toppings! Here are my favorite toppings that make these Vegetarian Tacos even more amazing:
- Cheese: I prefer queso fresco or feta, but a sharp Cheddar would also be delicious.
- Fresh lime: I usually cut a few limes into sixths. This allows people to squeeze as much or as little lime onto their tacos as they wish, depending on how much of a citrus kick they’re looking for.
- Fresh cilantro: I get a small bunch of cilantro (you can use what’s left from making the dressing) and cut off the stems and it’s ready to go! If you prefer smaller bits of cilantro, you could also chop it up into small pieces that you can sprinkle on.
- Fresh avocado: This gives these Vegetarian Tacos an extra-creamy element that is absolutely delicious!
- Sour cream: Use low-fat or fat-free sour cream if you’re looking for a lower calorie meal.
How to meal prep this Vegetarian Taco recipe:
- Get 4 equal-sized meal prep containers and 4 extra-small containers for the dressing. (Store the dressing separately to avoid the tacos getting soggy.) You can buy bulk dressing containers, use tiny (dressing-sized) plastic containers, or even use small snack-sized plastic bags.
- Prep the different components. Make the black beans, sweet potatoes, and dressing. Divide the black beans and sweet potatoes equally into the 4 meal prep containers. Pour the dressing equally into the 4 smaller containers
- Keep the taco “fixins” separate. Keep the tortillas, limes, and cheese portioned separately from the containers. Prepare the avocado fresh each day. Replacing tortillas with rice may be better for meal prepping.
- Your meal prep should look something like this: Black beans on the left, sweet potatoes in the middle, and the dressing in a separate container on the right. Next to the dressing, you could place your toppings (each of which should also be kept separate from one another using snack-size plastic bags). The tortillas can be placed on the top (inside the container if there’s room or outside if there’s not) and should also be kept in their own plastic bag. If you choose to replace the tortillas with rice, you can place the rice directly underneath the black beans and sweet potatoes.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- An easy and fun way to switch this meal up is to serve it over rice. I especially like this option when meal prepping! It’s great over Cilantro Lime Rice.
- Switch up the dressings. This Cilantro Lime Dressing is a delicious option or this Green Goddess Dressing.
- Change up the sweet potatoes for butternut squash or give these Butternut Squash Tacos a try next!
How to grill tortillas:
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat (about 450 degrees F.) Generously oil the grill (I drench a rolled-up paper towel in vegetable oil and, holding it with tongs, rub it over the grill grates.)
- Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray, lightly sprinkle with salt, and then place on the grates for 30-45 seconds, flip and leave on for another 30-45 seconds. Remove and immediately fold into a taco shape and set aside to slightly cool.
More Delicious Vegetarian Meals:
- Sweet Potato Burrito Bowls
- Roasted Butternut Squash-Couscous Bowls
- Roasted Sweet Potato Pesto Bowls
- Greek Couscous Salad
- Bruschetta Pasta
- And if you’re looking for the BEST Chicken Tacos ever (obviously, not vegetarian) these are them!
Vegetarian Tacos
Roasted sweet potatoes and black bean tacos served with a delicious cilantro-lime sauce make the BEST easy Vegetarian Tacos!
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans
- 4 and 1/2 cups (1.5 pounds total or about 2-3 large potatoes) sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into small pieces
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons chili powder, separated
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, separated
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small (2/3 cups) yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 (14.5 ounces EACH) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup mild salsa
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Tacos
- Street Taco size corn or flour tortillas or skip the tortillas and serve over cilantro lime rice!
- Fresh avocado, lime, and cilantro, for topping
- Optional: queso fresco or feta cheese
Dressing*
- 1 lime, juiced and zested
- 2 tablespoons prepared ranch seasoning mix dry
- 1/2 - 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tomatillo, husk removed and coarsely chopped
- 1/3 of a large bunch of cilantro
- 1/2 a jalapeño, seeds removed for mild and left for spicy dressing
- 1/2 cup regular full-fat mayo
- 1/2 cup sour cream (I use fat-free)
Instructions
Sweet Potato/Black Beans
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel the sweet potatoes and chop into bite-sized chunks. Toss the potatoes with 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, salt and pepper (I use 1/2 teaspoon of each), and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Toss and spread evenly on a sheet pan. You don't want potatoes overlapping each other or they'll steam instead of roast, so use 2 sheet pans if needed.
- Roast the potatoes in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove from oven, toss around and return for another 5-10 minutes or until crisp-tender.
- Meanwhile, prepare the beans. In a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add in the chopped onion and saute for 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Add in the garlic and stir for another 30 seconds. Mix in the drained and rinsed black beans, salsa, remaining 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, and cumin. Simmer the mixture for about 5 -10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slightly mash half of the beans if desired.
Dressing
- Zest and juice 1 lime. Add the juice and zest to the blender along with the prepared ranch seasoning mix, minced garlic, chopped tomatillo, and cilantro (Just cut off the large stems, but the rest is fine).
- Add 1/2 a jalapeño (a full one for more kick) and the mayo. Add some seasoned salt and pepper to taste (I use around 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper).
- Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust to personal preference (more lime, more garlic, salt/pepper).
- Whisk or blend in the sour cream. Store in the fridge until ready to serve over the tacos!
Assembling the Tacos
- To make the tacos: Grill or warm the tortillas (see post for how to grill tortillas) and top with the black bean mixture, followed by the roasted sweet potatoes. Add the sauce and any other additional toppings: fresh lime juice, additional fresh cilantro, and fresh avocado! Add cheese to the tacos if desired. Enjoy while hot!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Dressings: We made these tacos with the choice of two dressings (see 3rd picture in the post). Everyone loved both dressings, but the one I'm sharing today was the winner! If you want to make the dressing pictured on these tacos (the dark green one), you can find that alternate recipe in the post!
Make this vegan: Simply use vegan cheese, sour cream, and mayo, and check the label of the tortillas, since some contain lard.
Nutrition information does not include the optional avocado or cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 561mg | Potassium: 646mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 6367IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We decided to have a taco contest and this won hands down of the 3 recipes we tried!!!! Congratulations!!!
I am so happy to hear this Stacy! What a compliment! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
These were so amazingly delicious! I could drink the dressing. Making again for the second time in one week.
Made this for lunch yesterday (with a few adjustments). Absolutely loved the flavors 🙂
So happy to hear that! 🙂 Thanks for the comment Julia!
This is my kind of taco. I don’t mind meat, but this is a perfect combination for me! Sweet potatoes are perfect in tacos, plus as long as there are beans, cilantro, tomatoes or salsa, some creaminess, avocados… who misses meat?!!
They’re so good! 🙂 Hope you love them!