Meatless Mexican Taco Recipe
Bean and Soy Protein Vegetarian or Vegan Tacos from Scratch
Oct 14, 2008
Meatless tacos are easy to whip up on work nights entirely from scratch. Don’t waste money and add excess salt with pre-mixed taco seasoning; it takes only a minute to add the spices yourself.
Tacos are a family-favourite recipe. They are fun to eat, and can be personally customized to suit everyone’s tastes, whether vegan, vegetarian or omnivorous.
- Vegan Tacos
Make tacos vegan by using creamy avocado in place of cheese and sour cream, or use a grate-able vegan cheese instead.
- Vegetarian Tacos
Go all out with soy “meat” filling, veggies and cheese. Add refried beans for an interesting crunchy-smooth texture.
- Omnivorous Tacos
Tacos are great for parties, get-togethers and potlucks too. If some guests are sticklers for meat, simply cook up a batch separate from the vegetarian crumbles and place it in a clearly marked bowl.
Using Leftover Taco Fillings
Leftover taco filling (“meat” crumbles and toppings) can be used to top Vegetarian Nachos (link) or to make a taco salad for lunch the next day.
Hard and Soft Taco Shells
The beef tacos this recipe resembles are usually served in hard taco shells, but soft taco shells also work well. Be aware that most types of hard shells contain trans fats.
Meatless Mexican Taco Recipe
Serves 4 (2 tacos each)
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- Eight hard or soft taco shells
- 1 can (1 ½ cups) refried beans, optional (LINK RECIPE)
Meatless Filling:
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 package Mexican-flavoured or regular vegetarian ground beef substitute (soy crumbles)
- 2 Tbsp. chili powder
- ¼ tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. salt
- Pinch oregano
Taco Toppings:
- Shredded iceberg lettuce
- Sliced green onion
- Grated cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Diced tomatoes
- Taco sauce
- Salsa
- Hot peppers
Directions:
Meatless Filling
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté, stirring often, until translucent.
- Add chopped tomato and minced garlic. Turn down heat to medium-low.
- Add vegetarian crumbles and break up with a wooden spoon.
- Add chili powder, cumin, salt and oregano.
- Let cook at least 10 minutes; until flavours meld and crumbles are heated through.
- Heat refried beans in a microwave-safe container, or on the stove, if using.
Toppings
- While filling cooks, prepare fillings: chop the lettuce, slice the onion, grate the cheese and set out sauces with spoons. Serve toppings buffet-style, in individual ramekins or on a large cutting board. If serving at a potluck, consider labelling the toppings and which are vegetarian and vegan.
To Serve:
- Place one spoonful refried beans in the bottom of a warmed taco shell.
- Top with vegetarian crumble mixture and desired toppings.
- Serve with refried or regular pinto beans, Mexican rice and Margaritas.
