If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Although a part of me thinks I’d gladly eat pizza every day, I’m not sure if that would be fully supportive of my health goals. But you know what would be, that also happens to be (in my opinion) the world’s most perfect food? Tacos. Sure, you can make an unhealthy taco if you fill it with ground beef and sour cream. But when I think of a taco, I envision grilled or roasted vegetables, fresh herbs, mashed avocado, a squeeze of lime—basically, fresh seasonal produce all wrapped up in a warm blanket of charred corn tortillas. It’s a perfect bite that is both nourishing and delicious, and these mushroom and black bean tacos I created for our Plant-Based RE:SET are no exception.
When I started designing this year’s RE:SET—a 5-day plant-based meal plan (are you signed up to get it?)—I knew there would be a taco on the menu. And when I weighed my filling options—Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potato—I quickly landed on the official IOTY (ingredient of the year): mushrooms. It’s no secret that there’s a mushroom obsession in our culture right now, and if you’ve watched the Netflix doc, Fantastic Fungi, you know why. I kept these pretty simple to make them a legit contender for quick weeknight dinners, but each ingredient is so packed with flavor, they’re anything but boring.
Read on for a few tips on whipping up these mushroom and black bean tacos, and scroll to the bottom for the recipe.
What makes mushrooms a powerhouse ingredient?
It seems like mushrooms are all that anyone’s talking about in foodie circles right now. While these aren’t of the hallucinogenic variety, they almost feel like “magic mushrooms” in their own right: various types have been touted for boosting immunity, fighting cancer, packing in major doses of vitamins and minerals, and containing high amounts of antioxidants.
According to Whole Foods trend forecast, functional mushrooms should be on your radar, with varieties like reishi, chaga, cordyceps, and lion’s mane getting street cred as wellness ingredients in dietary supplements and coffee, tea, snack bars, and broth.
“People are incorporating functional ingredients like vitamin C, mushrooms and adaptogens to foster a calm headspace and support the immune system.
I’m personally looking for ways to incorporate all sorts of mushrooms into my diet, and while I used shiitakes in these tacos, they’re all pretty darn good for you.
How to make this recipe for a crowd
These mushroom and black bean tacos are simple to make for a big group, just double all your ingredients and set out toppings for people to build their own tacos to taste. In fact, if you’re doing the Plant-Based RE:SET, I recommend doubling your mushrooms and storing half of them to make your Mushroom and Arugula Toast the next day. However, when I’m making these for more than four people, I do tweak my process in two small but important ways:
- Sauté the mushrooms in two batches. When cooking mushrooms, it’s important to not overcrowd the pan. You want each mushroom to come into direct contact with the pan and get that crispy sizzle, rather than crowding together and “steaming.” So, I allocate a little more time for this step: after sautéing the first batch, I transfer to a plate while the second batch cooks, then I add them all back to the pan together to stay warm until it’s time to serve.
- Warm the tortillas in the oven. Granted, they’re not quite as delicious as when you char them on the stove, but who has time to char more than 12 tortillas by hand one at a time? Here’s how to warm tortillas for a crowd: Wrap stacks of five tortillas each in packets of foil, then heat in a 350F oven for about 15 minutes or until warmed through. Keep each of the stacks wrapped in the foil until ready to eat.
How to modify these mushroom and black bean tacos
These gluten and dairy-free tacos are already super healthy and allergen-friendly, but there are a few swaps you can rely on as needed:
- Avoiding corn? Use a cassava flour tortilla from a brand like Sieté.
- No time to cook beans? Open up a can of vegetarian refried beans and warm the in the microwave for a couple minutes. I love Amy’s Organic Refried Beans which are already seasoned and super delicious.
- Forgot to pickle your onions? No prob, these are great with a shower of fresh chopped green onions, too.
How to store leftovers
Mushroom and black bean tacos make a great leftover lunch, just store the bean and veggie mixtures separately in airtight containers in the fridge, then throw them together in the time it takes to warm up your tortillas the next day. Alternately, I love to pile the leftover sautéed mushrooms on sourdough toast slathered with creamy ricotta–grab the recipe here!
Scroll on for the recipe, which is part of our Plant-Based RE:SET, a new 5-day meal plan coming to your inbox on January 21st! Packed with delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes, this is a week’s worth of meals that’ll leave you feeling lighter, brighter, and energized. Sign up here!
Mushroom & Black Bean Tacos
Serves 6 tacos
Mushroom and black bean tacos are an easy and delicious vegan taco dinner. They're also gluten-free, dairy-free, and delicious!
Prep
40 minutes
Cook
25 minutes
Categories
Ingredients
- 1 can black beans
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic, divided
- 2 cups sliced shiitake mushrooms
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- chopped cilantro
- Quick pickled red onions (see below)
Instructions
- First, make the Quick Pickled Red Onions (below.)
- Meanwhile, make black beans. In a small saucepan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove. Sauté over medium-high for one minute. Add a can of black beans with all the liquid, a big pinch of salt, and 4 cilantro stems. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 15 minutes until thickened. Turn off heat.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in pan, add remaining minced garlic sliced shiitake mushrooms, and cook for 10 min over medium heat, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper.
- Char the tortillas: using tongs, hold each tortilla over a gas burner (or alternately, place in a hot skillet) for 15 seconds per side, until both sides are slightly blackened and crispy on the edges.
- In charred corn tortillas, pile beans, mushrooms, sliced avocado, pickled red onions, cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Eat!
Quick Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ tablespoons salt
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Bring water to a simmer, then whisk in sugar and salt. Remove from heat.
- Put red onion in a large mason jar or bowl.
- Pour hot water mixture and vinegar over the onions, and shake. Let sit at room temp for 1 hour, or store in fridge for a week
