These spaghetti squash tacos are the delicious fall dinner you probably didn't know you needed in your life! They're made with refried beans and barbecue "pulled" spaghetti squash filling stuffed into crispy tortillas and piled high with your favorite toppings.
There are so many delicious fillings that you can make vegan tacos out of. Chickpea tacos, tofu tacos, tempeh tacos, and lots more! Spaghetti squash probably doesn't come to mind when you think of meatless taco fillings though. Maybe your familiar with spaghetti squash taco boats. But today I'm sharing something that's probably totally new to you, and seriously delicious: spaghetti squash tacos!
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Spaghetti squash actually makes an excellent taco filling! It's got a great texture for pairing up with barbecue sauce to make "pulled" spaghetti squash. Don't get me wrong: nobody is going to think they're eating pulled pork. But spaghetti squash is totally delicious as a taco stuffer in it's own right!
Ingredients You'll Need
- Spaghetti squash.
- Oil. You can use any neutral high-heat oil to sauté your aromatics. Olive oil, corn oil, canola oil, and avocado oil are among your options!
- Garlic.
- Spices. You'll need a mix of ground cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika. You can find them all in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
- Barbecue sauce. I'm partial to my homemade vegan barbecue sauce, but feel free to keep things simple and use store-bought — just check the ingredients to ensure it's vegan!
- Lime juice. Make sure to use freshly squeezed juice, which is much more flavorful than bottled.
- Salt.
- Fresh cilantro. You can leave this out if you're not a fan.
- Refried black beans. Canned refried black beans are just fine, but you can also make homemade refried black beans if you're up to it. Vegan refried pinto beans will also work.
- Corn tortillas.
- Toppings. You can use whatever you like here! I've topped my spaghetti squash tacos with just some diced avocado, but you could also use vegan sour cream, cashew cream, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole, vegan queso, or vegan shredded cheese.
How They're Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!
Roast and prep your spaghetti squash first. Poke some holes in it and place it directly on the oven rack. Roast it until it's easily pierced with a knife, then remove it from the oven and let it cool for a while. Cut it in half, remove the seeds, then rake out the flesh until it's nice and stringy.
Heat your oil in a skillet, then add diced onion. Cook the onion for a few minutes until it gets soft and starts to brown.
Add minced garlic and your spices to the skillet. Cook them with the onion for a minute or so.
Add the spaghetti squash and barbecue sauce to the skillet. Mix it up well to coat the squash with sauce. Cook the mixture for just a couple of minutes.
Take the skillet off of heat and stir in the lime juice, salt, and cilantro. You can give the filling a taste-test and make any adjustments to suit your taste at this point.
Time to assemble your spaghetti squash tacos! Warm the tortillas and slather each one with some refried beans, then stuff them with the spaghetti squash filling and whatever toppings your heart desires.
Variations
- Swap out the corn tortillas with four large flour tortillas and make this recipe as spaghetti squash burritos.
- Skip the tortillas altogether and serve the filling over rice, for some delicious spaghetti squash burrito bowls.
- Serve the filling on buns as pulled spaghetti squash sandwiches.
Leftovers & Reheating
Spaghetti squash taco filling will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about three days. The easiest way to reheat it is by transferring it to a microwave-safe bowl, covering it, and microwaving it for about a minute at a time. Alternatively, you can place it in a skillet and warm it up over medium heat. Either way you choose, add a bit of water if it starts to dry out.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is!
One of the simplest ways to use up spaghetti squash is to substitute it for pasta and top it with your favorite pasta sauce, such as marinara sauce or vegan vodka sauce. You could also incorporate it into a stir-fry, curry, or casserole.
These tacos are very mild! If you'd like them to have a little kick, add some cayenne pepper or your favorite hot sauce.
More Vegan Taco Recipes
Like this recipe? If so, please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you try it! Also be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter for more recipes like this one!
📖 Recipe
Barbecue Spaghetti Squash Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 3 to 4 pounds)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ cup vegan barbecue sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cups vegan refried black beans, store-bought or homemade
- 12 corn tortillas, warmed in a hot skillet
- Additional toppings of choice, such as shredded cabbage, diced avocado, vegan sour cream, vegan shredded cheese, hot sauce, or salsa
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Poke five or six holes into the spaghetti squash with a sharp knife.
- Place the spaghetti squash into the oven, directly on the rack. Roast the squash until it's easily pierced with a knife, about one hour.
- Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Once it's cool enough to handle, cut the squash in half length-wise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard them. Use a fork to break up the remaining flesh, raking it until it takes on a stringy texture. Measure out four cups of squash for your taco filling. Save any extra for another use.
- Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the oil and place it over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Cook the onion for about five minutes, until it softens and just begins to brown, stirring it constantly to prevent it from burning.
- Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and smoked paprika. Stir everything up and cook the mixture for about one minute, until it becomes very fragrant.
- Add the spaghetti squash and barbecue sauce to the skillet. Cook the mixture for one to two minutes, stirring constantly to incorporate the sauce into the spaghetti squash.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the lime juice, salt and cilantro.
- To assemble the tacos, spread a thin layer of refried beans on each tortilla, then stuff it with spaghetti squash filling and any additional toppings of choice.
- Serve.
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