These easy and delicious vegan tacos are made with hearty black bean and walnut taco "meat" stuffed into crispy shells and piled with toppings!
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch cayenne pepper, optional
- ½ cup finely chopped shelled walnuts
- 1 (14 ounce or 400 gram) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup canned tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (packed)
- Salt & black pepper, to taste
- 6 taco shells or corn tortillas (see Note)
- Toppings of choice, such as shredded cabbage, salsa, guacamole, vegan sour cream or vegan cheese
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Coat the bottom of a large skillet with the oil and place it over medium heat.
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Give the oil a minute to heat up, then add the onion. Sweat the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes soft and translucent.
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Stir in the garlic, cumin, ancho chile powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and walnuts. Sauté everything for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes very fragrant.
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Stir in the beans and tomato sauce, raise the heat, and bring the sauce to a simmer.
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Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes, until thick, stirring occasionally. Optionally, mash a few of the beans with a fork or the back of a spoon to help thicken the sauce.
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Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the lime juice and cilantro.
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Season the filling with salt and pepper to taste. Adjust any other seasonings to suit your taste.
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Stuff the filling into shells or tortillas, top with toppings of choice, and serve.
If using corn tortillas, I recommend crisping them in a skillet before filling. Oil a large skillet and add a few tortillas at a time. Optionally, sprinkle them with salt. Let the tortillas heat up for a few minutes on each side, until the start to crisp and brown in spots.