Quinoa Black Bean Tacos
Quick, easy, healthy and full of flavor – even meat eaters will love this!
I made these quinoa tacos in an attempt to stuff as many tacos in my face without feeling guilty about it. After all, bikini season will be here before you know it. And being an LA native, you should know that I have built quite an endurance for taco-eating.
Now I’m used to those carne asada street tacos so making the switch to these healthy, vegetarian tacos left me a bit skeptical. But boy was I wrong.
These tacos are loaded with so much flavor and such fun goodies, from the abundance of beans and sweet corn kernels. And being the carnivore that I am, I did not miss the meat at all. These also kept me so full – without the heavy bloating – even though I ate way more than I should have. Now who said healthy food doesn’t have to taste good?!
Quinoa Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
- ¼ cup sour cream
Instructions
- Heat quinoa and 1 cup water in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until water is absorbed, about 15-20 minutes; uncover and fluff with a fork.
- Stir in diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, chili powder, cumin, garlic and onion powder, paprika and cayenne pepper; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Stir in beans and corn until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in lime juice and cilantro.
- To serve, spoon quinoa mixture into the center of each tortilla. Top with avocado and sour cream, if desired.
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I hardly leave reviews but I feel the need to let everybody know how delicious this recipe was! Im in culinary school and that was the first place I was introduced to quinoa. Ive been wanting to make it at home ever since and started out with this recipe…oh my gosh. Best ‘taco’ I’ve ever had! So much flavor. I topped it with an avocado greek yogurt dip, Ill share the link! 🙂 http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/creamy-avocado-yogurt-dip/comment-page-6/#comment-337322
This was delish! thank you so much!
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I made these tonight and they were a huge hit! I love how quick and easy they were, and the fact that they are healthy and filling is a major plus! I’m adding them to my rotation. Thanks for the great recipe!
These tacos look delicious! I rarely eat meat and was thinking of a way to make a taco that my hubby won’t miss the meat in. This will fit the bill for sure! Thanks for a wonderful recipe : )
Tried it: loved it !
I was suprised, because I felt satisfied even if there was no meat.
Three words: A. Maz. Ing!
These were fantastic! They had alittle heat to them so i used plain Greek yogurt instead if sour cream. I will make these again! Thank you for the recipe!
This looks Delish! Question though: Why frozen corn? Can I use canned corn instead?
Feel free to use what you have on hand!
I made these tonight, they were awesome…hubby loved them too. I had fresh tomatoes and jalapeno’s – so used these instead of the canned. This will be a go to recipe for my family.
Love these! Made them for my vegetarian family and they are my go-to meal when I need something quick or when I’m in the mood for tacos. Thank you for your pictures and easy-to-follow instructions. Going to make your pineapple fried rice next!
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I made these for dinner tonight, my 10yr old son cried about no meat and at first refused to eat them, but after some persuasion he tried them and declared them to be delicious. My husband, daughter and I ate them without hesitation and thoroughly enjoyed our meal. These are going into the rotation! 🙂
Can the mixture be made ahead in a larger quantity and frozen in serving sizes?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. We ate these so quickly, there were no leftovers to save!
I have made a large batch and then froze it in meal sized portions. It worked great!
I made these for my family tonight. I am a vegetarian and they are not. They were delicious and everyone loved them except my youngest child. But, she did finish her burrito so there is hope for next time. I adjusted the recipe slightly by using 1 cup of quinoa and 1 1/2 cups of water and added a little more of everything else as someone had suggested. Made enough for a family of four with a bit leftover for tomorrow. So fantastic! They were awesome!
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OMG!!! These were delicious!!!!!! I made them with everything exempt the tomatoes. I cooked the quinoa first in half water half chicken broth and seasoning. Ill definitely make them again!!! Thank you!
Okay, these are damn good. For anyone wondering, I didn’t use vegetable broth (all I had around was those squares that you render useable with boiling water and I couldn’t be bothered) but instead threw in some water and extra liquid from the tomatos which worked just fine. I also didn’t have a 10 oz can of tomatoes and instead measured out about a cup and a half, plus the water + tomato liquid later — I think I could have done with a bit less liquid (it was a bit runny) but this recipe is pretty foolproof. No worries with exact measurements here, which is a blessing. I will definitely be making this again (maybe with lentils as well next time, ooh!)
I just tried these tonight, and despite that fact that I screwed up by putting the beans in too soon, and the quinuoa got overcooked, the flavor was still great and my boyfriend loved them! Will try them again and follow the directions better. 😉 Also, an added touch of mine: I mixed up some avo with NF plain yogurt, and some of the same spices and cilantro in the recipe and it made for a yummy topping! 🙂
I’m unable to eat tomatoes due to an allergy. Will there be a significant change in how the dish tastes/comes together in flavouring if I omit the tomatoes? Is there something else I can use as a substitue?
Tania, the tomatoes are a crucial ingredient as the liquid also provides substantial flavors and texture.
We made these for dinner tonight and they were fantastic! Even my husband loved them! The only change I made was to use whole wheat tortillas instead. Yum!