Soft tacos with southwestern vegetables
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Vegetarian soft tacos loaded with summer squash, zucchini, corn, black beans, tomatoes, and jalapeño. A fresh southwestern skillet filling in warm corn tortillas, ready in under 20 minutes.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
6 minREADY
18 minProof that vegetable tacos can pull their weight at the dinner table. The filling is essentially a quick summer sauté: diced zucchini, yellow summer squash, red onion, fresh corn kernels, black beans, and chopped tomatoes hit with garlic, jalapeño, and a fistful of cilantro at the end.
Timing keeps this from turning to mush. The squashes go in first for five minutes to start tenderizing, then the rest joins for another five. Pull the pan when the vegetables are tender-crisp, not soft. Overcooked zucchini means watery tacos.
Corn tortillas get the dry-pan treatment: twenty seconds per side in a hot, unoiled skillet until pliable and lightly toasted. That step is easy to skip but it changes the tortilla from cardboard-cold to warm and fragrant, and it keeps tortillas from cracking when you fold them. Top each taco with a spoonful of smoky salsa and you have dinner on the table in under 20 minutes.
Chef Tips
- Cut every vegetable the same size (about a half inch) so they finish cooking together. Uneven dice means uneven texture.
- Seed the tomatoes. Extra water on top of zucchini water turns soft tacos soggy fast.
- Use a dry pan for the tortillas, not nonstick. The slightly rough surface of a regular skillet gives the tortillas better contact for toasting.
- Add the cilantro off the heat. High heat turns cilantro muddy and kills the fresh grassy note.
Variations
- Top with crumbled queso fresco or cotija for a salty, creamy finish.
- Stir in a teaspoon of smoked paprika or chipotle powder with the garlic for deeper heat.
- Swap black beans for pinto, or add a drained can of diced green chiles for a New Mexico lean.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
Add the onion and cook until soft.
Add the summer squash and zucchini, and continue cooking until tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, jalapeno, corn kernels and beans.
Cook until the vegetables are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.
Add the cilantro and remove from the heat.
Heat a dry, large frying pan (without a nonstick surface) over medium heat.
Add 1 tortilla to the hot pan and heat until softened, about 20 seconds per side. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
To serve, divide the tortillas among individual plates.
Spread an equal amount of the vegetable mixture on each tortilla.
Top each with 2 tablespoons of the salsa.
Serve immediately.
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