Basic Ingredients for Veggie Tacos

I’ve made these for lunch for the last three days straight with summer squash, green chiles, tomatoes, and jalapeños from our garden. You can improvise with the vegetables, a little fresh corn would work great added in, or some cooked beans as well. We have fresh chiles, so I included them, you could always just add some salsa or jalapeño pickles to taste.

Two Tips for Great Tacos

The key to the overall taste is the addition at the end of cotija cheese, a Mexican cheese that is salty and crumbly, much like Greek feta. Remember, unless you have just made your tortillas fresh from scratch, packaged corn tortillas need to be heated and softened first, before being used for tacos.

Black beans or pinto beans (canned or freshly cooked)Mushrooms Cooked sweet potatoesBell peppersPoblano peppersScallionsFresh parsleySalsaRiceYour favorite varieties of cheesePicked jalapeñosAdditional herbs and/or spices (paprika, chili powder, dried cilantro, etc.)

Make-Ahead Tips

Make a big batch of veggies ahead of time and reheat them in a skillet or microwave for quick meals throughout the week. Beyond these tacos, use your stash of prepped vegetables in frittatas, pastas, quesadillas, and more.

More Taco Recipes to Try

Don’t stop with veggie tacos! Try these other tasty taco recipes.

Easy Fish Tacos Chorizo and Egg Breakfast Tacos Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos with Ranch Sauce Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Tacos

Spread the veggies out in the pan and then stir only occasionally, until they are all lightly browned. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and oregano, reduce the heat to low. Let gently cook for several minutes while you are preparing the tortillas. There are two basic ways of doing this. One way is on the stove top, preferably in a cast iron pan. Another way is to use the microwave. In both methods you will work in batches. (A third way is to use fresh homemade corn tortillas, which is a great option if you are set up for it.) Then place a piece of cheese on one side of the tortilla, and use a metal spatula to fold the other side of the tortilla over the cheese. Heat until cheese is melted, then remove from pan. Note that if you have a big enough pan, you can have one tortilla folded over while you have another tortilla doing its initial heating. In the microwave: Place a paper towel (or half a paper towel) on the heating surface of your microwave. Spread out 2 tortillas on the paper towels. Cook on high heat for 20 seconds per tortilla, in the case of 2 tortillas, 40 seconds. The tortillas should develop air pockets. (Note that every microwave is a little different, and corn tortillas differ as well. So you may need to adjust the times for your particular setup.) Then place a slice of cheese on one side of each tortilla and fold the tortillas over the cheese. Cook for an additional 10 seconds per tortilla (20 seconds for 2 tortillas), or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese. Serve immediately.