These Smoky Black Bean Tacos are a quick and easy vegetarian dinner idea!
Heads up! This Smoky Black Bean Tacos recipe was originally posted in August 2011. Photos were updated August 2018. Text is original from 2011. This remains one of my favorite recipes and it I hope if it’s new-to-you you’ll love it, too!
Cooking meatless meals would be easy. If I only had to think about pleasing myself. I’m easy to please. I like all kinds of foods. I’m not a single lady, though, and have a husband and toddler to think about. Some days I’m not sure who’s more difficult to please.
When I first made this dish, Tim walked into the kitchen while I was cooking and, upon seeing the beans, remarked that he really didn’t like beans that much. He randomly comes up with these things, even though I cook with beans often. It’d be tough to eat a mostly vegetarian diet without beans, right?
I kept my composure and continued with dinner prep, hoping he wouldn’t sulk through the meal because of his apparent hatred of beans, what I’d planned to be the star of the dish.
By the end of dinner, he was mmm’ing and asking me why I didn’t take any pictures for the blog. And now we’ve eaten these vegetarian tacos twice for dinner this week, at his request. Go figure.
I was originally inspired by this recipe on epicurious, but changed it up a lot because cumin is one of those things Tim isn’t fond of (I reeeeeallly could have been in trouble if I made dinner with beans and cumin) which was the main spice. He also won’t touch traditional coleslaw with mayonnaise, so I had to come up with a different version of the slaw.
I went with smoked paprika for the bean mixture, and it was amazing. I can’t believe I waited this long to try the smoked version of paprika. It is a flavor that I adore and will be using it a lot in the future. If you don’t have this spice, it’s totally worth picking up a bottle.
The result was a fantastic vegetarian taco recipe that we’ll use again and again. It’s quick, easy, and delicious. Three of my favorite things when it comes to dinner.
How to Make Smoky Black Bean Tacos
PrintSmoky black bean and feta tacos with no-mayo coleslaw
These tacos are a great veggie alternative and are packed full of flavor
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 tacos 1x
- Category: main meal
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
12 hard taco shells (I like the Garden of Eatin’ (affiliate link) brand, because they don’t have any sketchy ingredients)
For the Bean Mixture
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups cooked black beans (2 15 ounce cans, rinsed and drained)
- 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup feta cheese
- salt+pepper, to taste
For the No-Mayo Coleslaw
- 1 tablespoon country dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (about 1/2 a lime)
- 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 medium carrot, shredded
- salt+pepper
Extra
- Chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
To prepare the slaw:
- In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, lime juice, garlic, and cayenne (I used a pinch). Slowly whisk in the oil until it is emulsified. Mix together the dressing with the cabbage and carrots. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Refrigerate while you prepare the bean mixture to let the flavors meld.*
To prepare the bean mixture:
- Heat the oil in a medium pan over medium-low heat. Add the cooked beans and gently stir until they are heated. Add the lime juice, paprika, and feta cheese and stir until the cheese starts to melt. Using the back of your spoon, mash the beans a little bit.
Sometimes the ugliest food tastes the best. - Prepare you taco shells according to package directions. To build a taco, start with the bean mixture and top with the coleslaw and cilantro.
Notes
*You can prepare this earlier in the day or even the day before–dinner prep will be a breeze!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 196
- Sugar: 1.5g
- Sodium: 116mg
- Fat: 9.6 grams
- Saturated Fat: 2.9 grams
- Carbohydrates: 20 grams
- Fiber: 5 grams
- Protein: 7 grams
Keywords: vegetarian black bean tacos
Warm, creamy, smoky beans + cold, crunchy, slightly spicy coleslaw=a perfect combination of texture and flavor. At least I was able to please two out of three members of the family with this meal.
Meghan, per usual, had a deconstructed, slightly different version of dinner. She had her black beans plain, a different cheese, the Mexican rice I served these with, and fruit.
I hope you aren’t too sick of my taco recipes. I swear, this baby is going to come out of the womb eating tacos and requesting bold-flavored foods! It’s all I want lately.
Edited to add: I was pregnant with Luke when I first published this recipe. He didn’t quite come out of the womb liking tacos, but at 6, he loves these!
If you try this Smoky Black Bean Tacos recipe, would you mind rating the recipe with stars when you leave a comment? It’s VERY helpful for me and other readers if the recipes have ratings and reviews. I appreciate you!
If you’d like to save this recipe for later, here’s an image to save to your Pinterest recipe board!
Lisa says
August 18, 2011 at 5:58 pmSick of mexican food posts? Never. Especially not in this household. We love it just as much as the baby you’re carrying apparently does. And, I loved it even more so when I was pregnant with my youngest, too. And, I still never tire of it. So keep ’em coming! This looks fantastic and can’t wait to give it a try.
Julie H. of Spinach and Sprinkles says
August 18, 2011 at 6:07 pmDon’t you just love it when husbands pull a fast one on you like that! ‘didn’t really like beans that much’ …..Sometimes what they are saying and what they mean are two different things, I bet he just wasn’t in the mood for beans that night. Way to change his mind!!!! Mmmmm!
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
August 18, 2011 at 6:22 pmOh my goodness, I know exactly what you mean. Cooking for myself is no problem, even cooking for the kids isn’t that hard, but making something meatless for my hubby is a huge problem. He can stand beans occasionally, but forget lentils, they are completely out of the question 🙁
That bean mixture for your tacos looks really good, especially with the cheese and lime juice. Although I’d probably add cumin to mine, lol. And the smoked paprika sounds awesome(I’ve found my hubby likes meatless things if it tastes smokey. He doesn’t often make sense, haha). I’ve actually never tried it, but I’m super curious.
By the way, I really like your pictures for this one! Especially how everything is set out in the first one and the second one with the close up. Awesome 😀
Maryea says
August 19, 2011 at 2:04 pmI’ve found it’s all about the flavor, too. Tim doesn’t seem to notice there’s no meat if there’s plenty of flavor going on. And thanks for the compliment on the pictures. It means a lot coming from you! I’m working on the photography thing as much as I can, but it seriously can be a time suck! It’s fun though. 🙂
Sarah @ Recipe Love says
August 18, 2011 at 6:25 pmWow, those sound so good, Maryea! I love smoked paprika too. Such a great flavor! As tacos are one of my husband’s favorite things ever, I’m definitely trying these. He’s usually a meat man, but I’ve been trying to do at least half or more of our meals meatless. This one is perfect!
Aleaha says
August 18, 2011 at 7:32 pmLol!! I’m with you. Trying to please everyone can be very difficult. I am going to try this one this weekend. Thanks!!
And, Victoria eats quite a few de-constructed meals. Even her sandwiches!!
Maryea says
August 19, 2011 at 2:02 pmI hope you enjoy them! They were a big hit over here. 🙂
Jenn L @ Peas and Crayons says
August 18, 2011 at 7:45 pmbeans can be ugly yes… but i think these are beauties 😉 this is so different than any taco i’ve ever seen! so fun!
Candy @ Healthy in Candy Land says
August 18, 2011 at 8:16 pmI just made your lentil tacos a few days ago, and they were a huge hit over here in Candy Land! Yum. I am enjoying all these Mexican inspired meals, so keep ’em coming.
Maryea says
August 19, 2011 at 2:01 pmI’m glad you liked the lentil tacos! I think I might like these ones even better. I know you don’t do feta, but maybe there’s some alternative for the cheese you could use?
Candy @ Healthy in Candy Land says
August 19, 2011 at 5:59 pmI don’t do feta, but I do do goat cheese every once in a while! That would be fantastic, I’m sure!
sbrbaby says
August 19, 2011 at 9:29 amSO glad I found your blog! Randomly clicked on your link from a comment over at Smitten Kitchen, and I’m hooked. And I’m about 6 weeks behind you in my first pregnancy, and was looking for some healthy eating inspiration. Can’t wait to try all the recent the meatless dishes, they look delish! Thanks!
Maryea says
August 19, 2011 at 2:00 pmI’m so glad you found me, too! 🙂 Congrats on your pregnancy! There’s definitely something special about the first pregnancy. Best of luck!
Carissa says
August 19, 2011 at 12:11 pmI’m fortunate that my husband loves beans. We always have ours burrito style instead of the hard shell, though. We’ll have to try these. I love that you added so much lime & the feta. Yum!
lindsay says
August 19, 2011 at 1:19 pmI live in TX, I’m never going to get sick of Taco recipes!
[email protected] says
August 19, 2011 at 4:43 pmYou know we love Mexican food in our house and these look awesome! I know James will ask me where the salsa and guac are though. He ‘s such tough one to break!!
Aleaha says
August 20, 2011 at 6:09 pmI used cumin instead of the smoked paprika because I didn’t want to go to the store. But these were a HUGE hit!!! Rick loved them! The only one who wasnt sold was Victoria, but like Meghan she had her own variation. And what an easy and and quick meal. The part that took the longest was the rice I made to go with the tacos. This will become one in my busy week rotation. Thank you!!
Maryea says
August 21, 2011 at 2:00 pmYou’re welcome! It’s always nice to hear when husbands like a meatless meal! 🙂
Aleaha says
August 22, 2011 at 1:11 amI had left over coleslaw so I made the salad again, but added brown sugar pecans and used it as a side dish to some pork my hubby grilled. Very yummy!!
Lisa says
February 23, 2012 at 9:17 amMaryea, You may not see this in time, but, do you think these would be okay without the cheese? I need a super easy dinner tonight because we have a music program to go to @ school and I have all the stuff for this minus the cheese. Even if you don’t answer in time, I’m going to give these a whirl. I hope we like them! Thanks!
Maryea says
February 23, 2012 at 2:09 pmI think they would still be good. I actually may try them without cheese soon since I can’t have dairy anymore. Let me know what you think!
Lisa says
February 24, 2012 at 8:57 amMaryea, These were delicious! I honestly didn’t miss the cheese, at all. I love the smoky flavor from the paprika and the crunchy slaw with the beans was a really nice compliment. My kids loved them. Thankfully, my husband wasn’t home because the boys’ and I ate every last bite.
Maryea says
February 25, 2012 at 12:16 pmGood to know! Thanks.
Jessica P. says
August 14, 2012 at 11:02 pmI’ve made these several times now,and they are soooo good!! I add a lot of extra lime juice to the slaw and bean mixture, and put even more on top of my finished tacos. Delicious!
Maryea says
August 15, 2012 at 8:16 amThanks for letting me know!