Black Bean Tacos are a perfect weeknight staple. They’re easy to put together, inexpensive, satisfying and healthy.
In this recipe, you can use the cabbage slaw and the chipotle sauce on any taco for added texture and flavor. And these quick pickled jalapenos are a great addition, too.
One of my biggest pet peeves are food blogs that give you the recipe after 50 photos and personal stories that are not relevant. So, without further ado, here’s the recipe for:
Black Bean Tacos with Chipotle Sauce and Cabbage Slaw
INGREDIENTS:
For the Black Beans
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1 16oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (if you wanted to double the volume, using a 28oz can is fine here too)
For the Chipotle Sauce
1 cup plain greek yogurt, preferably full fat (you can sub sour cream, or even mayo)
1 tbsp. to 1.5 tbsp, pureed chipotles in adobo sauce (depending how spicy you like it)
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
For the Cabbage Slaw
1/2 red cabbage, sliced as thinly as possible (green cabbage works too)
1 tbsp red onion, minced
2 tbsp. cilantro, minced
juice of 1/2 to 1 lime
2 tbsp. olive oil
healthy pinch of salt
For the tacos
Corn or flour tortillas. If you don’t do corn or flour, you can serve the beans over rice with the slaw, pickled peppers and chipotle sauce with equally delicious results.
METHOD:
For the black beans
Cook the aromatics. In a medium saucepan, cook the onions in 2 tbsp of olive oil for 7-8 minutes over medium heat, until they are very soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the black beans with the chili powder and cumin. Add enough water to barely cover the beans (3/4-1 cup) This is tricky because you want to loosen the mixture with enough liquid, but not enough to drown the beans. If you add too much water you can always drain it later. Simmer on low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes. You want the beans to be creamy but dry – a soupy bean won’t hold up in a taco, but too dry and you lose texture and flavor. This will take a few tries to learn to do properly and requires close attention.
For the chipotle sauce
Mix the yogurt and chipotle puree in a small bowl. Set aside. This is the easiest and most delicious sauce ever.
TO ASSEMBLE:
If you have a gas stove, turn the heat to medium. Place your corn tortilla directly on the flame for 15-30 seconds, until it puffs and has a few black spots. This may take a few tries but tortillas cooked this way are the BEST. You can also warm up the tortillas in the microwave (wrapped in a towel) or cast-iron pan that’s been heated for 2 minutes on medium high heat.
Place your beans, slaw and sauce in small bowls and assemble your tacos as you wish!
