Lazy Vegan Taco Tuesday

Tasty weeknight vegan eats, made with ingredients you likely already have in your cupboard.

Vegan tacos served family style: vegan “meat” filling, Spanish rice, black beans with corn, oh my!

I hope, dear readers, that you’ll grant me some grace when I even call this a recipe. For this week was a busy week. And some weeks, “from scratch” becomes a reach too far. And I’m 100% okay with that. A fed family is a happy family.

Often on these harried weeks, I reach for some ground turkey or beef and whip up tacos. I hesitated to use vegan meat, not only because I didn’t know if it would taste good, but also because I didn’t know if it was good enough to count as this week’s recipe.

Then I remembered, each day we choose to make an impact, it counts — even if it’s a small one with lots of short cuts (taco seasoning from a packet, Spanish rice from a box, tortilla from a packet, black beans from a can).

There’s no shame in a tasty, reasonably nutritious vegan meal with some assists from store-bought ingredients.

And now, onward to cooking!

The recipe

Ingredients:

• Olive or canola oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 mini bell peppers, diced
• Taco seasoning (I used Old El Paso cause I’m fancy)
• 1 10–14 oz packet of vegan meat crumbles (I used Beyond Beef, more about that in the comments after the recipe)
• Mushrooms (I used about 2oz of white ones), diced
• 1 box of yellow or Spanish rice mix (I used Goya Arroz Amarillo)
• 1 can of black beans
• 1/2–1 cup corn (frozen or canned, or fresh if you’ve got it)
• Salsa (you can pick the brand and level of spiciness)
• Hard or soft taco shells (use corn-based if gluten-free like me)
• For serving: Chopped cilantro, chopped iceberg lettuce, garlic sauce, chopped green onions, hot sauce (or whatever else you like on your tacos)

Everything you need for a vegan, gluten-free lazy taco night

Steps:

Note that the steps below aren’t linear but concurrent — that is, you should be making the “meat,” the beans, and the rice all at the same time.

STEP 1: Make the “meat” filling. Glug some oil into your pan and toss in the onions, stirring till they start to smell really nice. Add the mushrooms and “meat” crumbles, and saute on medium-high heat until they start to brown. I like to slightly over-brown my fake meat so it’s not mushy on the outside. Then toss the bell peppers in and stir it all up for 1–2 minutes. Add the seasoning packet and water as per directions on the packet and stir it up.

The taco vegan “meat” filling, before adding the seasonings.

Vegan “meat” filling, taco seasoning added and ready to go.

STEP 2: Make the rice. You bought it in a box, yes? Follow the directions on the box. It likely involves water, a bit of oil, boil and then simmer till the rice is done. I’ve got no photo, but you’ve got this.

STEP 3: Make the beans. Again, this is super tricky. Open a can of black beans, somewhat drain the liquid. Pour into pot, add some corn and some salsa — you can decide the ratios you’d like to use — set burner to medium-low and heat until, well, it’s hot.

STEP 4: Make the goodies. I put tortillas (wheat for my youngest, corn for me) and taco shells (for my eldest) onto a cookie sheet on 175 degrees, just to warm them. Then I chopped cilantro, lettuce, and green onions for toppers, steamed some leftover asparagus just for fun, and put hot and garlic sauces on the table.

STEP 5: Tuck on in! Put all the food on the table, either in proper bowls, or just in the pots they cooked in. Set out plates, and let your brood eat family style. Dinner is served!

Dinner is served!

The review:

6/10. I thought this one was decent, and my eldest went in for seconds (she’s extremely fussy about vegan cooking, so this was a big deal). However, both kids added cheese. I wasn’t going to stop them — I’m not a monster — because this was uninteresting enough that cheese made things far tastier.

A few ways I’d make this better next time.

1. The biggest change I’d make is to use Impossible ground “meat” instead of Beyond Beef. I didn’t love the flavor or texture of the Beyond. This is an individual choice, but if you can get Impossible in your local store, splurge on it.
2. I’d make Spanish rice from scratch. The boxed rice was okay, but I think homemade would’ve made a big difference with such a simple meal.
3. Guacamole. My kids aren’t crazy about it, but I was wishing I’d made some. These sorts of meals are all about the pile on and layering of flavors, and when foregoing cheese, having some garlicky guac would’ve hit the spot.

I will say, this meal lasted for several lunches, and made for excellent leftover lunchbox quesadillas for my youngest — albeit with cheese (so, not vegan).

I have a feeling this won’t be the last time I try tacos here. So let’s consider this the lofi version, and next time around I’ll seek out a more robust recipe on a less-busy week.

Buen provecho!

If you have a great vegan/gluten-free taco — or if you have suggestions for how I could make this one better — please share in the comments below.

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