Black Bean Taco Cups
Black Bean Taco Cups
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 sweet/bell pepper, diced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp oregano
- 2 medium-large tomatoes, diced (or one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes)
- 1- 14.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 18 corn tortillas (see note below for size suggestion)***
- Salsa, guacamole, and/or plant based sour cream or plain yogurt for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Heat a medium sized pan over medium-high heat on the stovetop. When pan is nice and hot, add oil. Add onions and peppers and cook over medium-high heat until they begin to soften (about 5-8 minutes).
- Add chili powder, cumin, garlic, paprika, and oregano to peppers and onion and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring frequently.
- Add in diced tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth, TVP, and nutritional yeast. Bring to a soft boil and then reduce heat to simmer for a few minutes until the TVP has absorbed the vegetable broth and appears fluffy. If the mixture is wet, continue to simmer to cook off some of the liquid until the filling has thickened up.
- While the filling is cooking, soften the tortillas by wrapping them in a slightly moist paper towel and microwaving on a microwave-safe dish for 15-20 seconds. Remove from microwave (be careful of steam) and lay the tortillas over each well of the muffin tray. Don’t try to push the tortillas down, you can do that when you stuff them.
- When the bean filling has thickened, stir in the lime juice.
- Scoop about ¼ cup of filling onto each tortilla and press them down into the wells to form a small bowl/cup.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges of the tortillas are crisp.
- Remove from the oven and pop the taco cups out of the muffin tray wells. Serve topped with a dollop of salsa, guacamole, and/or plant based sour cream or plain yogurt.
Notes
I had Mission brand corn tortillas that they call their Street Taco tortillas. They are a bit smaller than a regular corn tortilla, about 3 inches across. This is a nice size for the muffin cup, so if you can find ones that are this size, they are a good option; if you can’t find this size, a normal corn tortilla will work just fine! They may have a bit of a higher edge sitting in the muffin cup (perfect for adding extra salsa or guacamole on top), or you can make a few less and stuff them fuller with the bean filling.
I doubled this recipe the first time and then used half black beans and half kidney beans just to switch it up. It is great for leftovers or meal prep as it keeps quite well. I used half as a filling for taco night and then the remainder was made into these crispy taco cups the next night. They’re great topped with salsa and guacamole or diced avocados. They make a great meal served with a fresh salad, or they can make nice snacks/appetizers for game day or any get together.
You can use this method of turning the corn tortilla into a little cup/bowl as they crisp up nicely in the oven for a lot of things. Fill them with a different favorite filling or with what you have in the fridge to spruce up leftovers in a different way.
In terms of kitchen equipment, for this recipe you’ll need a knife/cutting board, can opener, muffin tray, sauce pot/stove top or burner, and an oven.
Black Bean Taco Cups
Yield: 18 cups
Time: 30 minutes hands-on time; 20-25 minutes bake time
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 sweet/bell pepper, diced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp oregano
2 medium-large tomatoes, diced (or one 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes)
1-14.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein)
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tbsp lime juice
18 corn tortillas (see note below for size suggestion)***
Salsa and guacamole for topping
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Cook onions and peppers in olive oil over medium heat until they begin to soften (about 5 minutes).
Add chili powder, cumin, garlic, paprika, and oregano to peppers and onion and cook for 1 minute longer, stirring frequently.
Add in diced tomatoes, beans, vegetable broth, TVP, and nutritional yeast. Bring to a soft boil and then reduce heat to simmer for a few minutes until the TVP has absorbed the vegetable broth and appears fluffy. If the mixture is wet, continue to simmer to cook off some of the liquid until the filling has thickened up.
While the filling is cooking, lay the tortillas over each well of the muffin tray (don’t try to push the tortillas down, you can do that when you stuff them).
When the bean filling has thickened, stir in the lime juice.
Scoop about ¼ cup of filling onto each tortilla and press them down into the wells to form a small bowl/cup.
Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the edges of the tortillas are crisp.
Remove from the oven and pop the taco cups out of the muffin tray wells. Serve topped with a dollop of salsa and guacamole.
***Notes:
***I had Mission brand corn tortillas that they call their Street Taco tortillas. They are a bit smaller than a regular corn tortilla, about 3 inches across. This is a nice size for the muffin cup, so if you can find ones that are this size, they are a good option; if you can’t find this size, a normal corn tortilla will work just fine! They may have a bit of a higher edge sitting in the muffin cup (perfect for adding extra salsa or guacamole on top), or you can make a few less and stuff them fuller with the bean filling.
