I’m working on a big side project right now and it has required me to buy a lot of extra groceries. You know how I hate to see food go to waste, so I took a look at the ingredients on hand and came up with these tasty little tacos to use up my leftovers. All I had to buy was the zucchini. I’d call that a WIN.
I initially set out to make these tacos vegan, but then I realized that I had some monterrey jack cheese in my fridge, too. I have to admit, once I put that jack on there it took the tacos from “good” to “NOM x 100”. Seriously. Even though the tacos already had the creamy avocado slices, something about the monterrey jack cheese just really set them off. These tacos are “stuff your face” good.
The avocado was undoubtably the most expensive item here. I already had it on hand, so it wasn’t a loss for me. If I didn’t already have it, the monterrey jack cheese would have been more than enough to replace it. So, keep that in mind if your budget is extra tight (and whose isn’t?).
Oh, and if you don’t have the spices on hand to make the homemade taco seasoning, you can use one store bought taco seasoning packet in its place (although you won’t need the extra garlic powder listed below).
Roasted Corn and Zucchini Tacos
Roasted Corn & Zucchini Tacos
Servings 6 2 small tacos eachIngredients
- 2 zucchini ($1.68)
- 8 oz. frozen corn ($0.78)
- 1 packet taco seasoning ($0.34)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.87)
- 1/4 tsp salt, if needed ($0.02)
- 12 small corn tortillas ($0.96)
- 1 avocado (optional) ($2.00)
- 4 oz. shredded monterrey jack cheese ($1.20)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro (optional) ($0.20)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Cut the zucchini into a very small dice, just slightly larger than the pieces of corn. Combine the diced zucchini, corn, olive oil, taco seasoning, and garlic powder in a bowl. Stir until everything is well combined and coated in oil and seasonings.
- Cover a baking sheet in foil and spread the zucchini and corn mixture evenly over the surface. Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables look slightly shriveled. Meanwhile, rinse the black beans and let them drain well.
- After the vegetables have roasted, combine them with the well drained black beans. Season the mixture with extra salt, if needed (I used about 1/4 tsp). Cut the avocado into 12 slices.
- Lightly toast the corn tortillas in a dry skillet, then top with a small scoop of the zucchini corn mixture, a slice of avocado, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a pinch of shredded monterrey jack cheese.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos
Corn and zucchini is one of my favorite vegetable combos. The corn is sweet and the zucchinis get kind of creamy when roasted. YUM. I used 8 oz. (half of the bag) of corn and two medium zucchinis.
It’s really important to chop the zucchini into pieces that are similar in size to the corn, so that they roast at the same speed. The easiest way to do this is to cut the zucchini in half lengthwise, so that it has a flat edge to lay on. Cut the zucchini lengthwise a couple more times to make matchsticks, then cut across the matchsticks into small pieces.
Place the diced zucchini and corn in a bowl and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and one batch of taco seasoning (or one taco seasoning packet), plus 1/4 tsp garlic powder. My taco seasoning recipe doesn’t include garlic powder because I usually use fresh garlic in my recipes, but this time I didn’t, so I supplemented with a little garlic powder. My tacos seasoning also doesn’t contain a lot of salt, so you may want to add a little after the vegetables roast.
Stir it all up really, really good, so that everything is coated in oil and spices. Spread this mixture out evenly over a baking sheet covered with foil. Pop it into an oven that is preheated to 400 degrees and let it roast for 25 minutes or just until the veggies look a little soft and shriveled.
Like this. The steam is still rising off of the delicious veggies… MMmmm. While the corn and zucchini are roasting, you can rinse and drain the black beans. Let them drain really well, so that your tacos don’t get soggy.
Add the well drained black beans and stir to combine. Taste the mixture and add a little salt if it seems bland (homemade taco seasoning doesn’t contain a lot of salt, but if you’re using a store bought packet it probably has plenty).
Now it’s time to build the tacos. You’ll want to toast the tortillas in a dry skillet briefly to get that raw taste out. Just put them in a hot skillet until they get a little stiff, but still pliable enough to wrap a taco. Add a scoop of corn-zucchini mixture, a slice of avocado, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a pinch of shredded monterrey jack cheese.
If you happen to have a lime sitting around (like I did), you can squeeze a little lime juice on there, too. I didn’t think it increased the deliciousness enough to actually include it in the recipe, though.
Tacos are little bundles of love.
Do the taco dance!
Love the site, and clearly I’m actually learning something — Check this out: Joe’s special, minus the cheese. Add this roasted filling mixture and cojita cheese. Joe’s mexican special, if you will.
Nice improvising!
Beth, Thanks for all your great work! These tacos were simple and delicious, and even my pickiest kid ate one. Winner!
I’ve discovered that buying smaller avocados can be pretty budget effective. My local supermarket packages them in 2s for $1.67, and since I don’t use much at a time, there’s far less wastage. Aldi’s also sells medium ones for under $1 most weeks–not worth running down there unless I’m in the neighborhood already, though, but when I do, they usually have lots of produce at attractive prices.
Holy crap. Dancing panda. Instant 5 stars.
Just made this dish and I’m in love. I’m sold on the book!
Hi!
I made this last night for dinner and it was an absolute hit with my daughter declaring she would like it every night!
My modifications would be omitting the cheese and I used kidney beans instead of black beans (as we don’t get canned in Australia) and was a quick and healthy meal.
Just discovered your blog and have planned out the meals for the next week! love it that most of the recipes I can make with ingredients that I already have! The budget perspective is a plus!
Thanks for your work! Am an appreciative reader!
Praveena.
Funny seeing this recipe on your blog! I’ve been making your black bean quesadillas pretty regularly, and then I tried making this recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-three-sisters-empanadas-recipes-from-the-kitchn-193800 and realized that it would be easier and the filling would be delicious as a quesadilla! Now I see you’ve done something similar in a taco. I would definitely recommend using this corn-zucchini filling in place of your black bean filling in some quesadillas for variety.
While I didn’t follow your recipe, I used this post as inspiration to make my own “odds and ends” tacos out of veggies I had sitting in the fridge. I used black beans, corn, red pepper, carrot and an onion. I roasted with a bunch of spices and a bit of olive oil.
So good! I am going to use this as my go to recipe for veggies rather than letting them go bad or throwing them away.
I just started following you and this is the first recipe i have tried. I didn’t have taco seasoning so I added 1/4 can fire-roasted tomatoes and tons of cumin, and it was delicious!!! :)
Oh also, I meant to mention I am vegetarian and always looking for veggie recipes or those that you add meat in the end so I can cook for meat-eaters too :)
Black beans aren’t super cheap around here – are any otehr beans a good alternative? I sometimes swap out for black eyed peas (mainly because they’re nice).
Pinto beans might be good. You can also try cooking your own black beans from dry and freezing them in can-sized portions. I do that whenever I have the time and they’re about half price that way. :)
fresh cilantro can be one of those things that you use in a recipe but before you can come up with more ways of using the remainder of the bunch it starts to go yukky. I have started chopping the rest of the bunch mixing with a little olive oil and putting in a zip loc bag. Lay it flat in the freezer. takes up virtually no room and just break a bit off and add it to recipes as and when needed. doesn’t look like fresh but give sthe same taste kick, great stirred into soups and even spread on homemade naan bread instead of butter.
hmmm… how did beth know i bought some masa harina yesterday? and my husband brought home 2 beautiful avocados? these tacos look really good. i’d better start some black beans in the slow cooker right now!
btw, i often look at your cost breakdown and then congratulate myself if i can beat it. ingredients are much more expensive here (hawaii, outer island) but i grow fruit and veggies and herbs, and make my own beans, baked goods, etc. so your most expensive ingredient, the avocado, is free to me. but i’ll leave out the corn, which has to fly across the ocean.
I love it when people beat my price! :D …and I’d much rather live someplace that grows avocados and has to import corn. ;)
Agreed!!
agreed times two! nom nom avocados!
Man, why don’t I ever think to roast my taco fillings? These sound so good!
An inexpensive, but still yummy recipe? I think so! I will be making these soon!
I must say … I was not sold on this recipe until I saw the panda dancing. How can anyone argue with the integrity of a panda that dances with tacos?! It’s like instant recipe credibility! INSTANT, I TELL YOU.
This looks, just … fabulous. In the last year, I’ve become more acquainted with the fresh produce section of the grocery store, but I really hate stagnating on the same vegetables. Zucchini, admittedly, is one that I don’t use enough, so I’m excited to try these out. -:) That, and anything I can put Cholula on? Forget about it. I’m there.
Thanks, Beth!
I’m glad somebody enjoyed the dancing panda as much as I did! :)
A person who doesn’t enjoy a dancing panda is a person I don’t want to know. -:)