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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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!
We love these much more than any other kind of taco. We had to use squash instead and it came out amazing with white corn tortillas! Very in the budget, too. This is going to be a regular meal for us! 5 stars
I added a bit of diced onion I already had around with the other veggies and used the veg/bean mixture as quesadilla filling, and it’s absolutely wonderful with a little salsa or guac.
Delicious and super easy. We will definitely make this again. Thanks!
Made these last night, the black bean and corn mixture reminded me of the hearty quesadillas from here that I looove, so I decided this would be a good fit for dinner especially with the added zucchini! The recipe is pretty easy, just roast veggies and it pretty much makes itself. I didn’t have corn tortillas on hand but were still amazing with flour tortillas, the avocado adds a little “je ne sais quoi.” I paired these with the Lime crema recipe for added creaminess & tang, and dropped some Tabasco in them for a little added flavor. Tasted like some $10-15 tacos from a bougie Latin restaurant!
I’m not even vegetarian but this is now one of my favorite taco recipes. I didn’t add avocado but the cheese and roasted zucchini were really creamy on their own. I’d like to try these as enchiladas too, as another commenter or mentioned.
I was looking for no cheese enchiladas and remembered this recipe. I think this would be great in enchiladas. Those who can have cheese can add on top, or make two pans. Thanks for the idea.
Excellent! I used Indian Woman beans from rancho gordo and added diced red peppers. Topped with lettuce and a jalapeño & cilantro dressing from another site. We have a ton of summer squash in our garden this year, so plan to make this often!
Love this recipe! Instead of tacos, I used the zucchini/black bean/corn mixture to make “burrito bowls” with quinoa then I added some salsa, the avocado slices, and Monterey Jack on top :)
Beth, THANK YOU for your recipes!! This was fantastic! I put the zucchini and corn on the (Traeger) smoker (just on smoke) for the last ten minutes of cooking and layered your recipe over cilantro lime rice. Also had a left over pork loin chop I shredded for a meat topping. Put it over the top!
Haven’t made one of your recipes yet that hasn’t become a family favorite! Many thanks!!!
These were BOMB tacos! I had some zukes I needed to use up so I Googled roasted zuke tacos and just so happened to have bought corn tortillas and frozen corn! I used leftover rice and shredded chicken in place of the black beans, and the rest of our shredded cheddar instead of Monterey Jack. I also had one ripe avocado on hand. Great how this recipe worked out using what I already had and just bought and made plenty of filling! The filling is good on its own or for piling onto the tortillas to make them into mini quesadillas. So many possibilities with this receipe! Thanks!
I hate vegetables and other green healthy things. However, this was amazing. I had an ear of corn, but no frozen corn, so I roasted the ear in the husk at the same time as the zucchini. I didn’t miss the meat at all. I did do like another commenter though, I just ate it in a bowl with some green salsa. Moral of the story, male this even if you hate vegetables.
Super tasty and easy recipe! Loved the zucchini & corn mixture. I ended up adding some cherry tomatoes and radishes to the toppings at the end, and substituting queso fresco for the monterrey jack. I also whipped up a super easy and fast sauce to go on top by processing some of the avocado, lime juice, cilantro, adobo pepper (had it on hand), a little greek yogurt and water. Really yummy tacos – thanks for the recipe!!
This is a new favorite! I’ve been trying to work more veggies into meals and this was perfect. The avocado added a nice creaminess to the tacos, and I loved the homemade seasoning. Preparation was also a breeze. This will be in my regular rotation from now on.
this recipe was delicious. I substituted one green zucchini for a yellow zucchini. thanks!
I just made these and they’re SO good!!! I got most of the ingredients on sale, too, so it was even cheaper. I’m so impressed with not just the flavor, but how much food this recipe yields. Thank you so much!
I’ve made these twice and I’m obsessed. Some fresh lime juice makes all the difference!
Oh my gosh these were so good and so easy! Thank you Beth for all of your awesome recipes. I’ve recently gotten into cooking and have made a handful of your recipes and all have been easy to follow and delicious. I’m excited to continue trying more !
I make these tacos often when we aren’t in a meat mood and they’re always SO good! Last night I added sweet potato, swapped a drizzle of ranch for the avocado and Sriracha for the Chipotle. BAM!!
I just re-read your recipe and realized it didn’t call for chioptle sauce. I must have used that last time :-)
I made these as a burrito filling and they were delicious! I roasted them a bit longer (thought that might be because my oven is colder than it should be) and added a spicy crema… So good.
I made this and added mushrooms and some spicy green pepper (not sure what kind it was), and it was AMAZING. Best tacos I’ve ever made, way better than meat.
Made this once already mixed it with a spanish rice we had. Put it on some really good crunchy corn tortillas! WOW I ate it for 3 days after and still wasnt sick of it making it again this weekend. This is my favorite so far!
Made this Sunday night for lunches for the week. AMAZING! Making lunches was a snap and having a filling, healthy, and delicious lunch to look forward was a bright spot in the day.
So I’m totally lazy and just made the filling (beans, corn, and zucchini), dumped it in a bowl, and put cheese on top of it. It was completely amazing! I used the Hot & Spicy taco seasoning pack, which made it super spicy and delicious. I will definitely make this again, and I might even buy taco shells next time. :)
This was SO good, I almost ate the whole thing in one sitting, and I turned on the oven just for this even though it was a thousand degrees outside. Definitely going to be a big player in my meal planning from now on.
I love this, and have made it a few times! I add a big portabella mushroom to the mix of veggies, which adds in even more veggies and another level of deliciousness!
Yum! I made this last night. So delicious and easy!!
I’m a big dummy and didn’t read the ingredients list properly, so I only bought one zucchini. I went ahead as planned anyway, and boy were these good! I used kidney beans instead of black (I haven’t been able to find black since moving to the UK), and I opted to leave out the cheese. I also had a bit of sliced tomato on there, because I had half of one lying around. Thanks for another amazing recipe :)
These were amazing!
The addition of lime at the end however, was definitely beyond amazing. It took the tacos from good to incredible with a little dash over each one just before eating. Thanks Beth :)
These are delicious! I will never buy a packet of taco seasoning again. Yours is too good.
NOM NOM NOM. I just finished eating three tacos. SO GOOD. I forgot the avocado, but it was still amazing. Next time I am going to make Chipotle’s Honey Vinaigrette dressing and drizzle it over each taco for an even bigger NOM NOM NOM. Thank you for the great recipes. So excited for you book!
Beth, I’m a total beginner who very recently started cooking. I’ve made several of your recipes and found all of the directions are very clear and simple and easy to make… not to mention colorful, healthy, filling, and delicious!
I made these tacos, and to echo the other comments, they were amazing. I also add raw red onions to any Mexican dish. I wonder if they would have been good baked with the corn and zucchini.
I made this the other night but instead of using zucchini (not a fan) I sauteed some frozen tilapia fillets I had and made fish tacos instead. So good! Love the roasted corn and black beans. I also added sour cream on top, because sour cream makes everything better. :) The fish makes it a little more expensive, but if you happen to have some in your freezer already…
I thought this was a very creative taco recipe! We made it last night and we liked it a lot. I happened to have homemade corn tortillas in our fridge so that added extra flavor. We ate it with homemade tomato salsa.
The taste of this roasted corn reminded me of a delicious Mexican street snack called “esquite”. I can’t believe oven roasting frozen corn could almost achieve that delicious charcoal grilled corn flavor. Put in a bowl, add some sour cream, some sort of crumbly cheese and some lime juice and there you have it!
That sounds SO good!
I’ve made this twice now and I love it! They do tend to cool off rather quickly, so next time I make them I think I’ll add the black beans to the corn in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
I am literally eating these as I type. They are too too good! I love the extra kick that the seasoning gives it. This is definitely a recipe I will be saving and using again. :)
Made this for family, was delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Just finished making this, really good. I put some portabello mushrooms into the mix and then added some raw onion to the cilantro (a flavor combo I like). If you’re tired of just doing black bean tacos on taco night, these are the ones.
this one def sounds like a winner, and a great way to get meat-eating hubby to eat more veggies. (he might still demand a little shredded chicken or something…but we’ll see!) yummmm!
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. -:)