Recipes

Taco Tuesday: Roasted Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tacos

November 28, 2017
Taco Tuesday

Grocery shopping can end up being really expensive, especially when you are trying to eat clean and keep your produce organic.  An easy way to keep your grocery bill down is to shop seasonally.  The produce that is in season is always cheaper because it’s easier for farmers to grow and doesn’t generally have to be shipped as far.  Things like blueberries and asparagus are going to be more expensive in the winter whereas things like squash and persimmons are cheaper.  Shopping what’s in season is a great opportunity to expand your normal menu and try new dishes.

Winter squashes are my favorites and I always look forward to trying new recipes with them.  If you haven’t tried butternut squash, it’s got a sweet flavor and is similar to sweet potatoes.  The skin is thick and not edible so make sure you either peel it off before cooking, or scrape the flesh out after it’s been roasted. These tacos are a loaded with vitamins A and C to keep your immune system happy during the colder months.  They are also a great source of fiber and plant-based protein.

This taco Tuesday recipe is a fun way of incorporating squash into a dish.  The butternut squash lends a heartiness to the tacos that makes them very filling.  The chili powder and cayenne add a level of spice that pairs well with the squash.  I serve these to Theo deconstructed because he has trouble holding together a taco.  He gets all of the same ingredients as us, just served slightly different. I put the beans and veggies on his plate for him to eat with a fork (or let’s be real, his hands) and then I put the guacamole on a tortilla. He doesn’t like food that’s super spicy so I kept this recipe pretty mild.  Feel free to turn up the heat and add more spice if you like your food hot.

I peeled my squash, halved it, and scraped out the seeds.

Butternut Squash

This is the size I cut my squash into before roasting.  If you cut your pieces bigger, you will need to add oven time.

Butternut squash

 

Roasted Butternut Squash and Mushroom Tacos

Dairy free, Egg free, Gluten free

Course Main Course
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 tacos

Ingredients

Taco Ingredients

  • 1 small butternut squash
  • ¼ tsp chili powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • ½ red onion
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 6 bella mushrooms
  • 1 can black beans
  • 3 T Avocado oil
  • 8 small soft tortillas I used the hatch green chili tortillas from La Tortilla Factory

Guacamole ingredients

  • 3 Hass avocados
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 1 Lime

Instructions

Tacos:

  1. Set oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the ends off of the butternut squash and chop in half. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Cut squash into half-inch cubes, keeping the sizes similar for even roasting. Toss squash in 2 T of avocado oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Roast squash for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through so that it cooks evenly.  Squash is finished roasting when it is fork-tender.
  2. Dice red onion and sauté in 1 T avocado oil on medium heat for 20 minutes. Chop up mushrooms and garlic and add to the pan with the onion, cooking all together for the last 10 minutes. Add cayenne pepper, cumin, and an extra pinch of salt and pepper.
  3. Add your black beans to a pot and warm up on the stove.
  4. Put tortillas on a baking sheet and warm in the oven for two minutes.
  5. Assemble your tacos. I added the squash, mushrooms and onion mixture, and black beans to mine and left the guac on the side.

Guacamole:

  1. Scoop avocados into a bowl and mash until you’ve reached your desired consistency.  I like my guacamole a bit chunky so I usually use a wide-toothed fork so that some chunks of avocado remain.   Add in the juice of your lime and salt and pepper to your desired taste.

Recipe Notes

***I added a squeeze of lime to top off my tacos.  I also like to add feta cheese, which I think pairs really well with butternut squash.  You could also top with salsa or cilantro.

***This is my basic guacamole recipe, but I love adding things like  pomegranate seeds, bacon, tomatoes, or garlic and feta.

What are some of your favorite toppings for tacos?

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