Having easy weeknight meals especially for working parents is a must, as it makes it easy to put fresh and healthy meals on the dinner table. I believe in cooking fresh meals on a daily basis for my family, which means I have to rely on easy relatable recipes.These Tasty Baked Cauliflower and Bean Tacos are just that.
The best part about these baked tacos is that I have to spend very little time on the stove top and let the oven do most of the work. The black beans are cooked on the stove top, but it is literally a 5 minute recipe.
What makes tacos super tasty?
Tacos generally have a lot of condiments or add-ons that make a taco tasty. For example, you need the pickled onions, salsa, guacamole and ofcourse a sauce like a Chipotle Crema or a Lime Cilantro Crema. I have an awesome Avocado and Poblano Pepper Crema in my cookbook Mumbai Modern that you have to check out. I use it as a dressing for salads or as a crema for tacos and quesadillas.
Why bake these tacos in the oven?
I bake these tacos in the oven because a) they turn out crispy and the filling is so tasty that you will not be satisfied with just 2 tacos, and will crave for more. b) they are cheesy and oeey-gooey from the inside as well as the outside, making them again craveable. c) You do not have to stand over the stove top, flipping each taco, and also your family does not have to assemble them.
Ingredients for the Baked Cauliflower and Bean Tacos
The ingredients for the Baked Cauliflower are:
- Cauliflower florets: The florets should be cut small about ¾ of an inch so that it can fit into the taco before baking.
- Rice flour: Rice flour makes the cauliflower crispy because we are going to bake the cauliflower first before stuffing in the actual taco and then re-baking the entire taco.
- Chipotle pepper: I use ground chipotle pepper to provide good flavor to the batter for the cauliflower.
- Smoked paprika : again smoked paprika is used to flavor the batter.
- Garlic powder : garlic powder provides amazing flavor to the batter.
- Salt and pepper
- Warm water
- Cooking spray : I use avocado oil spray that I get from Costco.
How to make the Baked Cauliflower for the Baked Cauliflower and Bean Tacos?
I have been making baked cauliflower for a few years now. I discovered this method, because I did not want to fry the cauliflower (uses up way too much oil), so that I can provide healthy meals to my family.
Prepare the batter by mixing the rice flour with all the spices and warm water. The water should be just enough to form a thickish batter that can adhere to the cauliflower florets.
Spray the cooking spray onto a baking tray, and add the florets along with the batter onto the tray. The cauliflower is baked at a high temperature of 425 degrees for about 18 to 20 minutes, turning the cauliflower half way through to cook evenly.
My kids have loved these baked cauliflower tacos for a long time, but off late to make it easier I have been baking them in the oven, and trust me, they are even tastier than ever.
Preparation of other condiments
While the cauliflower is baking in the oven, I make the other condiments starting with:
- Quick pickled onions
- Guacamole
- Seasoned Beans
- Chipotle Crema
The ingredients for the Seasoned Beans are:
- Vegetable oil
- onions
- Can of black beans : I generally get 15.5 ounces of black beans from Trader Joe’s, which is a pantry staple.
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce : I get small cans of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. The brand is La Costena or Embasa, both are available at the regular grocery store in the Mexican food aisle.
- Taco seasoning : I generally get my taco seasoning from Costco. I have the big jar that I use a lot for all my Mexican cooking
- Salt and pepper
How to make the Seasoned Beans for the Baked Cauliflower and Bean Tacos?
The seasoned beans take literally 5 minutes to make. It starts off with sauteing onions in oil for a minute or so. Add the black beans, along with the spices like chipotle pepper, taco seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook the mixture for another 2-3 minutes and your beans are done.
Important tip:
Be sure to drain the can of black beans in a sieve and run it through cold water and set it aside. Else you will have mushy black beans and those are not fun to eat in a taco.
Can I store the Baked Cauliflower and Seasoned Beans in the fridge?
The leftovers can be stored separately in an airtight container for upto two days.
Ingredients for the Chipotle Crema
The ingredients for the chipotle crema are:
- Yogurt: can be Greek or plain. If you are using plain yogurt, you will have to add about a tablespoon or two of water to get the right consistency on the crema. This is because Greek yogurt is generally thicker than plain yogurt.
- Lime juice
- Chipotle pepper
- Adobo sauce
- Salt and pepper
How to make the Chipotle Crema for the Baked Cauliflower and Bean Tacos?
This is the easiest crema ever! You have to add all the ingredients into a mini food processor and mix until smooth and creamy. That’s it!
How long does the Chipotle Crema last in the fridge?
The crema can be stored in an airtight container for upto a week.
Where can I find Chipotle in Adobo sauce?
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can now be found in regular grocery stores. The brands I use are La Costena or Embasa. Either is ok. It is essentially chipotle peppers that are immersed in adobo sauce. The chipotle peppers themselves have a lot of flavor and can be easily chopped. The adobo sauce is super flavorful as well and adds amazing flavor to the crema.
You can also find the cans on Amazon.
Baking process for the Baked Cauliflower and Seasoned Bean Tacos
The assembly and baking process is fairly simple. Be sure to use the bigger corn tortillas from the grocery store. Not the ones for small tacos. These tortillas are about 5-6 inches in diameter.
I spray a baking pan with cooking spray. Then have an assembly line of the tacos or two rows of tacos on the baking pan. Add a mixture of the cheeses – I use Monterey Jack and Cheddar both.
Then I add the baked cauliflower and a bit of the seasoned beans, fold the taco, and hold it together with a toothpick. I add more cheese on the top and assemble the remaining tacos.
The tacos are then baked at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes, and broiled for a minute to brown the cheese on the top and make it extra crispy.
Enjoy the tacos immediately with the fix-ins such as the quick pickled onions, guacamole, and chipotle crema.
Important tip:
Microwave the stack of tacos for 30 seconds to soften them a bit, else they tend to break when folded especially if they have been in the fridge.
Leftovers as a next day after school snack for my hungry teens.
I make an after school snack for the kids, the next day with the leftovers. I simply assemble and bake the tacos, it takes about 20-25 minutes but they have a filling and healthy snack that satiates them until dinner time.
Other delicious weeknight meals on my blog are:
If you do make this recipe, please tag #thejamlab on Instagram and/or leave a comment on this blog post.
XO
Amisha
Tasty Baked Cauliflower and Bean Tacos
Ingredients
Baked Cauliflower
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into ¾ inch florets (~ 4 cups)
- ¾ cup rice flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons chipotle powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
- Cooking spray or avocado oil spray
Seasoned Black Beans
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1 can (15 ½ ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 chipotle pepper (from the chipotle adobo can), finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
- ¾ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Quick Pickled Onions
- 1 medium onion, finely sliced
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
Guacamole
- 2 ripe avocados, halved, seed removed, cut into chunks
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
- ½ jalapeno, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
Chipotle Crema
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 chipotle pepper
- 1 tablespoon chipotle adobo
- 1 teaspoon Maldon sea salt
- 10–12 medium sized corn tacos (5-6 inches diameter)
- 2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
- 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
- Cooking spray or avocado oil spray
Garnish
- Cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
Get Recipe Ingredients
Method
Baked Cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- In a large bowl, add the rice flour. Add all the spices and whisk to combine.
- Add about 1 cup of the warm water initially and mix with a rubber spatula until well combined. The mixture should be like thick batter yet smooth. Add 2 tablespoons of water if required to combine. The mixture cannot be medium consistency at all since you want all the water content to evaporate during the baking process.
- Add the cauliflower and mix well with a rubber spatula until all the cauliflower is coated with the mixture.
- Spray cooking spray or avocado oil spray onto a baking pan.
- Place the coated cauliflower onto the pan and spread it uniformly so the florets are separate.
- Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for a total of 20 minutes, flipping the cauliflower half way through.
- Broil on high for 2 minutes. Watch the cauliflower as you do not want to char it.
- Remove from the oven and set aside.
Seasoned Black Beans
- While the cauliflower is baking, we will make the seasoned black beans.
- In a medium pot, on medium high heat, add the oil.
- After a minute, add the onions and saute for a minute.
- Add the black beans, chipotle pepper, taco seasoning, salt and pepper and mix well to combine.
- Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the stovetop and set aside.
Quick Pickled Onions
- In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients and mix to combine.
- Mix every 5 to 7 minutes for the onions to pickle in the red wine vinegar, until ready to use.
Guacamole
- While the cauliflower is baking, we will make the seasoned black beans.
- In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients and mash completely with a fork, until well combined.
- Set the guacamole aside.
Chipotle Crema
- In a mini food processor, add all the ingredients and mix alternating on the Chop/Grind setting, until well combined and smooth.
- Remove into a small bowl and set aside.
Assembly
- On a separate baking pan, spray the cooking spray or avocado oil spray all over.
- Heat the stacked tacos on a plate in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften.
- Place all the tacos in 2 assembly lines on the pan. If it does not fit, you can use a second baking pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.
- Remove one cup of cheese aside and distribute the remaining cheese evenly on all the tacos.
- Add about ¼ cup of the baked cauliflower onto one half of each taco.
- Add about 2 tablespoons of the baked beans on top of the cauliflower on all the tacos.
- Cover the mixture with half of the taco and seal with a toothpick. Repeat for all the tacos.
- Distribute the remaining cheese on top of the taco halves.
- Bake in the oven in the lower middle rack of the oven, for about 15 minutes.
- Broil on high for a minute to brown the cheese on the top.
- Remove from the oven and cool for a couple of minutes.
- Garnish with cilantro.
- Serve the Baked Cauliflower and Bean Tacos with quick pickled onions, guacamole, chipotle crema and lime wedges. Enjoy!
Notes
Can I store the Baked Cauliflower and Seasoned Beans in the fridge?
- The leftovers can be stored separately in an airtight container for upto two days.
How to make the Chipotle Crema for the Baked Cauliflower and Bean Tacos?
- This is the easiest crema ever! You have to add all the ingredients into a mini food processor and mix until smooth and creamy. That’s it!
How long does the Chipotle Crema last in the fridge?
- The crema can be stored in an airtight container for upto a week.
Where can I find Chipotle in Adobo sauce?
- Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can now be found in regular grocery stores. The brands I use are La Costena or Embasa. Either is ok. It is essentially chipotle peppers that are immersed in adobo sauce. The chipotle peppers themselves have a lot of flavor and can be easily chopped. The adobo sauce is super flavorful as well and adds amazing flavor to the crema. You can also find the cans on Amazon.
