A few months ago I shared my love of tacos in my good friend Rachel’s newsletter in response to the writing prompt: What Recipe Defines You? [Did you miss it? You can find it in June’s Raise and Shine Letter.] I’ve been thinking about my favorite taco recipes ever since, so I thought I’d finally compile them all and share them with you on the blog.
Do you have a recipe that defines you?! Please do share in the comments below – I can’t wait to hear about your favorite recipes!
Tacos for Breakfast:
I am a savory breakfast lover, so this Crispy Egg and Singed Kale taco goes on repeat for breakfast whenever I’m lucky enough to get kale from the farm. My kids don’t love it, but I don’t care—that just means more kale for me! The hot sauce on the top is key. Frank’s Red Hot is the best, in my opinion, but any of your favorite hot sauces will do.
If you run out of kale, you can always make Bacon, Egg and Cheese tacos. I like to cook my bacon in the oven at 400°. I don’t preheat; I simply put my bacon in the cold oven then turn it on. When the bacon is crispy, I take it out and drain on paper towels while I scramble some eggs, mix in everyone’s favorite cheese, and then wrap it all up in a flour tortilla.
These Breakfast Burritos are pretty fantastic too – and they freeze beautifully. I used to send them with David when he went to the office every day.
Tacos for Lunch:
These Easy Tostados aren’t tacos per se, but they are inspired by tacos. They are easy to make and delicious to eat. If you don’t have leftover chicken, you could use any leftover meat (see the carnita recipe below) or cooked beans.
These Chilaquiles have saved me many times when I open the fridge and don’t like anything that I see. I love them for breakfast, but they make a wonderful lunch too.
Chicken Taquitos are an ultimate favorite in my house. They can take a little bit of time to prepare, so I like to make a huge batch and freeze them one weekend day. Then I can pull a few out and pop them in the toaster oven for an easy lunch any day of the week.
Tacos for Dinner:
While you still have an abundance of corn and zucchini, make sure you try these Charred Corn Tacos with Zucchini Radish Slaw. I had no idea vegetable tacos could taste so good.
Technically any of the recipes above would also be amazing [and easy] for dinner, but I like to make fancy tacos for dinner every once in a while. Sweet potato and black bean tacos are one of our favorite fall and winter meals. Cut sweet potatoes into small cubes, toss with olive oil and taco seasoning, then roast at 450° until they begin to get crispy and dark on the edges. Toss them with some black beans (or whatever cooked beans you have in your fridge), put them in your favorite tortilla, and top with cheese and other toppings (or eat them as-is). My kids ADORE these tacos and I love how easy they are.
These Cauliflower Tacos are another fall favorite. Are you catching on here? Basically, you can roast any vegetable and put it in a tortilla with some beans and cheese and you have an instant winner at the dinner table.
On the next rainy day, make these slow-cooked carnitas. I’ve made them with pork and with beef brisket. You can’t go wrong with either. The leftovers make excellent nachos, or the chilaquiles or taquitos I linked to earlier. You could even turn the leftovers into a BBQ sandwich if you (gasp) wanted something other than Mexican.
And my ultimate favorite fancy version of a taco is this Vegetarian Taco Torte. It’s beautiful. It’s easier to make than it looks. And it is absolutely delicious.
A few other favorite resources for making amazing tacos:
We buy 90% of our beans from Rancho Gordo. They have a dramatically different taste than any canned or dried bean you can buy at the grocery store. I highly recommend them. I also like to buy heirloom beans from local farms, but I still prefer RG. We do, on occasion, eat canned beans, but tacos are never as good as they are with RG beans.
I buy McCormick Taco Seasoning in bulk and basically use it any time I don’t know what to make for a meal. Sprinkle it on any vegetable or meat, throw it on the grill or roast it in the oven, and you have almost-instant taco fillings. (I have made my own taco seasoning, but in my opinion McCormick is the one that tastes the best.)
I didn’t link to any enchilada recipes here, but they are another way I can get my kids (and husband) to eat anything. Anytime I have a bunch of stuff in the fridge that I don’t know what to do with, I mix it with cheese, wrap it in tortillas, and smother them with this easy Enchilada Sauce. It never lets me down.