Need a quick and healthy weeknight fix? These black bean tacos are ready in 20 minutes and jam-packed with nourishing ingredients! Pop open a can of black beans and try this easy, reduced-salt recipe.
My love of Mexican cuisine has only grown since I moved to California. Good Mexican food (or at least the Cal-inspired version of it) is everywhere, and I rarely encounter a guac-taco-tequila combo that doesn’t make my heart sing with happiness.
The only thing I am not wild about is the salt factor. I love a good dash of salt in my guac, but every now and then I run across a Mexican meal that turns me into a balloon, and leaves me bursting out of my jeans.
Salty Statistics
A burrito with meat, rice, black beans, and salsa from one of the most popular Mexican chain restaurants provides roughly 2000 mg of sodium or 85% of the recommended daily limit. Taco seasoning also provides a hefty amount of salt, at around 1800 mg per packet.
With that in mind, I wanted to create a lighter-on-salt taco recipe. I was all out of meat/poultry/seafood when I stepped into the kitchen, so this variation ended-up being meatless, and budget-friendly! I’ve even snuck in a few veggies too. Why not turn meatless Monday into a fiesta this week?
Salt-Reduced Black Bean Tacos with Coconut-Lime Crema
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Category: Lunch, dinner, Recipes, Tips and tricks, Vegetarian
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Need a quick and healthy weeknight fix? These meatless tacos are ready in 20 minutes and jam-packed with nourishing ingredients! Pop open a can of black beans and try this easy and delicious recipe.
Ingredients
Black beans:
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 red onion
- 15 oz (425g) canned black beans
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup diced canned tomatoes
- 1/2 cup water
Lime crema:
- 2 tbsp coconut cream
- 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
Toppings:
- 6 small corn or flour tortillas
- Lime wedges
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 2 cups cabbage or coleslaw mix
Instructions
- Crush and finely chop the garlic.
- Finely chop the red onion, and the cilantro.
- Shred the cabbage, and drain and rinse the black beans.
- Prepare the coconut-lime crema by squeezing the lime over a small bowl, and whisking the lime juice together with the honey, coconut cream and plain Greek yogurt. Set the coconut-lime crema aside.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil to a medium non-stick pan, and turn the stove on to medium heat.
- Add the garlic and the red onion to the non-stick pan. Sauté the garlic and the onion until the garlic is golden brown, and the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the black beans, diced canned tomatoes, and the water to the pan.
- Add the cumin, dried oregano, paprika and salt to the pan.
- Season the black bean mixture cayenne pepper, as desired. Simmer the black bean mixture for 10 minutes or so until approximately 75% of the liquid has evaporated. While the beans are simmering, warm the tortillas.
- Remove the black beans from the heat, and top each tortilla with shredded cabbage, black beans, a drizzle of coconut-lime crema, and fresh cilantro.
- Serve each taco with a squeeze of lime juice, and enjoy!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 tacos
Craving more healthy recipes? Check out my recipe page here.
