These Veggie Tacos Feature 2022’s Trendiest Ingredient—Can You Guess What It Is?

If you could only eat one type of food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Although a part of me thinks I’d gladly eat pizza every day, I’m not sure if that would be fully supportive of my health goals. But you know what would be, that also happens to be (in my opinion) the world’s most perfect food? Tacos. Sure, you can make an unhealthy taco if you fill it with ground beef and sour cream. But when I think of a taco, I envision grilled or roasted vegetables, fresh herbs, mashed avocado, a squeeze of lime—basically, fresh seasonal produce all wrapped up in a warm blanket of charred corn tortillas. It’s a perfect bite that is both nourishing and delicious, and these mushroom and black bean tacos I created for our Plant-Based RE:SET are no exception.

When I started designing this year’s RE:SET—a 5-day plant-based meal plan (are you signed up to get it?)—I knew there would be a taco on the menu. And when I weighed my filling options—Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, sweet potato—I quickly landed on the official IOTY (ingredient of the year): mushrooms. It’s no secret that there’s a mushroom obsession in our culture right now, and if you’ve watched the Netflix doc, Fantastic Fungi, you know why. I kept these pretty simple to make them a legit contender for quick weeknight dinners, but each ingredient is so packed with flavor, they’re anything but boring.

Read on for a few tips on whipping up these mushroom and black bean tacos, and scroll to the bottom for the recipe.

What makes mushrooms a powerhouse ingredient?

It seems like mushrooms are all that anyone’s talking about in foodie circles right now. While these aren’t of the hallucinogenic variety, they almost feel like “magic mushrooms” in their own right: various types have been touted for boosting immunity, fighting cancer, packing in major doses of vitamins and minerals, and containing high amounts of antioxidants.

According to Whole Foods trend forecast, functional mushrooms should be on your radar, with varieties like reishi, chaga, cordyceps, and lion’s mane getting street cred as wellness ingredients in dietary supplements and coffee, tea, snack bars, and broth.

“People are incorporating functional ingredients like vitamin C, mushrooms and adaptogens to foster a calm headspace and support the immune system.

I’m personally looking for ways to incorporate all sorts of mushrooms into my diet, and while I used shiitakes in these tacos, they’re all pretty darn good for you.

How to make this recipe for a crowd

These mushroom and black bean tacos are simple to make for a big group, just double all your ingredients and set out toppings for people to build their own tacos to taste. In fact, if you’re doing the Plant-Based RE:SET, I recommend doubling your mushrooms and storing half of them to make your Mushroom and Arugula Toast the next day. However, when I’m making these for more than four people, I do tweak my process in two small but important ways:

1. Sauté the mushrooms in two batches. When cooking mushrooms, it’s important to not overcrowd the pan. You want each mushroom to come into direct contact with the pan and get that crispy sizzle, rather than crowding together and “steaming.” So, I allocate a little more time for this step: after sautéing the first batch, I transfer to a plate while the second batch cooks, then I add them all back to the pan together to stay warm until it’s time to serve.
2. Warm the tortillas in the oven. Granted, they’re not quite as delicious as when you char them on the stove, but who has time to char more than 12 tortillas by hand one at a time? Here’s how to warm tortillas for a crowd: Wrap stacks of five tortillas each in packets of foil, then heat in a 350F oven for about 15 minutes or until warmed through. Keep each of the stacks wrapped in the foil until ready to eat.

How to modify these mushroom and black bean tacos

These gluten and dairy-free tacos are already super healthy and allergen-friendly, but there are a few swaps you can rely on as needed:

• Avoiding corn? Use a cassava flour tortilla from a brand like Sieté.
• No time to cook beans? Open up a can of vegetarian refried beans and warm the in the microwave for a couple minutes. I love Amy’s Organic Refried Beans which are already seasoned and super delicious.
• Forgot to pickle your onions? No prob, these are great with a shower of fresh chopped green onions, too.

How to store leftovers

Mushroom and black bean tacos make a great leftover lunch, just store the bean and veggie mixtures separately in airtight containers in the fridge, then throw them together in the time it takes to warm up your tortillas the next day. Alternately, I love to pile the leftover sautéed mushrooms on sourdough toast slathered with creamy ricotta–grab the recipe here!

Scroll on for the recipe, which is part of our Plant-Based RE:SET, a new 5-day meal plan coming to your inbox on January 21st! Packed with delicious breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes, this is a week’s worth of meals that’ll leave you feeling lighter, brighter, and energized. Sign up here!