Ultimate Veg Tacos

Ultimate Veg Tacos

Tacos are one of those meals we genuinely get excited about every single time, and this version is up there with our absolute favourites. You've got sweet roasted peppers, charred corn, and all that good stuff piled into warm tortillas with a proper hit of flavour in every bite. The textures are incredible, soft and caramelised veg against whatever crunchy toppings you go for. It takes about 40 minutes start to finish, which means it's totally doable on a weeknight but impressive enough to make for mates. Honestly, just make these tonight.

Cook: 40 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • 2x large baking trays lined with parchment paper
  • Small saucepan
  • Microplane or box grater
  • Potato masher
  • Colander

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion
  • 2 orange bell pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 x 200g can of sweetcorn - in water, no added salt
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 x 400g can of black beans
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 50g cherry tomatoes
  • 1 spring onion
  • 5g fresh coriander
  • ½ tsp chilli powder
  • ½ lime
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1 lime
  • 2 limes
  • 8 small corn tortillas
  • 10g fresh coriander
  • ½ green chilli

Method

1

First, roast the peppers

  • Peel, halve and cut the red onion into 5mm-thick strips
  • Halve, core and cut the peppers into 5mm-thick slices
  • Put the onion and pepper in a bowl, drizzle over the olive oil, add a pinch each of salt and pepper and toss to combine
  • Spread out on one of the lined baking trays, put in the oven and bake for 25–30 minutes 

In the meantime, get the roasted corn in the oven

  • Drain and rinse the sweetcorn, pat dry with kitchen paper, then tip the kernels into a bowl with the smoked paprika and stir to combine
  • Sprinkle over a little salt and pepper, tip the sweetcorn onto the second baking tray, put the tray in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through
  • Take both trays out of the oven, drizzle the corn with the oil and set to one side 
2

Meanwhile, make the black beans

  • Peel and grate the garlic
  • Drain and rinse the beans, tip them into a bowl and mash with a fork
  • Heat the olive oil in the small saucepan over a medium heat
  • Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds
  • Stir in the cinnamon and cumin
  • Add the black beans and stir to combine, adding the water to loosen the mixture
  • Taste and season to perfection with salt and pepper 
3

Next, make the simple salsa

  • Quarter the tomatoes
  • Trim and thinly slice the spring onion
  • Roughly chop the coriander leaves
  • Put the chilli powder in a bowl, squeeze in the lime juice and stir
  • Stir in the tomatoes, spring onion and coriander leaves, and set to one side 
4

Make the avo’ tang

  • Halve and carefully stone the avocado by tapping the stone firmly with the heel of a knife so that it lodges in the pit, then twist and remove
  • Halve the lime
  • Scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl, squeeze in the lime juice and mash with a fork to a textured cream 
5

Lay all the elements of your Ultimate Veg Tacos on the table

  • Trim and thinly slice the chilli
  • Cut the limes into wedges
  • Spoon a layer of beans and roasted pepper and onion onto each tortilla
  • Spoon over some avo’ tang and simple salsa
  • Sprinkle with roasted corn, garnish with coriander leaves and chilli, add a squeeze of lime and serve 

Tips & Variations

  • Load up the toppings: We love serving these with sliced avocado, a dollop of vegan soured cream, pickled jalapeños, and loads of fresh coriander. The more the better, trust us.
  • Swap the veg: Henry often throws in some courgette or mushrooms alongside the peppers if he's got them kicking around. They roast up beautifully and bulk everything out nicely.
  • Make it spicier: If you like heat, Ian always adds a good shake of chipotle chilli flakes to the veg before roasting. It gives everything this lovely smoky depth that takes the tacos to another level.

Why This Works

The trick here is getting the oven really hot and giving the peppers and corn enough space on the tray so they roast and char rather than just steam. That caramelisation is where all the flavour comes from, so don't rush it. Once you nail that, everything else just falls into place.