Black Bean Tacos: The Holy Grail of Cheap Vegetarian Cooking

This recipe is likely the meal that I have made the most while in college. I probably make it at least once a month. Not only is it cheap, easy, and delicious, you can use this taco mixture to make different variations of meals, ie: taco bowl, taco salad, quesadilla. It's also wonderful because you can keep a lot of these ingredients on hand in your pantry or have these ingredients in your rotation to make other meals that use shared ingredients!

Servings: 4-6 

Black Bean Tacos:

- 1 onion

- (at least) 3 cloves of garlic

- 2 tsp of smoked paprika

- 1 tsp of cumin

- 1/2 tsp of chili powder

- 2 cans of black beans

- 1/2 cup of tomato sauce

        - Alternatively, a 1/4 cup of tomato paste (whatever you have on hand)

- Whatever kind of tortillas you like, toasted or warmed up

Optional (but strongly encouraged!): 

Pickled red onions (see recipe below)

Avocado 

Salsa

Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt 

Shredded cheese

Instructions:

Chop up the onion and sauté in a large pan with 2-3 tbsp of EVOO. Once the onions are translucent, add the minced garlic and let it get fragrant (for about a minute). After, add your spices to the mixture—I like to push the onions and garlic to the side of the pan and add the spices directly to the pan first so the flavors can a little toasty. Make sure that the mixture is evening coated and then add your drained and rinsed black beans. Cook for about five minutes before adding your tomatoes and let the mixture simmer for about ten minutes, or whenever you plan to eat. 

Quick Pickled Red Onions:

- Half a red onion

- 1 cup of water

- 1/2 cup of white vinegar

- 1 tsp of black pepper corns or 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes

- 1 tbsp of maple syrup or honey

Slice the red onion thinly and put into a 2 cup jar or container. On the stove, bring the water, vinegar, pepper corns, and syrup to a boil and pour it over the red onions. Mix to ensure that the onions are evenly coated and let sit for 1-2 hours before serving.