Baked Meatless Veggie Taquitos

Never in a million years did I think I would be able to convince my husband to eat a meatless meal but when I first made these baked taquitos years ago during a “meatless month” challenge, he fell in love. These have been perfected over time and are easily one of our favorite meals to make. We are not vegetarian, but I often seek out vegetarian or vegan meals as a way to incorporate more vegetables into our diets. I haven’t met a vegetable I don’t like and well, along the way Andrew has learned to long them too! These are a staple on our menu rotation now and they never disappoint!

These taquitos have all the good veggies, some greens, beans, and lots of cheese. They are seasoned well and are so versatile. I’ve used a variety of vegetables to make in these as well as beans but below I’m sharing the perfect concoction to make the very best filling. The base is roasted, mashed sweet potato but I think any root vegetable will do. I like to add in mushrooms (baby bellas are my favorite) for a meaty texture and peppers for some crunch and added flavor. Any cheese will do but a good, sharp white cheddar (freshly grated) really adds to the overall taste and contrasts with the sweet potato nicely. Over the years, I’ve used an assortment of tortillas, and any will do. In a pinch, I’ve even used street taco tortillas which were teeny and fun, but I do recommend trying whole wheat tortillas when making this. Since these are baked, the whole wheat tortillas are a bit firmer, hold their shape will and leave nice, crisp edges when cooked. I really love brushing them with coconut oil before placing them in the oven for a toasty, nutty flavor but olive oil works well too.

For toppings try:

sour cream

fresh salsa

your favorite hot sauce

pickled jalapenos

shredded cheese

avocado

Let’s get cooking!

INGREDIENTS:

1 ¼ cup sweet potatoes (about 3 medium sized potatoes), roasted and mashed

1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large red or yellow pepper, diced

2 cups baby bella mushrooms, diced

2 cups spinach or kale, chopped

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

10-20 tortillas

8 ounces aged sharp white cheddar, shredded

Coconut or olive oil for brushing

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet or casserole dish with parchment paper and set aside (you don’t need to use parchment but it’s helpful to prevent sticking). Heat coconut oil in a large skillet over medium to high heat. Sauté onions, pepper, and mushrooms for about 4 minutes. Add in greens until slightly wilted and cooked down, about 2 more minutes. Add black beans and stir in spices, mixing well. Using a spatula, fold in roasted and mashed sweet potato into vegetable mixture until fully combined. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.

To assemble taquitos, place tortilla on a clean, flat surface or cutting board and spoon filling (about ¼ cup) evenly onto the lower half of each tortilla. Generously sprinkle cheddar on top of filling and roll the tortilla from the bottom up. Lay taquito on a lined baking sheet, (wrapped side down). Repeat with remaining taquitos. Brush tops of taquitos with melted coconut oil (or olive oil). Bake for 18 to 22 minutes, until taquitos are crispy on the outside. This recipe makes between 12 and 20 taquitos but tortilla size will vary based on what kind are used.