Pinto Bean Tacos

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Pinto Bean Tacos are fresh, crunchy, and loaded with flavor! Saucy beans, cilantro-lime slaw, fresh corn, and pickled red onions make these nutritious tacos seriously delicious.

Prep Time30

Cashew Soak Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dinner, Vegetarian

Cuisine: American, Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: pinto bean tacos

Servings: servings

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $7.91

Equipment

Small blender

Ingredients

Quick Pickled Onion

1/2 large red onion thinly sliced, 1 cup
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Sauce

1/3 cup roasted and salted whole cashews
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves and stems
2 limes
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Tacos

8 thin, small corn tortillas I use Mission’s extra thin
1-1/2 cups homemade pinto beans or 1 can refried beans, see note 1
1/2 head small green cabbage 2-1/2 cups, finely shredded
Toppings as desired see note 2

US - Metric

Instructions

Prepare pinto beans: See note 1.
Place cashews in a heatproof bowl. Pour about 1 cup boiling water over the cashews. Let stand for 45 minutes to an hour, then thoroughly drain. Add drained cashews, cilantro, 3 tablespoons lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, water, olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper) to a small, powerful blender. Blend until completely smooth. Refrigerate so flavors intensify and meld. The sauce can be made ahead of time; simply stir again before serving.
In a medium bowl, combine thinly sliced red onion, red wine vinegar, salt, and sugar. Toss to coat; leave at room temperature and toss every 5 minutes or so while preparing the rest of the meal. (You’ll likely have some extra pickled red onions, but the recipe works best in this quantity. Leftovers will stay good for up to 5 days in the fridge.)
Add cabbage to a large bowl and drizzle about half the sauce (just eyeball it) over the cabbage. Toss with tongs to combine and place in the fridge.
See note 2 for preparing tortillas. I typically char them over a gas flame on my stovetop, but any method works.
Load up the heated tortillas! Spread beans down the center of each tortilla (about 3–4 tablespoons). Top with saucy cabbage, pickled red onions (to preference), and optional fresh corn, thinly sliced avocado, and cotija cheese. Drizzle additional cashew-cilantro sauce over tacos and serve immediately, with extra cilantro and lime wedges if desired.

Video

Notes

Note 1: This recipe uses leftovers from these homemade pinto beans!

Don’t have the time to make from-scratch beans? Canned refried beans work too. Gently warm them through in a small pot on the stovetop or microwave before adding to tacos.
If you make the homemade pinto beans (highly recommended!), wait until the next day so the beans are thick enough to use in this recipe (right after being made, they’re a bit thin; they thicken a lot overnight). Warm them in a small pot or in the microwave before adding to tacos.
For vegan beans, omit the bacon from the homemade bean recipe.

Note 2: Optional toppings: 1 large ripe avocado, 1 large corn on the cob ((3/4 cup) or use canned or thawed frozen corn), cotija cheese, additional cilantro, and lime wedges.

Note 2: Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray and char tortillas directly over the gas flames for a few seconds. Use tongs to flip until tortillas are lightly charred and soft. Immediately fold the tortilla in half (so it will fold into a taco nicely later) and place under a towel to keep warm. Alternatively, warm tortillas in a large skillet over medium heat (in batches so the skillet isn’t over-filled). Flip to warm each side, remove from heat, fold in half, and place under a towel to keep warm.

Vegan tacos: For vegan tacos, omit bacon from the beans and don’t add cheese with the other toppings.

Storage: Store leftover pinto bean taco components separately. Keep beans in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store slaw, corn, and onions in separate containers. Reheat beans before serving and assemble tacos fresh.

Nutrition