I've served these plant based tacos and quesadillas at events to vegetarians, meat eaters, kids and picky eaters at events-everyone raves about them. From spinach and kale tacos to wild garden blends like purslane, amaranth and watercress, If you love leafy greens like I do and want a recipe you can make over and over with them, this is for you.
A happy accident, these came about when I gambled and harvested a greens that could've been younger to make my tacos de quelites. Tasting the greens and seeing they were tough, I continued to bake them slowly until everything was tender. The result was a soft, rich taco filling made from plants. Sandwiched between two crispy tortillas with melted cheese, I took one bite and knew I was onto something.
And when I say it's good, I mean it. Versions of this recipe have already been published twice in different magazines and I've served them to over 300 people this year-I just haven't had time to update the photographs until now.
Today I'll walk you through how to make them and do my best to convey how versatile and creative you can be with it.
You can use just about any leafy greens you want here with a few caveats. I like to use big a mix of fresh greens from the garden, but just spinach, mustard and turnip greens from the store are fine too.
How to Make it (Step-by-Step)
First any tough stems are removed from the greens. Tender stems like arugula or water cress can simply be trimmed down a bit. Once the greens are trimmed they're blanched in boiling salted water just wilted, then refreshed in cold water, mostly to really ensure they're clean.
After blanching the greens are chopped in a cross hatch pattern to ensure they're an even size. This prevents any stringiness-a pet peeve of mine.
Meanwhile, toast a few dried chilis and remove the seeds, then puree with a can of tomatoes. You can also use chili powder in a pinch. Begin cooking the taco base by sweating diced onion and garlic in a deep pot, then adding the greens and tomato-chili puree. At this stage, you can also add a handful of diced potatoes that add a great texture.
Finishing
Once the pot comes to a simmer it's covered and baked in an oven until the greens are soft. If potatoes weren't added, at this point you can add toasted, coarsely chopped nuts or ground pumpkinseeds. Finally, the flavor is refreshed with a few handfuls of chopped herbs-whatever you have.
Serving as Quesadillas
By far the biggest crowd pleaser is serving the mixture in a quesadilla. Sprinkle corn tortillas with cheese and spread with the taco mix then fold over with a spatula and fry until hot, crisp and golden brown.
Serve with your favorite garnishes and watch them disappear faster than you can say "Ai que rico!".
Serving as Tacos
You can also serve the mixture as you would simple street tacos. Finesse the color of the tasty plant paste with fresh, colorful garnishes. Small nasturtium leaves and flowers are a nice touch.
Chefs Tips and Variations
- Instead of coarsely chopped nuts or potatoes, add toasted roughly ground pumpkinseeds.
- Make an all-green version using roasted pureed tomatillos and green chilis instead of tomato.
- Skip the dried chilis and use chili powder if you're in a hurry.
- It's a great excuse to try Mexican cheeses like Oaxaca, Chihuahua, queso fresco or salty cotija.
- Add diced, peeled chopped tomatoes to keep it extra juicy.
- Try adding diced roasted poblano peppers and potatoes.
- Serve with your favorite garnishes. Think hot sauce, diced avocado, salsa or guacamole, cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro, sliced radishes or finely chopped white onion.
- Experiment with different herbs like epazote, Hmong cilantro or culantro, basil or fresh oregano.
- Add refried beans and cheese for a rich quesadilla filling.
- Add chopped canned nopales (edible cactus paddles) for a traditional touch.
Related Posts
Plant Based Tacos or Quesadillas
Equipment
- 3 quart soup pot
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Blender
- Chef knife
- Spice grinder
- Griddle or cast iron pan (for making quesadillas)
Ingredients
Plant Based Taco Filling
- 1 lb mixed leafy greens like spinach, kale, amaranth and purslane
- 1 medium white onion diced ½ inch (4-5oz chopped onion)
- 2 large garlic cloves finely chopped
- 32 oz can whole peeled tomatoes or a similar substitute
- 1.5 teaspoons fresh ground cumin seed or to taste
- 4 guajillo chilis or 3 tablespoons mild chili powder
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil or lard
- ½ cup roughly chopped cilantro basil, mint, epazote, or a mix, to taste
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
Optional Additions (Choose One)
- 6 oz russet potato peeled and diced
- 1 cup lightly toasted nuts or ground pumpkinseeds coarsely chopped
- 1 cup poblano peppers roasted, seeded and diced
Serving
- Corn tortillas or flour tortillas as needed
- Mexican cheese like cotija or queso Oaxaca for quesadillas
- Edible flowers and leaves such as nasturtiums
- Fresh herbs like cilantro leaves and flowers
- Diced avocado
- Finely chopped white onion
- Hot Sauce
- Sour cream
Instructions
Plant Based Taco Filling
- Wash the greens and remove any tough stems if using greens like kale, mustard greens or watercress.
- Blanch the greens in boiling salted water until just wilted, then refresh in cold water and squeeze dry as best you can.
- Chop the greens in a 1inch cross-hatch pattern to ensure they’re of an even length and reserve.
- Toast the dried chilis if using in a 325 F oven for 10 minutes or until aromatic and crisp. Cool, break open and discard the seeds and reserve.
- Squeeze the seeds from the tomatoes and discard. Combine the chilis and tomatoes in a blender and puree until very smooth.
Assembly
- Heat the oil in a 3 quart pot with high sides and a lid. Add the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cumin and cook for a minute more. If you want to add potatoes to the mixture, add them now and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the greens and tomato-chili mixture along with the salt, mix, bring to a simmer, cover, and bake in a preheated 325 F oven for 20 minutes.
- Remove the lid, stir, and bake another 20 minutes more, or until the pan is nearly dry and the greens are tender and taste good to you. Some greens take longer than others and I have baked some batches for over an hour.
- Add the herbs and mix. Taste the greens mixture and adjust the seasoning for spiciness, cumin and salt until you like the taste. If adding nuts like walnut or ground pumpkinseeds, stir them in now.
- Cool the taco mixture and refrigerate until needed. It will improve in flavor overnight and reheats like a dream.
Serving as tacos
- Serve the mixture as filing for building street tacos with your favorite garnishes.
Quesadillas
- To make plant based quesadillas, heat corn tortillas in a cast iron pan sprinkled with cheese. Put some of the plant mixture on each tortilla and fold them over with a spatula, cooking until the tortillas are lightly toasted and hot throughout.
Hortense
Freakin delicious! Thanks, Alan!
Alan Bergo
I think you’ve eaten more of them than anyone else!
Michelle Targonski
Absolutely enjoyed this recipe! I can’t wait to experiment with different wild greens and seasonings. This may be the most flavorful filling and I agree that the flavors deepen after a few days in the fridge!
Alan Bergo
Hey thanks Michelle. I bet you’re drowning in hens about now too. 😃
Michelle Targonski
Banging! hope to try this recipe with a creole flare! Maitake and some dried sassafras leaves (filé) style
Pierre Blin
Are they fried with a bit of oil or on a dry pan?
Alan Bergo
Either is fine. For birria style tacos I’ll dip them in a fatty broth colored with chilis beforehand. For flour tortillas I always use oil. Most of the time at home with corn tortillas I cook them in a dry carbon steel or cast iron skillet, or a griddle.
Aurora
thanks Alan, for your enthusiasm,and ideas for decoration, in serving up a khaki colored dish (greens and tomato) i have generally avoided - but man if you are doing it for a living !! and have success (in its taste) then I'm in !! - having tacos for a group this wednesday, and a, excited to try this using my foraged and kale mix i keep in the fridge. Thanks again.
Alan Bergo
Hey thanks Aurora let me know how you like them.
Sylvia
Could I cook the greens on top of the stove on a very low heat, instead of in the oven?
Alan Bergo
Yes but you’ll want to cook them on very low heat and stir them regularly so they don’t burn, you could also probably cut the tomatoes down to a small ~ 13 oz can if you want.
EC
You're an Edible reader/contributor, why and I not surprised!
Alan Bergo
Yeah did the cover for that one too. Nettle soup 😋.
Elizabeth
Alan, Thank you for offering a GF foraging recipe. I've stopped entertaining because the GF diet will likely not appeal to guests. But I know I can count on you to offer a very appetizing GF recipe. I hope you will do more of them!
Alan Bergo
Thanks Elizabeth. I’m actually gluten free too. It was really hard to give up regular pasta but I didn’t have a choice.
Richard A Stevens
My daughter is GF too. Check out this cookbook.. It's a life changer!
https://www.amazon.com/Flavor-Flours-Buckwheat-Sorghum-Non-Wheat/dp/1579655130
Alan Bergo
Thanks Richard
Sam Schaperow
Is it worth removing the seeds if blending so well?
Alan Bergo
Hey Sam. I don’t know if you’re referring to tomatoes or dried chilis but the answer is yes for both of them.