This Tempeh Tacos recipe from Betty Goes Vegan by Anne & Dan Shannon is a quick, easy meatless dinner. Crumbled tempeh makes a great sub for ground beef!
The Year Without Tacos
I get migraines. Crazy migraines. Migraines that make me see strange glowing orbs. Migraines that make me leave hair salons in ambulances. But the worst thing about my migraines is that they cause me to have weird aversions to certain foods.
So, for example, when I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch and got a migraine a few hours later, suddenly I could no longer stomach PB&Js. The very thought of them would make me feel sick to my stomach. Usually I get over these aversions after a few months, but then there was the time I got a migraine after eating tacos—oh, it was bad. And I wasn't able to eat tacos for a full year.
The Year Without Tacos will go down as one of the worst years ever. Because along with veggie burgers and pasta, tacos were part of the trifecta of easy go-to meals in our household. I felt a little bit lost without taco night. Tacos are fast! They're delicious! And putting them together is kind of fun too, right? It was a happy day when I finally found myself thinking, "Hey, you know what? I feel like tacos for dinner! I FEEL LIKE TACOS AGAIN!"
About the Recipe
Now you can make tacos with vegetables and beans and potatoes, but my favorite tacos are made with crumpled tempeh. (If you're unfamiliar with tempeh, be sure to check out my How to Use Tempeh post!) I've made a lot of tempeh tacos in my day, but the ones from Anne & Dan Shannon's new cookbook Betty Goes Vegan
I received a copy of Betty Goes Vegan a few weeks ago and with 500 recipes, it is HUGE. As the title suggests, the inspiration for this book was Betty Crocker's cookbook. While it's fun to see all those classic recipes get meatless remakes, this isn't necessarily a cookbook I'd buy for myself because most of the recipes call for meat substitutes, which I don't use. This would be more of a "I'm going to check this out from the library" type of book for me. But if you do use meat substitutes in your cooking, this book is a great source of mealtime inspiration.
Ingredients
- 1 8 oz package tempeh
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup Mexican-spiced diced tomatoes I used the tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 fresh jalapeño diced
- 2 –4 tsp chili powder 2 was plenty for us!
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp minced chipotle pepper
- ¼ cip Bragg's liquid aminos coconut aminos or low sodium soy sauce works too
- ½ red onion diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 2 tbsp water
- salt + pepper to taste
- olive oil mister or cooking spray
- dash of liquid smoke I omitted this
- 6 –8 hard taco shells
- vegan cheese guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, cilantro, black olives, and lime wedges for serving
Instructions
- Crumble your tempeh into a large mixing bowl. Then, using a large spoon, mix in the garlic, tomatoes, jalapeño, chili powder, cumin, lime juice, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, chipotle pepper, and Bragg's. Once your tempeh is completely mixed into the spices, mix in the onion and pepper. Then drizzle the water 1 tablespoon at a time into your mix while stirring your ingredients continuously. Taste a little bit of your tempeh and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Spray your favorite cast-iron skillet or frying pan with a heavy coating of olive oil cooking spray, and then heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, toss in the tempeh mixture and liquid smoke. Flip your tempeh-vegetable mixture a few times so that it browns evenly. You'll know it's ready when your vegetables are tender and your tempeh has crispy edges. It should take about 10 minutes.
- While your tempeh is cooking, heat your taco shells slightly in the oven following the directions on the package.
- Once your taco shells are warm, fill them with the tempeh and vegetable mixture. Top with vegan cheese and set aside so it can melt slightly.
- Serve with guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, cilantro, black olives, lime wedges, and anything else you like on your tacos!
Nutrition
Disclosure: I received a copy of Betty Goes Vegan to review on Oh My Veggies. There's an affiliate link in this post, so if you were to order the book from Amazon through my link, I would receive a small percentage of the sale price.
Ana says
I just feel really compelled to clarify that mexican food, especially tacos, don't really carry olives. Especially they nasty ones from the can.
Becky says
I made this and we both love it. Before making it again I have one question. Did you drain the canned tomatoes? My mix was quite wet so I had to let the moisture cook out before it could brown. I think maybe I should have drained the tomatoes.
Kiersten says
I made this recipe so long ago, I don't remember, but if it didn't say to drain it, I probably didn't.
Tracey says
This is by far the best recipe I have tried. I think this is my favorite and I will keep making this one !! I won't need to look for/try anymore. I didn't add all the ingredients, but it turned out perfect, had to share with my kids so no leftovers, guess I have to make more for me!
Angie says
I make this recipe all the time and love it so much! I don't include the olives since I thought that seemed really weird. I love olives but don't want them in a Mexican recipe. Overall this is my favorite recipe!
Dee says
This was really delicious and easy! I drained the tomatoes, used fresh corn kernels instead of bell pepper, and used lemon juice instead of lime juice + whatever spices I had on hand. I served over taco salad chipotle dressing.
YUM! thank you!
cathi says
Have you tried taking magnesium supplements for your migraines? Really helped me alot. Didn't eliminate them entirely, but I saw a significant reduction.200mg AM, 200 mg PM. Also, if you take baths, use a cup of Epsom Salts in the water for added magnesium. Really hope that helps - I feel your pain!
Rebecca says
These tacos were DELICIOUS. Can't wait to make them again!
Ellie says
This is truly the best recipe. It makes so much food. It's so easy. It makes great leftovers. Thank YOU, it makes my life sooo much easier when planning meals.
Sarah says
Absolutely delicious!
I have made these several times and they are a hit with the whole family!!
Sarah Foster says
I LOVE this recipe!
I have made it several times for my vegan daughter and carnivorous husband. They love these tacos equally. It’s super simple, clean and just delicious! I now double the recipe for left overs.
Thank you!!
Elizabeth Hyatt says
I've been making these for a long time now. The serving is plentiful and everything is so delicious. I do personally double or triple the spice amounts but I'm sure it's still quite tasty when followed to a T! Thanks so much for creating a dish I make almost weekly!
Lauren says
I make this recipe all the time, and it is delicious! Lately I have been adding a package of vegan chorizo and just using the whole onion and bell pepper.
Teri says
This was the first recipe I cooked using tempeh. My husband and I were amazed at how good they were!!! Totally blown away. THANKS 🌮 🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮🌮