I am taking Taco Tuesday to a whole new level by making these quick and easy oven-baked walnut quinoa tacos! First, blend up the plant-based taco meat, add some peppers, tomato paste, and spices, stuff the taco shells, and bake them in the oven until they are nice and crispy! Serve with your favorite taco toppings, such as lime juice, cheese, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, and hot sauce.
These tacos come together in under 30-minutes and are very delicious. Perfect for Taco Tuesdays and really any other weeknight dinner.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Quinoa – I used tricolor quinoa, but any quinoa works! We love quinoa as it’s rich in fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. Plus, it’s high in protein and gluten-free.
Walnuts – Even though walnuts are high in calories, they are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, fats, antioxidants, and omega-3 that our bodies need. They blend beautifully and absorb spices like ground meat!
Tomato Paste – Adds color and adds additional flavor to the mixture.
Spices – Taco Seasoning – we like using Siete Spicy Taco Seasoning. It adds great flavor to our dishes, and there’s less thinking when adding different spices! If you don’t have this taco seasoning on hand, any taco seasoning will work. Plus, we made these tacos with our pantry spices, too, and the flavor was YUM! See notes for our go-to homemade taco seasoning.
Vegetable Broth (or sub water) – Adds more flavor.
Bell Pepper or Sweet Pepper – Adds nice texture inside.
Almond Flour or Corn Tortillas – They both work great in this recipe. We really liked the almond flour tortillas the best tho! If you have a Whole Foods in your area, try the Almond Flour 365 brand! That’s what we used, and they crisped up nicely!
Avocado Oil – Helps with baking the tortillas!
Taco Toppings – lime juice, cheese, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, and hot sauce.
Instructions
Cooked the Quinoa.
Blend the Walnuts.
Add the Quinoa and blend with the Walnuts.
Add back to the pot and saute with the spices, tomato paste, bell pepper, and veggie broth.
Coat tortillas with avocado oil. Bake for 5 minutes to prevent splitting.
Add Walnut Quinoa mixture to the taco, and add some cheese. Close the taco and bake for 10 minutes. Flip the taco and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Enjoy with your favorite taco toppings.
These tacos are plant-based, easy to make, and super delicious! They are ready in under 30 minutes and perfect for those easy weeknight dinners. Crunchy on the outside and yummy on the inside. A delicious way to change up taco night. I hope you all love this recipe! Enjoy!
These tacos are so easy and crazy delicious! They are ready in under 30 minutes and perfect for those easy weeknight dinners. Crunchy on the outside and yummy on the inside. A delicious way to change up taco night.
1bell pepperdiced (or sub 4 small sweet bell peppers, diced)
4-6Almond Flour or Corn Tortillaswe like Whole Foods 365 Almond Flour brand
2tbspAvocado Oil
To Serve
lime juice, cheese, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, and hot sauce.
Instructions
Walnut Quinoa Plant-Based Taco Meat:
To a saucepan, cook 1/2 cup of quinoa with 1 cup of vegetable broth (or sub water).
Add 1 + 1/4 cup walnuts to a food processor and pulse until a meal forms.
Add cooked quinoa and blend again until incorporated.
Add mixture back to the saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, diced peppers, and 1/3 cup of vegetable broth. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes until liquid is gone and the mixture becomes thick in texture.
Make oven-baked tacos:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Toss tortillas with avocado oil and bake for about 5 minutes. Do not bake longer, or you will have tostadas.
Divide Walnut Quinoa Plant-Based Taco Meat among the taco shells, add cheese (optional) and carefully close the tortilla. Bake for 10 minutes, and then flip the taco to bake for an additional 5 minutes.
To serve:
Remove baked tacos from the oven and serve with your favorite taco toppings, such as lime juice, cheese, sour cream, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, lettuce, hot sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Homemade Taco Seasoning:
2 teaspoonschipotle chili powder
2teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4-1/2teaspooncayenne powder (optional), adjust per your taste
Liove the recipes.