Say hello to my new favorite vegan taco. I swear meat eaters will love these too. It took a bit of playing and tweaking, but I am so happy with these and have already made them a bunch.
After a few attempts, I finally nailed a walnut ‘meat’ taco. I have a favorite vegan restaurant in Orange County that makes killer walnut tacos. It’s one of the only things I order there because they are THAT good. That’s saying a lot because their food in general is amazing and the place is always popping. Although I have no idea what the recipe is, this is one I love just as much. I do know they use black beans too, I got one stuck in my tooth. I’ve seen recipes that also use cauliflower, so I’m sure you could experiment with that if you didn’t want to use beans. But I love black beans so I’m sticking with those.
When going about this I knew the ‘meat’ mixture needed to have a LOT of flavor, so much that the ‘meat’ can stand on it’s own. That’s what I wanted with this recipe.
And we got it!
Obviously this meat is fantastic in a taco. But it’s also great if you wanted to do a taco salad. Or on top of nachos because nachos are freaking good and they need all the toppings. Anyway, this ‘meat’ is so good. It’s got a punch of flavor and a texture consistent with taco meat.
Growing up my parents always started taco filling out by sauteing onion. So I started there too. Then, from what I can remember, they would brown the meat, add a packet of taco seasoning, some water, and cook. I took a similar approach. I played around with seasoning but ultimately went the most simple route, a heaping spoonful of taco seasoning. I actually added a little more chili powder because my mix doesn’t have enough for my liking. But you can just start with taco seasoning and adjust from there.
I used my favorite taco seasoning. Something I consider a pantry staple. I use this seasoning a lot to jazz up basic recipes. You can make your own, but I suggest finding a pre-made one you really like for quick recipes.
Now tomato sauce, this was what I think nailed the recipe. Not something I originally thought of, but it turned out to be what brought it all together. It turned it from ground walnuts, beans, and seasoning into what I remember as taco meat. You want to use one that has very little added to it, if anything. You don’t want one with basil or lots of Italian seasoning. We’re making tacos here! The tin I usually have on hand has a little salt and garlic in it. Nothing that stands out. Tomato is basically what you taste. And you don’t want diced tomatoes. You really need sauce, smooth sauce. Add chunky tomatoes if that’s your thing, but that’s in addition to sauce, not in place of.
Walnut 'Meat' Taco
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw walnuts
- 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1/2 tsp chili powder optional but I like more flavor!
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- tortillas
- whatever toppings you like!
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse the walnuts into large pieces, slightly larger than what taco meat would look like. Add the black beans and give it a couple more pulses. You do not what it pured. It should look taco meat at this point.
- In a large pan, saute the onion for a few minutes until soft. Add the taco seasoning and cook for 30 seconds. Add the walnut mixture. Cook for about 10 minutes. You will need to break down the mixture to keep it crumbly. You can heat the tortillas while this is cooking
- Add the tomato sauce, stir in, cook for a couple minutes and thats it!
Looking for some more tacos options? I gotcha, check out these recipes.
I’ve got a BLACK BEAN CHILI TACO. We make these a lot. They are perfect for an easy dish because you toss some pantry staples together to make the chili, then wrap it in a taco shell. Easy as that.
SALMON TACOS. Season some salmon, toss it in a shell. There ya go!
And then there are the BUFFALO CAULIFLOWER TACOS. I think these are my husbands favorite, he asks for them all the time.
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