Spicy Black Bean + Mushroom Taco Lettuce Wraps

Packed with fiber and protein from black beans, these lettuce wrap tacos are a quick and easy light lunch or dinner.  This recipe is also completely customizable, so feel free to use a tortilla instead of romaine and/or choose your own toppings!

Its a little hard to believe that I haven’t posted a taco recipe yet.  We have them for dinner almost weekly because they’re tasty and so simple to prepare.  We often switch up the toppings based on what we have on hand or by season.  This recipe is completely customizable too, so I encourage you to get creative with toppings/substitutions.

I chose to use romaine leaves in lieu of tortillas for this recipe because I wanted something a little lighter and more cooling than a traditional taco.  Plus, romaine’s a very good source of fiber, potassium, biotin, iron, and vitamin C (1).  (Refer to my Dark Leafy Greens Guide for more lettuce benefits.)

For the filling, I used a combination of black beans and crimini (baby Portobello) mushrooms.  Black beans are one of my favorite taco proteins.  A half cup provides fiber, 100% of your daily folate, and nearly half of your daily iron needs (2).  (Nope, red meat isn’t required to get your iron.)

I cooked the beans with mushrooms (I like my tacos to have some umami) and then stirred in jalapeño, garlic, and a combo of cumin, coriander, and chili powder.  Once the filling was heated through, I spooned it into romaine leaf “shells” and topped them with avocado, fresh cilantro, and an heirloom tomato (so good this time of year).

At home, we usually set toppings out buffet style, so we can each choose our own.  (A great option for families with small children or someone with a food intolerance/allergy.)

A few suggestions in addition to the ones I used: fresh salsa, hot sauce, sour cream (dairy-free to keep it vegan), nutritional yeast, olives, fermented veggies, green onions…

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and eaten cold. (Or add some more greens and turn it into a big taco salad!)

So many options, hooray for tacos!

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Spicy Black Bean + Mushroom Taco Lettuce Wraps

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

10 mins

Total Time

15 mins

 

Packed with fiber and protein from black beans, these lettuce wrap tacos are a quick and easy light lunch or dinner. This recipe is also completely customizable, so feel free to use a tortilla instead of romaine and/or choose your own toppings!

Servings: 3

Author: The Grateful Grazer

Ingredients

• 2 tsp grapeseed oil or oil of choice
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms sliced
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1-2 jalapeño peppers minced seeds and membranes removed if desired.
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 clove garlic minced/pressed
• 6 leaves romaine lettuce plus additional for backups
• 1 to mato diced
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Instructions

1. Heat oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and beans and cook 4-5 minutes. Add spices, jalapeño pepper(s), and garlic and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
2. While taco mixture is cooking, arrange lettuce leaves on a large plate or platter so they are ready to be filled. Divide taco mixture between lettuce and top with tomato, avocado, and fresh cilantro.
3. Serve with optional toppings as desired. (Salsa, hot sauce, nutritional yeast, etc.)

What’s your favorite way to eat tacos? Tag your photos @gratefulgrazer to share them with me on Instagram!

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