Beet And Sweet Potato Taquitos Recipe
Taquitos, which can be a snack, appetizer, or main meal, very often contain meat. When you're craving the convenience of tiny tacos but are cutting back on meat, though, they can most certainly be made vegetarian or even vegan with a different filling — as is the case with developer Deniz Vergara's latest recipe. "These crispy taquitos are filled with black beans, tender roasted sweet potatoes, and beets," she says about her meat-free taquitos, which also happen to be lighter and less messy than their deep-fried relatives since they're baked in the oven.
While Vergara uses pre-cooked beets that she bought in the refrigerated produce section of her grocery store, not all supermarkets may carry this ingredient. If that's the case for you, her advice is to use fresh beets and steam them until tender. If you do so, she tells us, "they will be tender at the same time as the sweet potatoes" once you bake them together on a sheet pan.
Collect the ingredients for these beet and sweet potato taquitos
As mentioned, beets and sweet potatoes form the basis of these vegetarian taquitos, along with some canned black beans. Olive oil, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, cumin, and smoked paprika are needed for seasoning, while cilantro, small flour tortillas, and cooking spray round out the ingredients list.
Cook the beets and sweet potatoes
Now for the root vegetables. First, set your oven to 400 F. As it heats up, scrub your sweet potatoes, then cut them into more or less cube-shaped pieces measuring about ¼-inch per side. Cut the steamed beets up into similarly sized chunks, then mix the vegetables with the oil, salt, and chili powder, making sure to coat them as evenly as possible. Spread the veggies onto a parchment-lined pan, then roast for 20 minutes or until you can easily sink a fork into them.
Make the taquito filling
To flavor the beans for the filling, add some oil to a pan over medium heat, then stir in the garlic powder, cumin, sea salt, and smoked paprika. Dump in the beans, their liquid, and the cilantro, bring everything to a boil, and then turn the heat down so it's just simmering. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes, then turn off the heat and mix in the sweet potatoes and beets.
Roll and cook the taquitos
To assemble the taquitos, place about 2 tablespoons of filling in a strip down the middle of each tortilla, then roll them up into cigar shapes and arrange them on a sheet pan. Give each taquito a good spritz of cooking spray and a sprinkling of salt, then bake for 16-20 minutes. After that, they should have a bit of crunch to them and appear more golden than white.
As for how to serve these crispy taquitos, "I love these as an appetizer to share with friends or as a vegetarian main dish served with guacamole, salsa, and cilantro-lime crema for dipping," Vergara says. If you have leftovers after your gathering or tasty night in, Vergara says the unbaked taquitos can be frozen and baked right away — just remember to spray them with cooking spray, season with salt, and tack on an extra 4 minutes to the cooking time.
- 2 small sweet potatoes, diced into ¼-inch cubes (about 2 ½ cups)
- 1 8.8-ounce package cooked beets (or 8 ounces steamed fresh beets), diced into ¼-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 15-ounce can black beans
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 20 flour tortillas, street taco-sized (about 4 ½ to 5 inches in diameter)
- Cooking spray, as needed
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Toss the sweet potatoes and beets with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, chili powder, and ½ teaspoon salt. Spread in a single layer onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until fork-tender. (Keep the oven on to bake the taquitos later on.)
- In a large pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Stir in the garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, and remaining sea salt.
- Add the black beans (including the liquid from the can) and cilantro. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Stir the cooked sweet potatoes and beets into the beans until combined.
- Spoon about 2 tablespoons of filling down the center of 1 tortilla, then roll it up tight. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, arranging them onto a sheet pan.
- Spray each taquito with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt to taste.
- Bake the taquitos for 16-20 minutes until crispy and golden, and serve.
| Calories per Serving | 113 |
| Total Fat | 5.1 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.2 g |
| Trans Fat | 0.0 g |
| Cholesterol | 0.0 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 14.8 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.8 g |
| Total Sugars | 1.5 g |
| Sodium | 137.1 mg |
| Protein | 2.4 g |
