Vegetarian Black Bean and Corn Taquitos

I LOVE taquitos. For me, they are a perfect mix between a taco and a quesadilla. You’ve got this crispy shell coming at you from all directions, an incredible filling that sometimes changes taste depending on the bite, and if you’re lucky – a killer dipping sauce! 

I like to throw some vegetarian or vegan options into my diet sometimes; I feel it keeps the palette fresh, and of course there are a million benefits to omitting meat every once in a while. So one night when I decided that I wanted a cheat meal, but I didn’t want to make a huge sacrifice on calories, I decided to opt for some Vegetarian Black Bean and Corn Taquitos! 

I served them with my Easy Pickled Red Onions and topped them with my Avocado Crema sauce (a must!). 

For this easy vegetarian dinner, you’ll just need a couple of ingredients:  

• cooking spray
• corn tortillas
• black beans
• vegetable broth
• cumin, Mexican oregano, chili powder
• fire roasted corn
• shredded Mexican cheese
• 1 fresh jalapeno
• fresh cilantro

 

You can also add tomatoes to this, but you’ll just want to make sure they aren’t holding a lot of water (canned tomatoes). Water can weigh down the tortillas and not allow them to fry as easily.

 

Wait, you said this was vegetarian. Do vegetarians eat cheese? 

Yes, most vegetarians still eat cheese. Vegetarians mostly avoid products that are created as a result of the death an animal.

With that said there are several different kinds of vegetarians, and for several different reasons. Some vegetarians avoid meat due to necessity, or a lactose allergy. Utilizing cheese in vegetarian meals would not be suitable for this type of vegetarian.

It is important that not all cheese is vegetarian, some cheese brands still implement animal byproduct into their products to control texture and taste. Don’t worry, there are several big name brands of cheese that are considered vegetarian, making it rather easy to find to chain grocery stores.

 

Different Ways to Make Taquitos 

Taquitos can be made several different ways, which makes them a perfect option for an easy dinner! They can be made in a dorm room, in a five-star kitchen, air fried, deep fried, or baked.

This particular recipe uses an air fryer. I find that the air fryer does a really god job of frying the tortilla on all sides, which is sometimes rather difficult in an oven. While deep frying absolutely has a time and a place, I just don’t really find it necessary for a light recipe like this.

 

Can I used pre-seasoned black beans, instead of seasoning them myself? 

Absolutely! You can always buy pre-seasoned canned black beans for use in Latin flavored dishes, if that is just an easier route for you! I usually buy my black beans unseasoned because I use them in a variety of ways, so I like to customize my seasoning each time I use them.

You can even buy refried seasoned black beans for this recipe, should you choose. I just make mine with whole black beans because I like the texture of a whole bean every other bite or so.

 

I’ve got a big family, how many of these can I make at a time? 

A hundred. No really, you can make as many as you need to feed your family! You’ll just need to double or triple the recipe based on how many your feeding. This recipe is for just two servings, or about eight taquitos. With just serving two, I was able to get 2 quick batches of taquitos done in just about 15 minutes.

Unless you’ve got a really bad ass air fryer that can hold a dozen taquitos at once (they do make those now!), I’d recommend baking them in the oven so they’ll all be done at the same time. Just place a rack on top of a cookie sheet, spray it with cooking spray, lay out as many as you need, and spray the tops of the tortillas again with your cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the edges of the tortillas are just golden.

 

Let’s roll! 

1. Start about half an hour before dinner by seasoning your canned black beans. Drain the beans, wash them, and place them in a medium pot. Add cumin, Mexican oregano, chili powder, and about a cup of vegetable broth. Let the beans cook in this broth until the flavors develop. Try the beans after some time, and add some salt and pepper if you feel it’s needed.
2. When you feel the beans are ready, drain the broth and mash them just a bit (not too much!) with a potato masher, and set aside.
3. Heat up the fire roasted corn, and season to taste. Remove from the heat and move the pan to your work station. (If you’re adding chopped tomatoes, make sure to prep those as well.)
4. Place your desired amount of corn tortillas in a damp paper towel on a plate and microwave for 30 – 60 seconds. You want the tortillas to be pliable, or they will break as soon as you try to roll them!
5. Lay down a tortilla, add a little bit of mashed black beans, fire roasted corn, and a sprinkle of cheese.
6. Gently start to roll the tortilla forward, rolling all the way over itself until you make a cylindrical shape (or taquito!).
7. Spray the bottom of your air fryer with cooking spray, place the tortillas down in the bottom of the air frying compartment, and spray the top of the taquitos with cooking spray. Air fry at 375° for about 7 minutes, checking on them after about 5 minutes. When the tortillas are just golden on the edges, they are ready!

Can I meal prep these and heat them later? 

Sadly no. I wouldn’t wish eating a rubbery reheated air fried taquito on my worst enemy. Yikes, that even sounds horrifying.

My best recommendation for meal prepping something like this is to make the filling ahead of time. Then all you have to do it roll up the tortillas and wait the 7 minutes for them to crisp to perfection.

Not exactly an office lunch, unless your cool enough to have an air fryer in your cubicle!

 

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to post a rating and comment!

I’d love to see your pictures on Instagram too! Tag @a_toastedcrumb!