Makes 8 tacos
Here I go again with my fave bean & squash duo, adzuki beans and butternut squash. I just love this combo – the sweet nuttiness of adzuki pairs perfectly with the earthy, warm ambrosia of butternut. They’re pals! And so it follows that I’d bring that combo to Taco Tuesday. Here, the adzuki are refried with the usual suspects, a little cumin and cilantro, while the butternut roasts away in the oven with just a touch of maple. Everything comes together in a corn tortilla, simply topped with a little red cabbage because it’s gorgeous and crunchy. Wonderful for a crisp autumn evening, watching the leaves turn.
These are going to be in my upcoming 30 minute meals cookbook which has an entire taco (and friends) section! It will be out in Fall 2025.
Recipe notes:
~Of course you can dress this up a little extra! Sour cream, avocado, or a more adventurous slaw would all be welcome.
~I used conveniently packaged butternut so that I could have it ready in thirty minutes, but if you’re peeling and cubing you’ll need one large butternut.
~If you can’t find adzuki beans then pinto would be great! But honestly, any beans are just fine. Black beans, lentils, whatever.
Ingredients
For The Roasted Butternut Squash
12 ounces (340g) peeled, diced butternut squash
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon salt
For The Refried Adzuki Beans
1 medium yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 cup lightly packed cilantro, leaves and soft stems
15 ounce (425g) can adzuki beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
For the Assembly
8 medium corn tortillas
Thinly sliced red cabbage
Fresh lime
Addition Aleppo pepper
Let’s make it!
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C).
On a baking sheet, toss butternut squash with olive oil, maple syrup, aleppo pepper flakes, and salt to coat. Roast for 15 to 18 minutes, tossing once, until tender.
Now prepare the beans. Preheat a sauce pot over medium heat. Finely chop the onion. Sauté chopped onion in olive oil with a big pinch of salt to soften, about 5 minutes. Add cumin and cilantro and toss to coat. Add beans, and salt and heat though for about a minute. Mash with a potato masher or fork so that it’s a nice mixture of creamy and chunky. Add hot sauce. Continue cooking for about 3 minutes.
Time to assemble!
Warm the corn tortillas by folding them up in tin foil and placing in oven for about 5 minutes while the butternut is cooking. You can also fold them in a paper towel and place in microwave for 30 to 45 seconds.
Spoon about 1/4 cup of the Refried Adzuki Beans onto a warmed tortilla, followed by 1/4 cup roasted butternut squash. Squeeze lime over the butternut. Top with some sliced cabbage and extra lime juice and pepper flakes.
