Black Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

A great vegetarian (or even vegan) dinner option that combines sweet smoky black beans with a crisp and refreshing pineapple salsa.  A perfect light meal to transition from summer to autumn.

Jump To Recipe

A great vegetarian (or even vegan) dinner option that combines sweet smoky black beans with a crisp and refreshing pineapple salsa.  A perfect light meal to transition from summer to autumn.

My love for tacos is never ending.  If you ask me what I want to eat, 9 times out of 10, I’m going to tell you that I want tacos.

You just have so many options when it comes to tacos.  You can do hard or soft shell.  Corn or flour.  Beef or chicken.  Fish, veggie, vegan, the list goes on and on.

They also tend to be quick to make, which is right in my wheelhouse, and the leftovers are always just as good as the original meal.

These black bean tacos are a great weeknight meal.  They take about 10 minutes to make and they’re super filling.  They’re also really versatile.  As they stand, they’re vegetarian, but you can easily switch out the cheese or leave it out entirely and make it vegan.  You could also add meat to it and make it carnivore friendly as well.  These are a great option for when you have only a few minutes for dinner, but don’t want to dine out.

Shopping List for Black Bean Tacos:

• Garlic

• Olive Oil

• Black Beans

• Pineapple (fresh or canned)

• Green onion

• Lime

• Tortillas

• Monterey Jack cheese

Let’s Talk About Tacos

Taco Shells:  I personally prefer soft flour tortillas, but if corn is more your speed, then feel free to sub for corn.

Beans:  Black beans are my favorite for tacos, but you could use pinto beans here instead.

Pineapple:  This salsa would be fantastic with mango as well.  I use fresh pineapple whenever I can, but you can totally sub out canned pineapple in the colder seasons.

Cheese:  I like Monterey Jack for tacos, but you could swap it out for a more traditional Mexican cheese like Cotija or Queso Fresca.  You could use pepper jack if you like spice, or cheddar if that’s what you prefer.  Don’t use pre-shredded cheese if you can help it.  The flavor and texture of cheese you shred yourself is so much better, and it only takes a minute to do.  Generally, block cheese is cheaper, so that’s a plus too.

Highlights:

• Easy to make

• Highly customizable

• Ready in under 15 minutes

• Flavorful and delicious

• Perfect for summer, but also easy to adapt to other seasons

Tips and tricks:

To prepare your taco shells you have a few different options. 

If you have a gas stove, you can char your tortillas right over the open flame for a few seconds on each side and get them nice and toasty.

If you have an electric stove (like me) you can either warm the tortillas up in a skillet over medium low heat, or you can toss them in the microwave for 15 seconds.  If you go the microwave route, you can stack the tortillas up, cover them with a paper towel and then drizzle about 2 teaspoons of water over the paper towel.

Topping Options:

• Sour cream

• Green onions or chives

• Pickled red onions

• Pickled jalapenos

• Pickled corn

• Cilantro

• Salsa

• Avocado

Yield

6 Tacos

Author

Sara Rauckhorst

Prep time

5 Min

Cook time

5 Min

Total time

10 Min

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Black Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

A great vegetarian (or even vegan) dinner option that combines sweet smoky black beans with a crisp and refreshing pineapple salsa. A perfect light meal to transition from summer to autumn.

Ingredients

Black Bean Tacos with Pineapple Salsa

• 1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 15 ounce can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cumin
• ¾ cup diced pineapple
• 1 green onion, sliced thin, white and light green parts separated from dark green tops.
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
• 6 taco sized flour tortillas
• ½ cup shredded monterey jack cheese
• salt and pepper

Instructions

To Make

1. Start by adding 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, pineapple, the white and light green parts of the green onion and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice together in a bowl.  Stir to combine and set aside.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium low heat, add the other tablespoon of olive oil and pre-heat the pan.  Add the garlic and the black beans.  Add the cumin and the other tablespoon of lime juice.  Stir to combine and heat for 5 minutes.
3. While the beans cook, heat your taco shells by whatever method you choose.
4. Divide the black beans between the tortillas, and top with the pineapple salsa, cheese, and dark green parts of the green onion.
5. Top with your other favorite taco toppings.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @sarastinykitchn on instagram and hashtag it #sarastinykitchen