Tacos for Everyone: Beef & Vegetarian

🌿🔥 Different plates. Same table.

🥩 Meat: Ground beef taco filling with peppers and onions, plus all your favorite toppings.
🌱 Vegetarian: Black beans, pinto beans and mushrooms with peppers and onions, plus all your favorite toppings.
🌾 Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free: Your choice of meat or vegetarian filling with gluten- free taco shells and dairy-free toppings.

The Story Behind Taco Night

Ever since I can remember, I've had an on-again, off-again relationship with corn.

I used to love eating popcorn at my grandmother's house. She made it the old-fashioned way, right on the stove with just a little olive oil in the pot. To this day, the smell of popcorn reminds me of spending the day with my grandmother and watching all her "stories". But there was a price to pay—I was allergic to corn, and my body did not like it!

Then puberty hit, and all of a sudden, I could eat corn. Life was wonderful. Corn on the cob, chips and salsa, tacos...it was pretty much what I lived on in college.

Then I had my son. On our first night out after he was born, we went to a Mexican restaurant. I ordered my favorite: chips and salsa.

And just like that, my allergy was back.

Damn hormones.

So now I'm allergic to corn again and had to give up some of my favorites. Then, I found corn-free taco shells, and taco night at our house was back!

And that's where this taco night comes in. Everyone gets to build a taco they love, without me having to make an entirely separate dinner.

INGREDIENTS

Vegetarian Filling- Serves 4

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, diced

1 bell pepper, any color, diced

1 container baby Bella mushrooms, sliced

¼ teaspoon salt

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon taco seasoning

1 cup vegetable broth

½ lime, juiced

Beef Filling - Serves 4

1 pound of ground beef

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 onion, diced

1 pepper, diced

2 tablespoons taco seasoning

Shared Toppings

Taco shells

Romaine lettuce, diced

Salsa

Guacamole

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Start the vegetarian filling
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion, pepper and mushrooms. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.

Step 2: Add the beans
Add the rinsed and drained black beans and pinto beans. Stir in 1 tablespoon taco seasoning and 1 cup vegetable broth.

Cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, allowing the beans to warm through and absorb some of the broth.

Step 3: Start the beef
While the beans are cooking, heat another pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil, followed by the diced onion and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, then set the vegetables aside.

Step 4: Prepare the toppings
While everything cooks, prepare your shared toppings. Make the guacamole, dice the romaine lettuce, and set out the salsa, cheese and sour cream.

Step 5: Finish the vegetarian filling
Remove the lid from the bean mixture and gently mash about half of the beans. Leave the pan uncovered for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the remaining broth has been absorbed.

Remove from the heat, squeeze in the juice of ½ lime, cover and let the filling rest while you finish the tacos.

Step 6: Add and cook the beef
Add the ground beef to the pan with the cooked onions and peppers. Add 2 tablespoons taco seasoning and cook until the beef is completely cooked through.

Step 7: Warm the shells
Warm the taco shells according to the package directions.

Step 8: Build your tacos
Set everything out and let everyone build their own tacos.

Different fillings. Different shells. Same table. This is another simple Thyme & Flame dinner where everyone gets essentially the same meal, just slightly different versions depending on what's on their plate.

HELPFUL TIPS:

• Corn-free taco shells are a game changer — I love SIETE Grain Free Taco Shells.

• Use any kind of tao seasoning you like- right now my favorite is TJ’s Chile Lime Seasoning Blend

• The bean filling tastes even better the next day — make extra.

• Leftover bean filling makes an incredible breakfast burrito the next morning.

• Leftover beef taco mixture with rice is a great lunch for my son.

• Make the guacamole first so the flavors have time to develop.