Roasted Butternut Squash Crispy Baked Tacos
These roasted butternut squash crispy baked tacos are filled with savory roasted butternut squash, sweet and smoky poblano peppers, hearty black beans, and drizzled with a creamy cilantro lime dressing. They are baked to crispy perfection and will be your new favorite way to enjoy tacos!
If you’ve never made a crispy oven-baked taco then be prepared to try a crunchy, crispy, super flavorful taco!
I love the fall flavors of this taco with sweet and nutty butternut squash.
Love tacos?
- Check out these Crispy Oyster Mushroom Tacos
- Tofu Black Bean Tacos
Ingredients
Ingredient notes:
- Butternut squash: To keep things quick and easy, I buy precut butternut squash. One 10oz bag equates to exactly 2 cups. I also use butternut squash in other recipes like my Fall Farro Salad, Butternut Squash Fries, and Autumn Harvest Grain Salad!
- Black beans: Just one cup is all you need. Don’t have black beans? Check out this article that lists easy substitutes for black beans!
- Poblano Pepper: This is a milder pepper that provides a great smoky flavor to the recipe. Remove the seeds if you don’t want it spicy!
- Tortillas: You can use either flour or corn tortillas for this recipe.
- Yogurt for dressing: I recommend an unsweetened, non-dairy almond or soy yogurt for this recipe.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and quantities.
📝Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400F.
In a large saucepan, begin heating some olive oil over medium heat. Add in your diced butternut squash and poblano pepper. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until the poblano begins to soften.
Step 2: Add in your black beans and mix until combined. Sprinkle in your spices and salt. Mix well. Cook for another 1 minute until spices are fragrant.
Step 3: Grab a large baking sheet. Spray some olive oil (or spread a small layer of oil with a paper towel). Lay our 6 tortillas (there will likely be some overlap but it’s okay). Spoon your butternut squash mixture onto a half of the tortilla. It’s okay if it spills out a little bit from the top. If you have extra mixture, feel free to make a few extra tacos on another baking sheet.
Step 4: Fold the other half of the taco over the top. I find it helps to seal the edge so it actually remains closed. Spray with a little more oil.
Bake for 14-17 minutes until the outside is crisp and slightly browned.Tip: If your taco shells are popping up, you can place a butter knife spread across two tacos so it prevents the shell from opening.
*Meanwhile, mix up your cilantro lime sauce in a small bowl.
Step 5: Once tacos are crisp, serve them on a plate and top with avocado, cilantro lime sauce, fresh lime squeeze, and cilantro. Enjoy!
▶︎If you love butternut squash, you need to try this Creamy Butternut Squash Curry! It’s super cozy and will warm you up during the colder months.
❓Recipe FAQs
If you remove the seeds from your poblano pepper these squash tacos are not spicy.
You can store the taco in an airtight container and reheat in the air fryer or oven. Air fry at 400F for 4-5 minutes or bake at 375 F for 8-10 minutes until warmed through. They won’t be as crispy as the first day, but will still be delicious!
Pro Tips
- It can save you a lot of time if you buy a bag of pre-cut butternut squash at the grocery store. You need ~ 10 oz bag which equals 2 cups (exactly what you need for this recipe!)
- If you don’t have non-dairy yogurt, you can also use vegan mayo for this recipe.
- I love flour tortillas for tacos, but feel free to use corn tortillas as well!
⇨ Other Amazing Fall Recipes ⇦
♡ Did you love this recipe? ♡
Leave a ⭐️rating and ✏️comment below (I love to read them!) Tag us on Instagram with a photo or video of your dish 📸 @naturallieplantbased.
Subscribe for more delicious recipes!
Roasted Butternut Squash Crispy Baked Tacos
Save This Recipe
Want to get this recipe in your email? Just enter your email below and get it now along with new recipe updates!
Equipment
- Large saucepan
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 2 cups butternut squash peeled and diced into small pieces (~1/2 inch)* See note
- 1 medium poblano pepper diced into small pieces(~2 cups)* See note
- 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
For the Crispy Shell:
- 6-8 small flour tortillas
- olive oil spray
Toppings
- avocado pieces
- fresh cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
Cilantro Lime Crema Sauce
- 1/2 cup non-dairy yogurt, unsweetened such as almond or soy
- 1 tbps lime juice
- 1 tbsp finely diced cilantro
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- pinch salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In a large saucepan, begin heating some olive oil over medium heat. Add in your diced butternut squash and poblano pepper. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until the poblano begins to soften.
- Add in your black beans and mix until combined. Sprinkle in your spices and salt. Mix well. Cook for another 1 minute until spices are fragrant.
- Grab a large baking sheet. Spray some olive oil (or spread a small layer of oil with a paper towel). Lay our 6 tortillas (there will likely be some overlap but it's okay). Spoon your butternut squash mixture onto a half of the tortilla. It's okay if it spills out a little bit from the top. If you have extra mixture, feel free to make a few extra tacos on another baking sheet.
- Fold the other half of the taco over the top. I find it helps to seal the edge so it actually remains closed. Spray with a little more oil.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes until the outside is crisp and slightly browned. Tip: If your taco shells are popping up, you can place a butter knife spread across two tacos so it prevents the shell from opening.
- Mix up your cilantro lime sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Once tacos are crisp, serve them on a plate and top with avocado, cilantro lime sauce, fresh lime squeeze, and cilantro. Enjoy!
These are the best healthy tacos I’ve made in recent memory. The butternut squash came out great and the cilantro lime sauce really tied it all together. Thanks for the amazing recipe!