Recently I shared how to cook pinto beans using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. With all the gorgeous potato varieties at farmer’s markets and in the stores right now, I got to thinking about these potato and bean tacos. Besides, it’s taco Tuesday!
Soft golden corn tortillas, creamy smashed beans and steamed potato chunks. So many tasty possibilities.
Holy culinary crayons!! Today you’re seeing purple potato and pinto bean tacos, because I found the purple spuds at the farmer’s market and wanted to show them off. Whatever your heart desires, taco potatoes can be orange sweet potatoes, Yukon yellows, new reds, or russets–a palette awaits.
Click here to PIN Purple Potato and Bean Tacos.
You get to choose from the bean spectrum too–black beans, white beans, pink pintos, green lentils… Vivid, versatile, and vegetarian.
Rainbow tacos! At the table everyone adds what they want. Color them with violet shredded cabbage and green avocado and cilantro splashes. Tomatoes and salsa—red, green, or both. Grated white cheddar or–dare I say it—orange cheddar? All those, on top of your choice potatoes and beans.
Besides all the various bean and potato hues, you know what else I love about these tacos? Simplicity. Both the beans and potatoes are humbly seasoned with sautéed onions, salt and pepper, and a little salsa, while the tortillas get sprayed with cooking spray and softened in the oven. Easy, nothing fancy.
You will like my trick to softening the tortillas–use cooking spray. Mist both sides of the tortillas, arrange them on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for about a minute. While they’re soft, fill with the hot seasoned potatoes and beans.
I made these tacos for friends a while back. When I described them, they gave me a wary eye–potato and bean tacos? They were blown away! Good thing I made plenty because we all wanted a third taco!
Potato and bean tacos details:
- You can steam the potatoes a day ahead. When they are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins.
- Use canned or cooked-from-scratch beans.
- Mi-Rancho corn tortillas are hands-down my faves. They taste like corn!
- If you eat dairy, add grated cheese. I used white cheddar.
- Purple potatoes are not your everyday tuber. Find them at farmer’s markets, and sometimes in Trader Joe’s or high-end supermarkets. The ones in the photos are called Purple Majesty. If you grow a garden—definitely plant you some purple or blue potatoes.
- Since we make tacos for dinner quite often, I finally bought some of these functional stainless steel taco holders for molding the soft tortillas and serving at the table.
More vegetarian tacos:
- Meatless traditional tacos with tofu.
- Vegetarian mole tacos with arugula and goat cheese.
- Lentil tacos with spicy greens and guacamole sauce.
- These Caramelized Onion and Arugula Tostadas can easily be made into tacos.
Make it a fabulous week–get in the kitchen and cook something tasty and colorful!
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Colorful Potato and Bean Tacos
Choose your rainbow colors for the potatoes, beans, and garnishes—you will love these easy vegetarian tacos. Super easy and super tasty!
- 1 pound potatoes
- 2 small onions (, diced)
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
- 1 ½ cups cooked beans
- 8 corn tortillas
- Cooking spray (, as needed)
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 avocado (, cut in cubes or slices)
- 3 cups shredded red or green cabbage
- Grated cheese (, optional)
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- red or green salsa, (as desired)
- chopped tomatoes
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are just about tender when pierced with a fork. Remove and let cool until you can hold them in your hand. Slip off the peel.
- Heat the first 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet over medium flame. Add the onions and cook and stir until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove half of the onions and set aside.
- Cut the peeled and cooked potatoes into cubes, ½ inch or so. Add a tablespoon of the remaining oil to the onions in the skillet. Add the potato cubes; cook and stir about 10 minutes, making sure the potatoes are tender. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
- Add the remaining oil to the skillet. Stir in the reserved onions and the beans. Mash the beans with a fork or a potato masher, and salsa to moisten the beans and to taste. The beans should be very moist but not runny. Keep warm.
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- Mist both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. Arrange them without stacking on two baking sheets. Put the first tray in the oven and heat until soft, far from crisp. Remove from oven.
- Spread about a tablespoon of smashed beans down the middle of each tortilla. Add a couple spoonfuls of potatoes. Repeat with the second tray of tortillas.
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Arrange the avocado, cabbage, cilantro, salsa, tomatoes and cheese garnishes in separate bowls. At the table, let guests add garnishes to their liking.
** This recipe is an update of the rainbow tacos I posted several years ago. Below is the old photo from that post–one I snapped at the dinner table.
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