Taco Skillet

This quick and easy vegan taco skillet recipe is a one-pot wonder made in under 30 minutes! It's the perfect weeknight meal the whole family will love.

I am always looking for a quick and easy way to make dinner everyone will love. So, today I created a one-skillet, easy vegan taco skillet recipe with an array of veggies with zucchini noodles as the star of the show! I love zoodles, so this skillet dinner in under 30 minutes is a perfect weeknight meal.

Jump to:

• Vegan Taco Skillet Ingredients
• Vegan Taco Skillet Ingredient Substitutions
• How to Make Vegan Taco Skillet Recipe
• Recipe Variations
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• Vegan Recipes for the Whole Family
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

One-skillet meals are my go-to when I need a fuss-free dinner. Summertime begs for quick and easy meals without a mess and only one pan to clean. With zucchini in season, this vegan taco skillet recipe tastes fresh with incredible summer flavors.

Vegan Taco Skillet Ingredients

• Zucchini Noodles: While zucchini noodles do not taste exactly like pasta noodles if you cook them properly (meaning until they are al dente, not mushy), they are surprisingly fresh and satisfying.
• White Onion: White onions are slightly sweeter, a bit milder in taste than yellow onions.
• Garlic: I prefer using fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
• Brown Lentils: I used Trader Joe's steamed brown lentils. It's an easy shortcut.
• Fire-Roasted Tomatoes: Fire-roasted tomatoes are canned tomatoes that are fire-roasted over an open flame to accentuate their flavor. They taste sweet and subtly smoky right out of the can instead of bitter and acidic like most standard canned tomatoes.
• Black Beans: Black beans are soft, creamy, and mild. They don't have an overwhelming flavor, so they are good in many dishes. They take on flavor from salt and the ingredients they are cooked with.
• Corn: I used leftover grilled corn for the vegan taco skillet recipe.
• Taco Seasoning: I used vegan taco seasoning I bought at Whole Foods.
• Green Onions (Garnish): Green onions are a garnish for this skillet dinner.
• Cilantro (Garnish): A few cilantro leaves give this dish a fresh taste.

Vegan Taco Skillet Ingredient Substitutions

• Instead of zucchini noodles, try carrot or sweet potato noodles. A lot of grocery stores even carry these noodles already spiralized.
• Yellow onions are an excellent substitute for white onions.
• If you don't have fresh garlic, try these substitutions: minced garlic: use ½ teaspoon of jarred minced garlic in place of each clove; garlic flakes, also called dehydrated (or dried) minced garlic, use ½ teaspoon of garlic flakes in place of each clove, or granulated garlic: use ¼ teaspoon of granulated garlic in place of each clove.
• Cook brown, black or green lentils (cooked al dente), or use canned lentils, rinsed and drained. However, do not use red lentils. They are used in stews and soups, because they are softer than other lentils.
• Use canned diced tomatoes instead of fire-roasted tomatoes and add ½ teaspoon of liquid smoke.
• Pinto beans are similar to black beans.
• Although I used grilled corn, canned corn, or cooked frozen corn works well.
• Make homemade taco seasoning: ¼ cup chili powder, 2 Tablespoons cumin, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 Tablespoon garlic powder, 1 Tablespoon salt, 1 Tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons oregano, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper. Store in a jar and use as needed.
• Chop up some chives and garnish instead of using green onions.
• Many people taste soap when eating cilantro, so choose another fresh garnish, such as parsley or basil.

How to Make Vegan Taco Skillet Recipe

1. Use a spiralizer to make the zucchini noodles.
2. Select a large skillet with sloped sides to hold all the ingredients.
3. Begin by sauteing the garlic and onions until the onions are translucent over medium-high heat.
4. Add a small amount of vegetable broth or water if the garlic and onions stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Now, add the cooked lentils, and stir into the onion/garlic mixture.
6. Next, add the beans, tomatoes, corn, taco seasoning, and the water.
7. Stir the ingredients together until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken.
8. Stir in the zucchini noodles and reduce the heat to medium-low. Mix into into the hot ingredients.
9. Cook for 3 minutes! You want the zucchini noodles al dente. They will get mushy if cooked too long.

Recipe Variations

• For a salt-free recipe, choose unsalted tomatoes and black beans, and make the homemade taco seasoning without the salt (provided in the substitutions section above).
• Include more veggies like mushrooms or any other vegetables you prefer. If including mushrooms, cook with the onions and garlic.
• Serve with southwest dressing to drizzle over the top.
• For more tomato flavor, add a can of tomato sauce or a small amount of tomato paste.
• Add jalapenos for spiciness.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• If you don't have a spiralizer, an apple peeler can create spiralized vegetables very well. Or, you can use a mandoline, handheld spiralizer, potato peeler, julienne peeler, or a box cheese grater.
• The best way to make zucchini noodles for meal prep is to spiralize them in advance and keep them in the fridge uncooked. Then, when you're ready to cook, pat them dry first.
• Zucchini noodles do not reheat well when combined with the other ingredients. However, you can also reheat it on the stove. Still, I recommend heating the zucchini noodles separately from the sauce because they will release water each time they are reheated.
• You can freeze zoodles. Fill your freezer bags with the zucchini noodles. Remove as much air as possible from the bag, label it, and freeze it flat for easy storage. Use within 3-5 months. Use frozen and cook briefly, only about a minute.
• I recommend spiralizing just about 1 pound of zucchini per serving (for a large, lunch or dinner-sized meal) – that equates to about two medium-sized zucchini or 2 cups cooked.
• If zucchini doesn't interest you, try carrot or sweet potato noodles. However, both require a longer cook time than zucchini noodles.

Try this vegan taco skillet recipe for a quick and easy lunch or dinner. It all cooks in one skillet!

Vegan Recipes for the Whole Family

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