Dollop
Roasted butternut squash tacos with black beans
Smoky roasted squash and black beans from one sheet pan, tucked into corn tortillas with lime crema, avocado and crumbly queso fresco.
- 45 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $3.00 a serving
- 580 calories
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Most of the time here is hands-off, so you can sit down while it cooks.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 package cubed butternut squash
- 1 red onion, cut into thin wedges
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 limes, divided
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
- ½ cup queso fresco, crumbled
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp pepitas (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp salt
Each serving has about 580 calories, 17 g protein, 82 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $3.00 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No cubed butternut squash? Butternut squash works.
- No red onions? White onions or yellow onions work.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No sour cream? Plain Greek yogurt works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
- No queso fresco? Cotija cheese or feta cheese works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No pepitas? Sunflower seeds work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Cut any big squash down to ¾ inch.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
On a , the squash and onion with the oil, chili powder, cumin, paprika and salt.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
20 minutes. Stir, add the beans and roast until the squash is tender and at the edges, 10 minutes more.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Timer: 30 min
Meanwhile, stir the sour cream with the juice of 1 lime and of salt. Cut the other lime into wedges.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Warm the tortillas one at a time in a dry over medium-high heat, about 30 seconds per side, and stack them in a towel.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heat
Fill the tortillas with the squash and beans and top with avocado, queso fresco, lime crema, cilantro and pepitas.
Food safety: If you’re pregnant, buy queso fresco labeled “made with pasteurized milk,” and for extra care, warm it until it’s steaming hot.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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