Just when I thought I couldn’t come up with another recipe, my wonderful hair stylist said, “Tacos.” So here we are, two grocery stores later, with tacos that are as tasty as they are colorful. You need some color to brighten up drab winter days, you know?
For these tacos, I drew inspiration from my sweet potato tacos and roasted up some cubed butternut squash instead (sweet potatoes would be awesome here, too!). I actually cheated, for once, and used two bags of pre-cut squash from Trader Joe’s. I think I’ll do it again soon.
While the squash roasts in the oven, just mix up some simple cabbage and black bean slaw (a riff on the slaw used in my spaghetti squash burrito bowls) and mash up some guacamole. I have finally learned that mashing guacamole with a pastry cutter or potato masher works way better than a dinky fork. Hallelujah! Hope you love these. Find more tacos over here!
Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 35 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Mexican
Colorful butternut squash tacos with crisp slaw, black beans and guacamole! These tacos are a simple weeknight meal and a great option for vegan and gluten-free eaters. Recipe yields about 8 tacos (4 servings).
Ingredients
Roasted butternut squash
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 ½ pounds, I used two 12-ounce bags of pre-sliced butternut from Trader Joe’s), peeled and sliced into ¾-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Cabbage and black bean slaw
- 2 cups purple cabbage, thinly sliced and roughly chopped into 2-inch long pieces
- 2 cans black beans (15 ounces each), rinsed and drained, or 3 cups cooked black beans
- ⅓ cup chopped green onions, both green and white parts
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, to taste
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
Simple guacamole (double if you love guac!)
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander (optional)
- Pinch of salt, more to taste
Everything else
- 8 corn tortillas (certified gluten free if necessary)
- Optional garnishes: additional chopped cilantro, hot sauce, toasted pepitas, crumbled feta cheese (omit for vegan tacos)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line one large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easier cleanup.
- To roast the squash: On your prepared baking sheet, toss the cubed butternut in enough olive oil to lightly coat all sides, about 2 tablespoons. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon chili pepper and a pinch of salt and pepper. Arrange the butternut in a single layer. Bake until the butternut is tender throughout and caramelized on the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway.
- Meanwhile, to assemble the slaw: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cabbage, black beans, green onion, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and salt. Toss to combine, then taste and add additional lime juice and/or salt if necessary. Set aside to marinate.
- To prepare the guacamole: In a small bowl, combine the diced avocado, lime juice, coriander and salt. Mash with a pastry cutter, potato masher or fork until the mixture is blended and no longer chunky. Taste and add additional salt if necessary.
- To warm the tortillas: In a small skillet over medium heat, warm each tortilla on both sides before transferring to a plate and covering with a lint-free towel to keep warm. Repeat with each tortilla, stacking each warmed tortilla on the last.
- To assemble the tacos, spoon an ample amount of slaw down the center of your taco, top with roasted butternut and spread a spoonful of guacamole down the side. Top with garnishes of your choice and serve immediately.
Notes
Change it up: Sweet potatoes would be an awesome substitute for the butternut.
Storage suggestions: Store individual components separately for best results. Store leftover guacamole in a small bowl with plastic wrap pressed against the top to prevent oxidation.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Marisa Castaneda
This tacos are SO delicious! We are not vegetarian, but this is one I make all the time. We love everything about it. And it’s so easy to make.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for sharing, Marisa.
Hayley B.
Our household makes your recipes all the time but this is my FIRST comment! Going to try to be better about doing these in the future… I made these tacos for two separate groups (with vegans, flegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians) and everybody LOVED them. Topped the tacos with radish and roasted/salted pepitas, added jalapeño into the guacamole, and used chipotle chili seasoning. The meal made for spectacular lunch leftovers. One batch of the slaw served 10 hungry people over the course of 4 days. This one is going into our regular meal rotation!
★★★★★
Kate
Well, thank you for commenting! I’m happy you enjoy so many recipes and commented on this one, Hayley!
Arlene S.
First off, I have to say that your cookbook and blog are my absolute FAVORITE!!! Everything I make of yours turns out beautifully and has the most utterly delicious flavors – you’re always my go to when I’m looking for a new recipe or have company coming over. I hope you release another cookbook(s) in the future!
Okay, now on to my question: I’m dying to try this recipe however my husband is allergic to avocado. Do you have any suggestions to what could replace the guac?
Kate
I’m so happy to hear that, Arlene! Instead of the guacamole, you could do a salsa, sour cream and/or some more feta.
Nancy
I made this for dinner last night. It was delicious and I’ll be making it regularly, for sure. And, the leftover squash and guacamole made a yummy avocado toast for breakfast this morning. Thanks!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Nancy!
Rebecca Steinman
This was seriously the best dinner I have made in awhile!
Lisa D
I added thinly sliced matchstick green apples to the slaw to add a pop of flavor, and it was delicious. These are now my favorite recipe when I am craving tacos. Thanks for the recipe!
Kate
Made this for my entire family, didn’t even add cheese, and they loved it! They all agreed they would buy these in a restaurant. This is going to be a taco Tuesday staple in our house. Thanks!
★★★★★
David
Made these tonight – they were delicious! Didn’t have cilantro but they were great without it.
★★★★★
Amy
Loved the butternut squash in the tacos! The cabbage slaw was fresh and tasty! So easy to put together!
★★★★★
SueLynn Stiner
Beautiful, delicious, and healthy! Could we ask for more? Oh, yes…forgot healthy!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you are excited about this taco recipe! I appreciate your review.
Victoria
Made these for the first time tonight, absolutely delicious snd filling! The roasted butternut squash is amazing!
★★★★★
Jenna Fabino
Love these tacos and make them again and again. Simple, delicious, easy to customize. We just ate them again tonight with non-veg friends and everyone loved them.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m excited they were a hit, Jenna! Thank you for your review.
Samantha
These are awesome! I used shredded brussel sprouts in place of the cabbage and it was delicious!
★★★★★
Rachel
I have to say, I did have some doubts about this recipe. The pictures made it look so good. I wanted to try it. Other reviews said it was so good. I made it for lunch today and it was absolutely delicious! Definitely a winner. The beans were flavored so well, the butternut squash gave it a little sweetness and obviously you can’t go wrong with guacamole. Such a good and healthy taco! Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad you tried it anyway.Thank you for sharing, Rachel!
Sierra
Hi Kate,
These are delicious. I love the cabbage slaw! Just out of curiosity, I was wondering why the sodium is listed as so high? It did not seem to be much salt at all in this recipe. Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Sierra, More on my nutrition information can be found in my disclaimer. There are other sources of sodium other than added salt (canned beans, etc). I hope this helps!
Sierra Guenst
Ok, thank you for your reply!!
★★★★★
Lisa D
I loved these tacos! I wanted to add something unexpected and put matchstick slices of green apple in the slaw and it was amazing. You should definitely try.
Monica
This recipe is incredibleeee! Made it so much this past season to use up the butternut squashes coming in my CSA boxes every week. The coriander powder in the avocado mash makes such a difference! A sprinkling of cotija on top and a healthy dash of Tapatio makes it perfect. It’s like the winter counterpart to my favorite tacos to make in the summer, your sweet corn black bean tacos!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Monica! I appreciate your review.