We developed this tasty and fresh vegetarian fajita recipe out of impatience but it has quickly become a household favorite. My husband brought home a giant container of refried beans from a work function (everyone was too afraid to eat there, thank you COVID). We did not want to mask up to go to the store so made due with the limited ingredients on hand (the cilantro was a second round addition. I am not going to pretend to be the type of organized household that always has fresh cilantro on hand).

I think the simplicity of this recipe is what makes it stand out. These vegetarian tacos are super easy to make. No need to make complex sauces or seasoning. Just dice, cook, squeeze, layer, and enjoy! Simply remove the cheese to satisfy your vegan friends. Just make sure you double check your refried beans. A lot of refried beans are made with animal fat. The vegetarian refried beans are usually hiding right next to the non-vegetarian can at the grocery store.

Fajita vs Taco

I can’t decide if these are “fajitas” or “tacos” or “burritos.” So I decided to do a bit of digging to get to the bottom of this. According to La Mesa, tacos are usually a light meal, can use a flour or corn shell, and usually holds fewer tacos. While a burrito is a hearty meal, typically uses a flour shell, and holds a lot of toppings. Gran Luchito points out that people usually eat several tacos as a meal, but only one burrito as a meal.

So far, all signs are pointing to burrito, but what about “fajita?” Gran Luchito teaches us that fajitas were originally made with steak (we certainly don’t use steak in our recipe) and always call for onions and peppers. Hmm, we use peppers, but not onions.

What Makes these Lime & Cilantro Fresh Tasty Vegetarian Fajitas Stand Out?

These tacos are healthy, simple, light, and flavorful. Thanks to the limited ingredients, you can actually taste and enjoy each part of it. Your family will be impressed that you made something so yummy with so few ingredients.

They are also very easy to make. If you are short on time next Taco Tuesday, then look no further. The rice certainly is the most time intensive step, so start boiling water ASAP. But that time is not wasted; you can slice/cook the vegetables and heat up the refried beans while you wait on the rice.

This recipe has no added salt. That’s right, we did not add salt. Your blood pressure will thank you for eating these tacos. We depend on the flavors of the ingredients for the seasoning. The citrus from the lime really does a great job enhancing the flavor.

These tacos are vegetarian! You can still eat tacos even if you stop eating meat. Actually this is just one version of vegetarian tacos. There are loads of ways us vegetarians still eat tacos. Destination Delish has a very yummy recipe too – check it out: https://www.destinationdelish.com/sheet-pan-veggie-tacos-with-avocado-lime-crema/

A Few Notes:

• I prefer to cut my peppers in half horizontally before slicing into strips. I feel it makes them a bit easier to eat (however my husbands tell me that I’m crazy, so it’s up to you).
• We used spinach flour shells – that is why they look green!
• I usually heat the refried beans in the microwave.
• We assemble the entire taco while it is still in the frying pan. In other words, once the cheese is melted, add the refried beans, rice, and mushroom/pepper mixture before removing the shell from the pan.
• We used Mexican Style Cheddar Jack and mozzarella cheese in these pictures.
• You have the option to make these tacos vegan; simply remove the cheese. You can also try vegan cheese, but I find it doesn’t melt as easily.
• Feel free to top with soup cream, salsa, or guacamole

Lime & Cilantro Fresh Tasty Vegetarian Fajitas

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Ifyougiveagirlanoven@gmail.com Course: Dinner, LunchDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8-10

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Light, fresh, tasty vegetarian tacos. These tacos are easy to make and even easier to eat!

Ingredients

• 16 ounces white mushrooms

• 4 peppers (green, red, yellow)

• 1 cup dried brown rice

• 1 can vegetarian refried beans

• 2 limes (~4 tablespoon lime juice)

• ⅓ cup fresh cilantro

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

• 8 ounces cheese (Mexican style cheddar jack or mozzarella) – optional

• 4 teaspoons butter

• 8-10 flour taco shells

Directions

• Cook rice – boil 3 cups of water, add rice, and reduce heat to low. Once water is absorbed, add juice from 2 limes and chopped cilantro.
• While rice is cooking, slice your mushrooms and peppers. Cook mushrooms in balsamic vinegar for ~5 minutes. Add peppers and crushed garlic. Continue cooking until peppers are soft (~4 minutes).
• Heat refried beans.
• Cook shells: melt ½ teaspoon butter in non-stick pan. Add shell and cook for ~1 minute. Flip shell. Add cheese, cover, and cook for ~1 minute until cheese is melted. Top with refried beans, rice, mushrooms and peppers. Serve immediately – enjoy!

Notes

• For each taco, I use a sprinkle of cheese, ~1-2 tablespoons refried beans, ~⅓ cup rice, and ~½ cup of vegetables. One taco usually fills me up…but you will wish you could eat more!
• You may have leftover refried beans.

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