This sheet pan taco recipe will show you that vegetarian tacos can be awesome! This vegetarian taco recipe is packed with a variety of veggies and topped with a homemade chimichurri sauce.
Taco Tuesday is a thing for a reason. Tacos are just a fun and delicious food to make and eat. But if you’re trying to incorporate more meatless meals into your life, finding a good vegetarian taco recipe can be a bit of a challenge. We really enjoy this version because of the variety of vegetables in the filling, and the spice mix plus chimichurri is absolutely dynamite.
We like to eat these vegetarian sheet pan tacos with a side of black beans or refried beans for additional protein and fiber. You can also turn this into a burrito bowl and serve over rice and/or lettuce for a different variation on this meal. This roasted vegetable taco filling is really versatile and leftovers can be incorporated into a breakfast scramble!
Try this vegetarian taco recipe out for your next Meatless Monday, or Taco Tuesday, or really any day of the week…everyday is a good day to make tacos!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Level of difficulty: Easy to moderate. The bulk of the work for this vegetarian taco recipe is chopping your vegetables for the filling. Sweet potatoes can be a bit of a chore to chop, but the rest of this recipe is pretty straight forward.
Flavor: The first flavors that really pop come from the chimichurri: cilantro, lemon, and garlic. The other main flavor you get is the warm, spicy flavors from the seasoning mix that is used on the filling. An all around great taco experience.
Texture: Since your filling is full of delicious oven roasted vegetables, the texture of these tacos is soft. You can add some crunch by using a hard-shell if that is preferable to you.
Time: Including prep and cook time, plan for 40-50 minutes to make your vegetarian sheet pan tacos. There is quite a bit of chopping involved, so the prep time can vary based on how proficient you are at chopping (I’m a relatively slow chopper, so no judgement my friends!). I recommend making your chimichurri while your vegetables are roasting to save time.
Ingredients Needed
Fresh Vegetables: Vegetables are the star of the show as they make up your filling for this vegetarian sheet pan taco recipe. You’ll want to purchase fresh zucchini, bell peppers, onions and sweet potatoes from your local grocery store to make the very best version of this dish.
Cilantro: Using fresh cilantro to make your chimichurri is key for this taco recipe.
Dried Spices: The spice mix that is put on your vegetable filling is so, so good. It’s made up of standard pantry spices: chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. If you do not have one of these spices, you will be able to find it in the spice/baking aisle at the grocery store.
Tortillas: Serve your roasted vegetable taco filling on your favorite corn or wheat tortilla! I recommend the standard taco size for this recipe, because I like the ratio of filling to chimichurri to tortilla you get with this size. The smaller street taco size tortillas are also a fun option for a small bite experience.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-By-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven & prep your cookie sheets: Preheat to 400°F, then line two cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside
- Prep your veggies / filling: Wash and chop all of your filling vegetables and place in a large bowl. Toss with olive oil and spice mix and transfer to your prepared cookie sheets
- Roast the veggies: Roast your veggies for 25-30 minutes, or until they are fork tender. Make sure to stir them 1 or 2 times throughout the cooking process to ensure they cook evenly
- Make chimichurri: Place all your chimichurri ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the cilantro is well chopped. I like to do this while my vegetables are roasting to keep things moving
- Serve: Fill your favorite tortillas with the roasted vegetable filling, top with chimichurri (and any other toppings you may desire), and enjoy!
- Store leftovers: Store cooled vegetable filling in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Recipe FAQs
How can I make this recipe healthier? The first thing I’d recommend is cutting back on the oil used to coat the vegetables. You’ll want to keep some (in order to help the seasoning stick), but if you have parchment paper laid down on top of the cookie sheet, you don’t need oil to keep the veggies from sticking. In fact, your veggies will roast up and even get a nice crisp edge on them if you use less oil.
Dang. I ran out of taco shells. What can I do with all these veggies? If you think these tacos are good, drop the veggie mix into a frying pan with some eggs and make an amazing southwestern veggie scramble topped with chimichurri or salsa. In fact, you might just want to set aside some veggies right away to do this anyway!
What else can I do with chimichurri, aka, my new favorite thing? Welcome to the Chimichurri Club! From now on you’ll measure your life in ‘B.C.-Before Chimichurri’, and ‘A!C!-Alright! Chimichurri!’ Chimichurri originated as an Argentinian sauce used on grilled meat. So, next time you’re grilling up some steaks, chicken, or fish, think chimichurri. Chimichurri also tastes great as a topper on your breakfast burritos!
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
Vegetarian Sheet Pan Tacos with Chimichurri
Ingredients
Vegetable Filling
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled & cubed
- 2 medium zucchini cubed
- 1 red bell pepper cubed
- 1 small purple onion thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon chili powder*
- 1.5 teaspoon cumin*
- 1 teaspoon onion powder*
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder*
- 1.5 teaspoon salt*
- *note: use about ½ of the seasoning mix to start & build up from there to your preference…save leftover mix for future use
Chimichurri
- 1 bunch cilantro rinsed and thick stems trimmed off (approx. 1 C firmly packed)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3-5 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F, and line 1-2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside
- Create your spice mix by placing all spice blend ingredients in a small jar and shaking to combine. Alternatively, place all ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine. Set aside
- Wash and prep all vegetables as noted in the instruction list
- In a large bowl, toss all veggies with the olive oil and spice blend until evenly coated
- Evenly distribute vegetable mixture on your sheet pans. Roast for 25-30 minutes (or until fork tender) – see notes below for additional tips
- While veggies are roasting, make the chimichurri sauce. Place all sauce ingredients in a food processor or blender, pulse or blend to combine. Cilantro should be finely chopped when complete – see notes below for additional tips
- Serve vegetable mixture in your favorite tortilla and topped with chimichurri – enjoy!
Victoria says
Mmmmmm – great flavor – love that Chimichurri sauce! heart I used your suggestion to start with only 1/2 the spices on the veggies, then when serving, added a spoonful of black beans and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt to each taco to bump up the protein. This recipe is a keeper.
ourlovelanguageisfood says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I LOVE the chimichurri too