Smoky Mushroom Tacos

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Tacos are one of our go-to meals, especially when cooking for friends and family. It’s easy to cook up a big batch of fixings and let everyone help themselves at the table. After countless variations, we most often find ourselves coming back to this one. The smokiness of the seasoned mushrooms, the zing from the pickled red onions (+ jalapeños), the creaminess of the guacamole, and the freshness from the kale...it’s a tough combo to beat. Best of all, it comes together in under 30 minutes, which also makes it a near-perfect weeknight meal too. Leftovers keep well and make for a delicious (and jealousy inducing) work lunch the next day.

Now let’s taco ‘bout these smoky mushrooms, because every good taco starts with an epic filling. Sure, you can distract everyone with an array of pretty toppings, but the heart of the taco needs to be a good one. Mushrooms are one of our favorite taco fillings because they’re cheap, accessible, and provide a satisfying “meaty” flavor and texture to the dish (without trying too hard). Even our meat-eating friends comment on how they don’t feel like anything is “missing”. And that’s exactly how we like it.

When it comes to the type of mushroom to use in this taco, portobello mushrooms reign supreme. Mushrooms lose a lot of moisture and shrink down as they cook; so portobello mushrooms are one of the few varieties that are substantial enough to hold their own against punchy toppings. They’re still juicy after cooking, and have plenty of surface area for absorbing the delicious sauce. Smaller mushrooms on the other hand, while still yummy, are more likely to blend in with the toppings, rather than stand out as the star of the show.

The secret to infusing the mushrooms with both smoky and spicy flavors are chipotle peppers and adobo sauce. They’re packaged together in a small can, so you will cover a lot of ground with just one ingredient. If you’re worried about tracking it down, trust me when I say this it’s an easy one to find. Almost every grocery store sells at least one brand, and they’re usually found next to other Mexican ingredients. While you’re there, grab yourself a bag of tortillas too.

The rest of the components come together in a cinch. After a few taco dinners where I went a bit too wild with the toppings, I’ve since paired it down to just the essentials. It makes prep so much easier, and with all the poppin’ flavors, you really just need a few epic toppings (rather than 10 mediocre ones). If you’re making your own pickled onions, make those first. These Quick Pickled Onions can be eaten after sitting for only 30-45 minutes, but for best results, make them the night before. Thinly sliced kale is a great addition to the mushrooms. To soften the leaves, you’ll mix them with a bit of lime juice, and let them soften while you prepare the mushrooms. And since tacos - and life - just aren’t the same without avocados, guacamole is a no brainer. Homemade is the way we like it, so we’ve included the recipe for an easy 5 ingredient guac that uses all the same seasonings as the mushrooms. Alternatively you could substitute for your store-bought.