Roasted Butternut Squash Tacos
Colorful butternut squash tacos with crisp slaw, black beans and guacamole! These tacos are a simple weeknight meal. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on September 5, 2024
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
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.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
This looks so healthy and colorful. It’s nice to have a little bit of summer color on these cold winter days!
These look delicious, so bright and colourful!
YUM! What brand tortillas do you generally use?
Hi Laura! I’m partial to Trader Joe’s corn and wheat tacos (shown here).
These look yum! I love the combination of butternut squash and avocado :)
Thanks, Amelia!
I love this kind of food, filled with so much color.
Loving all that guac in there! These tacos look perfect.
This look so bright and fresh and tasty. You have such a way with ingredients Kate.
These are so colorful and happy looking. Winter needs some brightness, and these have brightness in spades.
These are such beauties! A little ray of sunshine on a dreary, winter day – what a great pick-me-up!
Way to further my taco addiction! May adapt this bad boy into a bowl. Truth time, I’ve been on a Cookie + Kate recipe kick this week… Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cranberries with Barley Monday and Homemade Vegetarian Chili Tuesday – Obviously both delicious! When I want a guaranteed fantastic entree Cookie + Kate, is my go-to!
That said, I would LOVE to see a kugel recipe on the site. I’ve had so many great sweet and savory kugel’s from apple and cinnamon to broccoli and quinoa. The problem is most of these recipes are passed down and much of what is available online includes a slew of processed ingredients. If anyone could adapt a great kugel recipe (or 5) it would be you… (no pressure).
Thanks for the great recipes! Looking forward to what’s to come (especially the cookbook!!)!
Yay for your Cookie and Kate kick!!! That makes me happy. I have never had kugel before, as far as I know! I just googled kugel (does that kind of rhyme?) and will see what I can do.
These sound like a dream! I love veggie tacos and this combo sounds perfect.
This looks amazing again! Yesterday we had your cauliflower tacos based on your pulse post, and just today I thought how I should definitely eat more tacos. The potato masher trick sounds good! I recently discovered it’s also much easier to put halved, peeled avocados without the cut side down on a cutting board (wood or plastic, something not slippy like glass) and mash them with a fork. It’s so much easier because they don’t slip from the board, and you don’t have those strange round form of the bowl, where you can’t reach all the avocado pieces.
This looks like a perfect combo of creamy guacamole, crispy slaw and hearthy squash, am definitely gonna make this one :)
Definitely more tacos! I cannot believe I hadn’t thought of your avocado technique before. Brilliant! Thank you for sharing!!!
Hahaha I know right, I felt like a bit like a blockhead too when I discovered I was making the mashing of avocado’s unnecessarily hard on myself for years. You’re very welcome! And the tacos were by the way stunning, as always :)
Haha, same here. So glad you enjoyed the tacos!
I love mashing avocados with a potato masher! The slaw for these tacos looks amazing too!
I can always use more taco recipes! What a wonderful muse your hairstylist must be. Being similarly blessed in my hairdresser (I call mine my fairy godmother) I think they must have special powers.
You, Miss Kate, have taco powers, and they are special indeed. I can’t wait to try these!
Another amazing dinner by Cookie and Kate! I loved the nuttiness and sweetness of the squash, especially paired with creamy avocado. Can’t wait for leftovers for dinner tomorrow :)
Thank you, Courtney! Glad to hear it!
These sound delicious Kate. And that colour makes them look so so tempting. Thanks for sharing.
MMMMmmmm these tacos are killing it! They almost look too gorgeous to eat too!
These look fab, you really can’t beat simple, tasty ingredients wrapped up in a tortilla :) The slaw looks great!
This looks absolutely delicious and will definitely be making its way onto my meal planner for next week! Can’t wait!
Gorgeous! We need this colour in January :)
I made these last night, they were as delicious as I thought they’d be! Just enjoyed some leftovers for lunch. Thanks for the recipe!
mmmm yumi!
it looks very tasti and delicious!
I love your potos btw! :) so beautiful!
xx from barcelona
Love your food photography and details, really helps,
thank you so much for sharing
Tacos AND butternut squash! Such a weakness of mine, the colors are beautiful!
These look amazing, can’t wait to try them! Yum!
Yum! I’m back from Indonesia and craving lots of fresh veggies. These tacos look perfect for dinner tonight! Will let you know how it goes.
Hope you and cookie are enjoying 2016 thus far! xo
Thank you, Deephi! Now I want to go to Indonesia!!!
These are delicious! I thought the butternut was a little bland at first, but adding hot sauce took care of it. What can I do with the rest of the cabbage I didn’t use for this recipe?
Thanks, Erika! I have more cabbage recipes over here.
I absolutely adore butternut squash and I love how they make these tacos extra colorful!
Eek! Another beautiful veggie taco recipe from Kate! I can’t wait to try it out :)
Thank you, Jessie! :)
I made these for dinner tonight – amazing. Superb. Delicious. “Astonishingly fantastic” said the husband. They are the best vegetarian tacos I’ve ever had (heck, I’d pick them over most meat tacos), and I added this to my list of things to make again for SURE. Thank you for such an awesome recipe – you are my favorite vegetarian blog! … oh I should add, I also made your Morning Glory Steel Cut Oats today for us to eat all week. Also amazing. Two wins in one day! :)
Woohooo!!! Thank you, Krista and Krista’s husband! So glad you guys enjoyed these.
Wow, this is such a fabulous idea! I love butternut squash, I can’t wait to try this! I’ve been stalking your blog for a long time now, and I never left a comment- but I just want to say thanks for all the inspiration! I am so impressed by your creativity, every time!
Thank you so much, Caroline! :)
I just made this for dinner this evening. It was, along with every other recipe of yours, delicious!!! The sweet butternut squash, the crisp purple cabbage, the creamy avocado…perfection! Cookie and Kate never disappoints!! Now to look up a recipe for tomorrow…
Hooray!!! Thank you so much, Melissa.
Hi Kate
Didn’t have the right ingredients for this recipe so improvised a bit, but they were still totally delish! Just been and bought all the right stuff and am going to make them again now.
I just love your recipes, I’ve been off cooking for a while, but I’,m totally back on it now, this is exactly the type of food I want to eat.
Thanks so much
Thank you, Ellie, for saying so! :)
My husband and I made these tacos last night and they are SO GOOD!!!! We made them with sweet potatoes and they turned out really nice. We will definitely be making this again!!!!! Thanks!
Hooray, thanks Sara!
Made these for dinner on Saturday. Really really tasty and super healthy to boot!
I found that I had to use 3-4 times the amount of lime juice. Maybe my limes weren’t very limey. I dunno. In any case, another recipe from C+K that’s going into my repertoire. Thanks Kate! (and cookie).
Thank you, Deepthi! Limes are kinda variable, so I’m glad you got it limey enough for your liking!
I’ve been cooking vegetarian meals for my carnivore husband for 8 years now. Tonight when I served him this, he said “This is the best thing you have ever made. It tastes like a restaurant meal. And if it were a restaurant meal, it’s something I would order every time I went to the restaurant.” Thank you!
Wow! Thank you, Cat (and Cat’s husband)!
Awesome !!! Kids loved it !!! Your website is the best vegiterian website I have found
Made for dinner tonight and they were colorful and mucho delicious. The recipe doesn’t specify when to add the chili powder. Did the obvious and dusted the squash with it. Keep the recipes coming…and more pictures of that adorable Cookie
Oops! Thank you for pointing that out. I just corrected the recipe. Glad you enjoyed the tacos!
I made these about a week ago and they were mind-blowing! Honestly the best tacos I’ve ever had. I used Kate’s baked tofu recipe to substitute tofu for the butternut squash (since I had a lot of butternut squash and sweet potatoes prior to making this). I will definitely be making this recipe again and again. Thank you!
Awesome!!! Great idea to make crispy tofu to go on them. Yum.
Made these along with your Roasted Cauliflower and Lentil Tacos. We kinda mixed and matched all the toppings. It was all amazing. This will be our new family favorite. Taco night will never be the same:)
Thanks for the wonderful recipes.
These were so colorful and delicious. My mother-in-law said it was the best meal she’d had since she moved (two years ago!). Simple ingredients that pack such a delectable punch. Already looking forward to a second go.
I recommend topping with some queso fresco. It’s similar to feta, and I use it on all my Mexican food now.
Probably my favorite tacos! I made these with your Pommegranate Guacamole recipe (minus the pomme) and they were fantastic! I never thought I’d like butternut squash but when it’s roasted it tastes like delicious caramelized onion potatoes, will definitely make again! Love your recipes, thanks for sharing!
Made these again with sweet potatoes and green cabbage. Still delicious! Btw we use our potato masher to mash avocados for guacamole, Mashing bananas for banana bread (perfect consistency and you get nice little chunks of banana in the brad) as well as a “slotted spoon” for fishing out poached eggs (drains more water than a spoon). Such a useful tool!
The colors of this dish are rich; the textures of the ingredients are a concert of wonderful; and the flavors are fresh. Make lots, as the leftovers are perfect for assembling a green salad the following day. Fantastic first dish from Cookie + Kate’s recipe files!
Hi Kate,
Tacos were fantastic! My wife prefers not to have tortillas, so she stacked ingredients on a plate and loved it.
I prefer a little more substantial guacamole so used this recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/14231/guacamole/
Here’s a photo of finished product which I also posted on instagram: http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n148/mucknort/butternut%20squash%20taco_zpsbvtjrl53.jpg
Thanks, Erik
These tacos taste amazing! I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out perfectly. I sent the blog page to my sister in Texas and my mother in Michigan, and since both have bragged to their friends about these tacos and continued to pass the blog page along.
I made this over the weekend and served it over wild rice instead of in tacos. It was fantastic.
These were OK. They were colorful and healthy but my husband and I didn’t like them as much as all of your other recipes that I have made. I think they would be best for summer as they were cold.
I use lime juice in lots of my dressings but haven’t tried it in a slaw yet. Perfect combination! So many good things in these tacos I hardly know where to begin, but the butternut squash is a good place to start. We often use it in wraps of one kind or another.
Selected this as my #RecipeOfTheDay on social media today, including my Facebook foodie page. Thanks so much!
It was one of the best taco recipe i ever made!! Thank you!!
Awesome! Thanks, Carol-Ann!