Very veggie seven layer tacos
Roasted cauliflower tacos that are worth obsessing over with spicy creamy slaw, guac, and pickled red onions
Hi, friends. Isn’t there something about a balmy evening that just feels like taco weather? It definitely doesn’t need to be warm out to enjoy a taco (take it from someone who’s been known to eat them like clockwork, rain or shine or wind or whatever, every singly Friday night at 9 PM after the kids go to sleep), but nice weather, a delicious taco, and an icy cold margarita is a combination that is perfect to me.
And now that those balmy days and evenings are upon us (or at least imminent), I’ve been craving these specific tacos I’m sharing today, which are loaded with veggies and toppings galore. Seven layers of them, to be exact: tortillas, gooey cheese, beans, roasted cauliflower flavored with a homemade taco seasoning, a spicy meets creamy (and so so easy) cabbage slaw, a perfect guacamole, and some pickled red onions for a hint of acid and sweetness.
Yes, it’s a lot of components. Yes, it all comes together in around 40 minutes. Yes, you can definitely opt for some store-bought things to make it easier. And yes, you will *definitely* want to make these on repeat.
Tell me more
I’ve been making these roasted cauli tacos for years, and every time I do my husband and I kind of just marvel at how good they are. Super loaded — like, messy loaded, if you like them like I do — but just hitting all the right notes. Crunchy and soft, warm and cold, creamy and spicy, all at once.
When I made this recipe this week to get the measurements juuuust right and take photos, Denis just kept saying, “WOW, Rita. Your tacos and your margs. WOW.”
Like many good recipes, they began when a craving (a mushroom perron from Tacos 1986) met the ingredients I had on hand (cauliflower). A Tacos 1986 perron is a flour tortilla topped with melted cheese, choice of meat or their mushroom blend, guacamole, beans, and salsa. I didn’t have mushrooms at home but I love cauliflower and always have some in the fridge, so that was a no-brainer for the “main” part of the taco. And I didn’t have salsa or anything to make it with, but I did have cabbage, and I figured a quick slaw could add the same zestiness and additional veg component that a chunky pico would.
One bite and we were hooked. I shared a very loose interpretation of these on my Instagram stories a couple years back, and have followers that still to this day send me messages saying how much they love making them. I hope you do, too.
TL;DR: How we’re elevating the everyday
Giving taco night a glow-up with vibrant, restaurant-worthy, veggie-packed tacos that are as stunning as they are satisfying.
Before we begin
I promise you won’t miss the meat. Between the beans, cheese, taco seasoning, guac, and slaw, there is plenty of goodness here to fill you up and satisfy you. HOWEVER, you can easily throw some ground meat into the mix if you really want to.
And on the other side of the spectrum, you can skip the cheese and opt for a plant-based yogurt to make these totally vegan. Choices, we love them!
As you can see in the photo, I like to load these suckers UP. It makes for a messy taco and I’m ok with it. You can serve the slaw on the side to make them a bit more manageable.
It goes without saying but these are obviously not an authentic Mexican taco recipe, just my version of a veggie taco that I love and make on repeat.
Not surprisingly, these taste ah-mazing with a margarita. My preference? A grapefruit one. Recipe below!
The recipe
Serves: 4
Ready in: 40-ish minutes
For the pickled red onions:
1 large red onion
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp sea salt
1 garlic clove, peeled
Cut your onion in half, remove the peel, then thinly slice. I like to use my mandoline on the 1/8” setting.
In a small saucepan, combine your white vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook just until the sugar and salt have dissolved, about 3-5 minutes.
Set aside a small handful of the onions for the guacamole. Add the rest to a heat-proof bowl or a jar along with your garlic clove. Pour the vinegar mixture over the top, making sure the onions are completely submerged. If for some reason they aren’t, add a splash more water until they are. Let these marinate until everything else is ready.
For the cauliflower:
1 head cauliflower
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1.5 tbsp cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
First, separate your head of cauliflower into florets, then cut each floret into halves, quarters, or even eights depending on how big they are. You want uniform-ish bite-sized pieces.
Next, make your taco seasoning. Combine dried oregano, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin in a bowl.
Place your cauliflower on a large baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, then sprinkle on your seasoning, starting with about half the mix. Season with salt and pepper as well. Toss with your hands, making sure to coat each piece of cauliflower in olive oil and seasoning. Add more seasoning if you wish. Save whatever is left in an air-tight container in your pantry.
Bake for 20 minutes, toss, then bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden all over.
For the guacamole:
3 large ripe avocados
2 tbsp minced red onion
3 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
A couple shakes each cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder
A couple of shakes Cholula or hot sauce of choice (Valentina and Tapatio are good options here)
Finely chopped jalapeño, optional
Juice of 1/2 a lime
Salt and pepper
Add all your ingredients to a large bowl, and season generously with salt and pepper. I like to use a spoon to mix — I find that I mash it too much with a fork, and I like some chunks! So, mix with a spoon, using the back to gently mash the avocado, making sure to leave some chunks. Taste and add in more of whatever you think it needs to make your taste buds happy. Set aside until ready to eat.
For the slaw:
1/2 head of purple cabbage, finely shredded (about 4-5 cups)
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Siggi's which is icelandic style. You can also use greek. Just make sure it's unsweetened, whatever you use)
1/4 cup mayo
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 tbps hot sauce or more, depending on how spicy you like it
To shred your cabbage, use either a very sharp knife or a mandoline. I use the 1/16” setting on mine for slaw.
Add your cabbage, spring onions, and cilantro to a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the yogurt, mayo, lime juice, and hot sauce, and season generously with salt.
Toss the slaw with dressing, starting with about half and adding more depending on how dressed you like your salad. Season with salt and pepper.
To serve:
8 flour or corn tortillas
Shredded cheese
Pinto beans or beans of choice, heated up (I use canned, feel free to make your own if you’d like!)
Limes
Hot sauce
Pickled jalapeños
Heat your tortillas per package instructions. Place shredded cheese on tortilla and heat just until melted.
Top with beans, cauliflower, slaw, pickled red onions, and a squeeze of lime. Add hot sauce or pickled jalapeños if you wish. Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
Notes
Make ahead: You can make the cauliflower ahead of time and heat it up in your oven at 350 for about 10 minutes, in the microwave, in a skillet, or in the air fryer before serving. You can prep your slaw ingredients and make your dressing ahead of time, but don’t mix together until ready to serve. Guac is best fresh in my opinion. Red onions can be made a few days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
Store bought is fine: Make this a little easier by buying guacamole, pickled red onions, taco seasoning, and shredded cabbage at the store.
