20-Minute Chimichurri Tacos Recipe

Let's be honest: Any day of the week is a solid time to enjoy some tacos. Adding chimichurri into the mix, though, will completely transform the tacos you usually whip up into little explosions of fresh, savory goodness. Delicious little pockets that require absolutely no utensils and you can fill up with a whole meal's worth of ingredients? We are totally here for it! An even bigger benefit of this recipe is that it takes just 20 minutes to pull together, bringing a scrumptious meal from the kitchen to the dinner table in basically no time at all.

"I love making tacos at least once a week, because they are a great weeknight meal that everyone loves, and each person can add their favorite toppings," says recipe developer Miriam Hahn of YouCare-SelfCare. What's better than a quick meal during the week that makes everyone happy? Not much, and this recipe is sure to become a new family favorite.

This recipe requires a bunch of ingredients, but they're mostly herbs and spices. You'll start with a bottle of olive oil or avocado oil. "I usually use avocado oil for any stovetop cooking, because it has a high smoke point, but either oil will work fine," Hahn notes. "Both are neutral enough and don't add any specific flavor."

You'll also need a red onion, which you'll chop and dice for the topping, four cloves of garlic, and a container of crimini or bella mushrooms that will beef up the filling nicely. Add a bundle of fresh cilantro, flat leaf parsley, lime juice, honey or agave, two cans of black beans, and taco shells to your shopping list as well. Hahn says she opts for organic taco shells, "because most corn is GMO (genetically modified) and if it is organic, it has to be GMO-free." To finish off this recipe, you'll need a dash of cumin, salt, and pepper, which you likely already have at home.

You can also incorporate additional toppings like sliced avocado, diced tomato, cheese, and sour cream. Leaving the toppings out for people to customize their tacos with makes the experience so much more fun, whether it's family night or you're having guests over.

Start off by placing a large frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan, and swirl the oil around so it coats the pan nicely. Then, add the chopped onion and sliced mushrooms, and mix them together. Onions are a staple for tacos, while the mushrooms are a unique addition in this recipe.

Keep cooking the vegetables on medium for about eight to 10 minutes, stirring every so often to make sure the onions and mushrooms cook evenly. This is basically the heart and soul of the taco filling, so be absolutely sure the mixture doesn't burn!

While your mushroom and onion blend is cooking, it's time to get out your food processor, and make the chimichurri sauce. Chimichurri is an Argentinian specialty, a light and savory blend of herbs and flavors. Here, chimichurri will be the sauce that takes your tacos to the next level. "This Chimichurri sauce is also great on quesadillas, burritos, fajitas, or taco salads," says Hahn. "It has such a great flavor! I love to make Mexican buddha bowls and use that for the dressing."

Mix together the cilantro, parsley, lime juice, garlic, honey, cumin, salt, and pepper in the food processor. Then, pour ½ cup of oil over it. Blend your herbs and spices in the food processor until the mixture is smooth enough to pour over the tacos.

Once your mushroom and onion blend is done cooking, add the beans to the pan. Mix the ingredients to blend well. This should look like one perfect collection of vegetables and beans, ready to line the bottom of your tacos. Finally, drop half of the chimichurri sauce on top of the veggie mixture, and stir. You don't want this to cook too much. Simply stir and cook to blend thoroughly, and warm the beans and sauce. This process should take about two minutes. Once it's warm and blended, set it aside.

Get excited, because your tacos are almost ready to enjoy! You'll first want to warm the taco shells. (Hahn usually warms the taco shells in the oven or toaster oven, although she suggests you read and follow the instructions on the taco shell box, as this can vary.) Then, fill the shells with your bean and mushroom mixture, and top with chimichurri sauce. As far as additional toppings are concerned, Hahn suggests diced tomatoes, sliced avocado, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

Everybody can put on their own toppings to customize their meal. You can either plate them, or to really make your presentation fancy, put them on a taco holder. "I use metal taco holders," Hahn says. "They are great because you can place them on a baking sheet with your shells in place and heat them up that way." If you don't already own a taco holder, it's a great investment to buy one — especially because we're pretty sure you'll want to make these chimichurri tacos on the regular.