Summer Veggie Tacos

Made with zucchini, tomatoes, green chiles, and cheese, vegetarian tacos are a great way to use up fresh produce for a filling, delicious meal. Grab some corn tortillas and you’re all set!

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated May 24, 2022
Elise Bauer
Overhead view of three vegetarian tacos with vegetables visible in the tacos.
Sally Vargas

Why I didn't think of this earlier in the summer, when the my zucchini plant was putting out two zukes a day, I don't know. But here it is, a veggie taco that combines the best of summer produce, that you can pull together in about 20 minutes!

Basic Ingredients for Veggie Tacos

I've made these for lunch for the last three days straight with summer squash, green chiles, tomatoes, and jalapeños from our garden.

You can improvise with the vegetables, a little fresh corn would work great added in, or some cooked beans as well. We have fresh chiles, so I included them, you could always just add some salsa or jalapeño pickles to taste.

Overhead view of three vegan tacos with vegetables visible in the tacos.
Sally Vargas

Two Tips for Great Tacos

The key to the overall taste is the addition at the end of cotija cheese, a Mexican cheese that is salty and crumbly, much like Greek feta.

Remember, unless you have just made your tortillas fresh from scratch, packaged corn tortillas need to be heated and softened first, before being used for tacos.

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Watch This Refreshing Summer Veggie Tacos Recipe

Great Add-Ins for Veggie Tacos

If you’d like to add more ingredients or toppings to these veggie tacos, here are some suggestions to make the recipe your own!

  • Black beans or pinto beans (canned or freshly cooked)
  • Mushrooms 
  • Cooked sweet potatoes
  • Bell peppers
  • Poblano peppers
  • Scallions
  • Fresh parsley
  • Salsa
  • Rice
  • Your favorite varieties of cheese
  • Picked jalapeños
  • Additional herbs and/or spices (paprika, chili powder, dried cilantro, etc.)

Make-Ahead Tips

Make a big batch of veggies ahead of time and reheat them in a skillet or microwave for quick meals throughout the week. Beyond these tacos, use your stash of prepped vegetables in frittatas, pastas, quesadillas, and more.

More Taco Recipes to Try

Don’t stop with veggie tacos! Try these other tasty taco recipes.

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Summer Veggie Tacos

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Servings 2 servings

Packaged corn tortillas vary in quality. Look for a thick tortilla, it will hold up better in the cooking. Otherwise, if your tortillas are more fragile, you may need to double them up - 2 per taco.

Ingredients

  • Extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 cup roughly chopped zucchini or summer squash (1 to 2 zucchini or squash, depending on the size)

  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped

  • 1 clove garlic, chopped

  • 1 large fresh mild green chile (Anaheim or Hatch), seeds and stem discarded, chopped

  • 1/2 fresh jalapeño chile pepper, seeds and stem discarded, minced (or more, if you desire more heat)

  • Pinch kosher salt, more to taste

  • Pinch ground cumin

  • Pinch ground oregano

  • 1 small to medium tomato, chopped

  • 4 corn tortillas

  • 4 slices cheddar cheese

  • 1/4 cup crumbled Mexican cotija cheese (a salty, crumbly cheese or substitute feta)

  • Few sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped (OK to include the stems, if small)

Method

  1. Sauté the vegetables:

    Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the zucchini, onions, garlic, green chilies, and jalapeño to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and cumin. Stir to coat the vegetables with the oil in the pan.

    Spread the veggies out in the pan and then stir only occasionally, until they are all lightly browned.

    Stir in the chopped tomatoes and oregano, reduce the heat to low. Let gently cook for several minutes while you are preparing the tortillas.

    Diced vegetables in a skillet to show how to make tacos.
    Sally Vargas
    Diced vegetables in a skillet to show how to make tacos.
    Sally Vargas
  2. Soften the tortillas:

    You are going to want to heat up the tortillas twice, first to soften them, and then to melt the cheese.

    There are two basic ways of doing this. One way is on the stove top, preferably in a cast iron pan. Another way is to use the microwave. In both methods you will work in batches. (A third way is to use fresh homemade corn tortillas, which is a great option if you are set up for it.)

  3. Prepare tortillas on the stovetop or the microwave:

    For the stovetop: Heat a dollop of olive oil (or other vegetable oil) in a large cast iron frying pan, on medium high. Add a tortilla to the pan, moving it around a bit, and turning it over, so that it spreads around the oil. Let the tortilla heat until it develops little bubbles of air pockets.

    Then place a piece of cheese on one side of the tortilla, and use a metal spatula to fold the other side of the tortilla over the cheese. Heat until cheese is melted, then remove from pan.

    Note that if you have a big enough pan, you can have one tortilla folded over while you have another tortilla doing its initial heating.

    Small tortilla in a skillet with cheese on half of it to make a vegetarian tacos recipe.
    Sally Vargas
    A tortilla pressed in half on a skillet to make a vegetarian tacos recipe.
    Sally Vargas

    In the microwave: Place a paper towel (or half a paper towel) on the heating surface of your microwave. Spread out 2 tortillas on the paper towels.

    Cook on high heat for 20 seconds per tortilla, in the case of 2 tortillas, 40 seconds. The tortillas should develop air pockets. (Note that every microwave is a little different, and corn tortillas differ as well. So you may need to adjust the times for your particular setup.)

    Then place a slice of cheese on one side of each tortilla and fold the tortillas over the cheese. Cook for an additional 10 seconds per tortilla (20 seconds for 2 tortillas), or until the cheese is melted.

    Melting cheese on a microwave platter to make a vegetarian tacos recipe.
    Sally Vargas
  4. Add sautéed vegetables to the tacos:

    Open the tacos and spoon some of the cooked veggie filling into them.

    Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and crumbled cotija cheese. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
496 Calories
32g Fat
35g Carbs
21g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 496
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 32g 41%
Saturated Fat 14g 72%
Cholesterol 70mg 23%
Sodium 899mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 35g 13%
Dietary Fiber 6g 23%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 21g
Vitamin C 57mg 286%
Calcium 605mg 47%
Iron 2mg 10%
Potassium 710mg 15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.