Drummed up by our intrepid recipe tester Lauren Godfrey, this nontraditional taco, sweet with squash, earthy and nutty with kale, and crunchy with fried pumpkin seeds (pepitas),我s—shhhhh—vegan. Don't tell anyone, but because it is so tasty, no one will care. The cashew crema can be replaced by store-boughtcremaor our Cumin-lime crema, but after polling both vegetarian and carnivorous friends, everyone preferred the nutty and rich nondairy cashew version (which must be made with raw cashews to work). To prepare the butternut squash, use a sharp peeler to remove the tough skin before slicing it in half and scooping out the seeds and fibers. Lazy cook's tip: Some markets sell butternut squash already peeled and seeded and ready to go.
Ingredients
Makes about 12 tacos; serves 4 to 6
Cashew Crema:
Pumpkin Seeds:
Filling:
Step 1
To make thecrema, soak the raw cashews in room-temperature water to cover for at least 1 hour. Drain and reserve.
Step 2
Toast the cumin in a small, dry, heavy skillet over medium heat for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Transfer to a spice grinder, let cool, and grind finely.
Step 3
In a blender, combine the cashews, cumin, lime juice, water, and salt. Start the blender on the lowest speed and gradually increase to the highest speed. Blend for at least 1 minute, until a creamy consistency. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.
Step 4
To make the pumpkin seeds, heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the pumpkin seeds and sauté for about 2 minutes, taking care that they do not burn. The seeds will begin to puff up and pop. Once they appear toasted, immediately pour them into a bowl. Toss with the cayenne and salt and set aside.
Step 5
To make the filling, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute more. Add the squash and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes, just until the squash begins to soften. Season with the chile powder and salt.
Step 6
Add the kale and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, until it begins to wilt. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.
Step 7
Serve with the tortillas,crema, pumpkin seeds, onion, cilantro, and salsa. To assemble each taco, invite guests to spoon about 1/2 cup of the warm filling into a tortilla and top with some crema and pumpkin seeds. If guests want more toppings, they can finish off their tacos with onion, cilantro, and salsa.
How would you rate Butternut Squash, Kale, and Crunchy Pepitas Taco?
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Reviews (29)
Back to TopCut the salt way back. Especially the crema, way too salty- disappointing. Also too much oil for the pumpkin seeds, made them greasy. Might be better to dry toast them . But we enjoyed the taco change and it's a good vegan recipe. Will make again with the changes.
arida
NC
10/26/2020
Some of the best tacos I ever had, veggie or otherwise. Cut the salt as per everyone's advice. Will definitely make again.
dvm1984
Vienna, VA
6/6/2020
Loved this so much! I did recognize that the crema called for too much salt (having ruined a very labor intensive meal in the past, with too much salt) so I used half that but it does need more than you would think to balance the lime juice. It was more prep than I like but worth it. I bought pre-cut squash and then cut it up smaller than they called for. I cut it up to size it looked in the picture a bit smaller than 1/2 inch. No need for salsa. Omitted the onion because I detest them. Oh, I only cooked a half recipe and then the next night it took me only the time it takes to cook the squash and kale - 10 min. Make extra pipettes - they are yummy and you will run out. Husband loved. I loved.
honeycakes
Sonoma
7/25/2019
pretty good but the cashew crema was inedible with 2 tsp salt. Maybe 1/2 t would have been enough. I see now that I made it that this is a common complaint, and it was a bummer because everything else turned out well.
和y_andersen
Hamilton, ON
11/26/2018
I'm going to echo other reviewers here, but I can't not review this recipe! It was FANTASTIC!! My meat-loving husband was skeptical but was SO overcome by how much he loved these tacos! He said he could eat them over and over again, and I'm sure we will. I doubled the squash part of recipe after reading other reviews to ensure we had leftovers. I kept the crema quantity the same and used flour tortillas as we're not a big fan of corn tortillas and it made the perfect amount for the package of 8. I don't measure salt, so just used my instinct which was likely about half of what the recipe called for and it was perfect. Also, I soaked the cashews, fried the pepitas, toasted and ground the cumin and cubed the butternut squash the night before, which made the night of cooking a breeze. I wouldn't say it was more effort than other recipes I make. Well worth it!
lnhalverson
Seattle, WA
11/12/2018
Yum! Easy and delicious! I didn't have cumin seeds, so I just used 3/4 tsp of ground cumin. I put a lid on the pan while cooking the butternut squash because I felt that otherwise it wouldn't cook through. I'd do that again. The cilantro and salsa were great toppings!
abcooks4u
波士顿
10/27/2018
Great flavors, and the pepitas are a must for crunchy contrast. But I was puzzled by the yield, which promises about 12 tacos. Do the math: If you start with 3 cups of squash (which shrinks during cooking), and the cooked onions and wilted kale also take up very little space, how do you come up with 12 half-cup servings of filling? I got enough filling for about six tacos. At any rate, the crema is great, and I have a lot left over that I can come up with a million uses for. Will definitely make this again.
Anonymous
Arlington, VA
3/2/2018
Magnificently rich without meat. Next time I will try the pipits raw...and there will be a next time.
cincisusan
7/1/2017
My friends loved these at a dinner party. Meat was not missed with that delicious creama. Easy to prep most ahead, charring the tortillas, even precooked the filling until the point of adding the kale I had pre chopped.
cincisusan
Cincinnati
6/9/2017
So good!!!!
davidsylwester
4/4/2017
We left out the taco shells and ate it as is. I agree with another reviewer that there was too much salt for the cashew crema. We had a lot of leftovers for lunches. It was so tasty! A definite repeat for us! I had so much crema leftover that I used it for a gluten free spinach and mushroom pasta.
Anonymous
2/3/2017
A fabulous fun way to make a meal. I prepped each item and let each person make their own as they ate. Everyone raved about the flavor, texture and left happy. Would make again? No. Did make again and will again after that.
Dimock14
Oreogn
1/30/2017
Very very good and interesting. All the flavors come together very well. Resist the urge to add salsa and other garnishes. The lime crema with cumin works very well with the squash, onion and kale. I used red onion instead of white to add more interest - I like the play of red onion and sweet butternut squash - plus I did not have any white onion on hand. Did not have any corn tortillas so made a very thin johnnycake instead, which worked exceedingly well.
scott_dau
Stamford , CTStafmord CTStamford CT
12/20/2016
I thought it was good. I ended up roasting the squash and onions and sauteed the kale with some garlic. I thought the cashew crema was a little bland - could have used something - I added more garlic and citrus. The pumpkin seeds were great - they added that crunch that was needed, and the cayenne pepper added some kick. Overall my family liked it.
mkhughes11
San Francisco, CA
6/2/2016
这道菜是守门员!诚然这挑剔taking me about 2 hours to make by the time I was all done. However, the end result was well worth the effort. I made a double batch, and it made two nights worth of fabulous meals. I didn't use all the salt for the veggies (it seemed like a lot to me), went very heavy on the chili powder, and also added some smoked paprika to taste. I also subbed garnet yams because I couldn't find pre-peeled squash and was simply too lazy to do it myself. I have an electric stove, and it took a very long time to cook the potatoes (30 minutes at least over medium-high heat). I also soaked the cashews overnight just because that's what I'm used to doing. The end result was absolutely amazing! I took it to a potluck, and had multiple requests for the recipe. And my family enjoyed having it as leftovers another night that week. We also have a lot of the lime cumin sauce leftover (probably didn't need to double that part) that will make for another great dinner next week. This is absolutely a 4-fork recipe worth trying if you are willing to invest a bit of time.
IndigoVelvet1
Phoenix, AZ
2/22/2016
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