By Meal Prep Ideas 
Three cheers for summertime eating! Smoky black beans sautéed with kale and garlic and spices, tucked into charred corn tortillas, and topped with the best feisty, punchy green sauce – Aji Verde!
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Over the last few weeks these have been repeatedly served to myself, my husband, my toddler, and a random sampling of friends who happened to be over at dinnertime. Everyone has given them two thumbs up, and more importantly, everyone has confirmed what we all know in our hearts: that the real star here is the aji verde.
You Need To Know About Aji Verde
Aji verde is a spicy Peruvian green sauce, and it came into my life last year when I made it as a little drizzley drizzle for this plantain stew (um, incredible). Now here we are in the summer, when stew is out and tacos are in, so I’m revisiting the beloved aji verde for these beans and greens tacos. Because what’s a taco without a good sauce? Sad. That’s what it is. And we don’t do sad tacos. Enter: more aji verde.
What To Pile On Top Of These Tacos
As with all tacos, please, by all means, go big with your toppings. You know I will approve of the more-is-more mentality here. For one, I can confirm that avocado is killer. Slaw or some kind of pico would be excellent. Pickled red onions would truly make the angels sing. And the sweet corn that I generously scooped all over my tacos was a peppy nod to summer and all things sweet, fresh, and a little bit crunchy.
But really, all you NEED need for the base of these are:
- Chipotle black bean and kale mixture (pictured in the pan below, looking spicy, mysterious, and delicious)
- Aji verde x10
Holy smoke show, these were so good. Three cheers for vegetarian tacos that you can look forward to eating and feel proud to serve to friends (aka self). YUM.
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Smoky Beans and Greens Tacos: FAQs
I want to make my own enchilada sauce. Would that work here?
Absolutely! This is the best homemade enchilada sauce and is ready for you in 5 minutes. Seriously!
Is there a way to make this vegan?
Good news! It’s super easy to vegan-ize this recipe. Just swap out the regular mayo for a vegan mayo here.
Are these tacos spicy?
The tacos themselves have a lot of flavor, but they aren’t really spicy. The Aji Verde sauce on the other hand has some heat and punch to it, so if you don’t love spicy food, it’s probably best to limit how much green sauce goes on top of your tacos.