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Vegetarians, rejoice – with these cauliflower tinga tacos, your taco Tuesday just got a whole lot more delicious! These cauliflower tacos with homemade slaw are incredibly fresh and flavorful.
So – what’s tinga? If you don’t already know, tinga is a Mexican dish that’s consistent of flavor packed shredded chicken. It’s amazing on tacos… but this cauliflower might be even better!
I’m not a vegetarian, and even I can’t get enough of these cauliflower tinga tacos. The ingredients are so just so fresh! While I don’t believe food should ever really make you feel guilty, I guess this could still be considered a “guilt-free” recipe.
Summer’s right around the corner, and I struggle to think of a better way to kick it off than with these chicken tinga tacos. Especially when they’re paired with a Guava Mojito or Paloma!
Whether you’re making these for a pool party or a weeknight dinner, you’ll be glad you made these easy veggie-packed tacos.
Ingredients for cauliflower tinga tacos
For the cauliflower tinga, you’ll need:
- Cauliflower
- Avocado oil – This can also be substituted any other neutral flavored cooking oil, like canola or vegetable oil.
- Onion – White onions work best, but a yellow onion can be used in a pinch.
- Garlic
- Tomatoes – I love using Roma tomatoes for these tacos. Just dice them up, but don’t worry about seeding them.
- Pureed chipotle in adobo sauce – This can be found in most grocery stores. Just double check that it’s pureed chipotle, not whole chipotle peppers, unless you want to puree them yourself.
- Salt
- Oregano – Use dried, not fresh
The homemade slaw will need:
- Cabbage
- Jalapeño – For less spice, remove the seeds. Like it hot? Keep the seeds in.
- Cilantro – You could substitute parsley instead, but cilantro is recommended for the most authentic Mexican flavor.
- Mayonnaise – To keep things vegan, feel free to use a vegan mayo!
- Sugar – Agave nectar also works just as well.
- Chili powder – Just a dash is all you need to add even more flavor to the slaw.
- Lime
- Salt
What kind of tortillas should I use for these cauliflower tinga tacos?
Personally, I always use soft corn tortillas for these tacos. However, crunchy taco shells also work!
If you prefer flour tortillas, I highly recommend making soft and delicious Homemade Flour Tortillas. They are SO much better than store-bought.
What should I serve with these Mexican veggie tacos?
Keep things deliciously south of the border when it comes to your side dishes!
I love making dishes like Poblano Mexican Street Corn off the Cob and Homemade Guacamole to accompany cauliflower tinga tacos.
Looking for more vegetarian recipes to enjoy?
Mexican Vegetable and Bean Tortilla Soup
Nutty Spinach and Quinoa Salad
Cauliflower Tinga Tacos
Ingredients
Cauliflower Tinga:
- 1 ½ pounds (680 g) cauliflower florets
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ medium white onion, thinly sliced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 8 Roma tomatoes, diced (not seeded)
- 3 tablespoons pureed chipotle in adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
Slaw:
- 3 cups (210 g) shredded cabbage
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup (4 g) minced cilantro or parsley
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, (vegan or regular)
- 1 teaspoon sugar or agave nectar
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Juice of 1 lime
- Salt,, to taste
To Serve:
- 8 corn tortillas
- 3 radishes,, thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
- ¼ cup (4 g) cilantro or parsley, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 °F (218 °C). Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Roast for 25-30 minutes or until slightly charred and tender. While the cauliflower is cooking, make the tinga sauce and slaw.
Slaw:
- Mix together the ingredients in a large mixing bowl, refrigerate until ready to use.
Tinga Sauce:
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the oil to the pot along with the onion and garlic clove. Cook 4-5 minutes until soft but not browned.
- Add the tomatoes, chipotle chilies, salt, and oregano to the pot and bring to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 10 minutes stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are very soft. Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce or transfer to a blender and blend until smooth then transfer back to the skillet.
- Add the roasted cauliflower to the sauce and stir to combine. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes.
To Serve:
- Fill each tortilla with slaw, cauliflower tinga, and top with radishes, extra jalapeno, and cilantro. Serve immediately.
These were soo good! I always have issues with getting cauliflower more on the roasted side as opposed to steamed. I probably didn’t give each floret enough space to get a char because the texture wasn’t what I was aiming for. That being said, the flavors of everything were on point and I will definitely make this again!
yay! so glad you enjoyed these. quick question: did you use pre-cut florets or did you buy a cauliflower head and chop it up yourself? i find that pre-cut florets ALWAYS (for some odd reason) have so much liquid retained in them that it ends up steaming when you roast…like all the liquid just seeps out and it steams itself lol…so i just now buy a head of cauliflower and chop it into florets myself. works and roasts perfectly every time! it’s more work but i hate steamed veggies lol
@Julie Chiou, I chopped up a cauliflower head but I left the florets pretty huge. Do you know if keeping them larger or smaller is better for getting that nice char? Thank you for responding to me!
I usually keep mine pretty small – see this recipe for size: https://www.tablefortwoblog.com/crazy-roasted-cauliflower/ – overcrowding though can cause the steaming effect!