Chipotle Blood Orange Jackfruit Tacos + Grapefruit Beans
2022 Meal No. 3: Chipotle Blood Orange Jackfruit Tacos + Grapefruit Beans
Another week - another jackfruit taco recipe. Seriously - I’m totally obsessed with this stuff, and the fact that our neighborhood Trader Joe’s recently ran out of canned jackfruit was a big problem for me these past few days. But thank goodness - Whole Foods to the rescue, I bought every last can of jackfruit they had, & we had Chipotle Blood Orange Jackfruit Tacos + Grapefruit Beans for dinner. And holy cow - so veggie heavy + such a treat.
What you never want for plant based tacos is something that just feels like a….substitute. It’s kind of the worst when you feel like a vegetarian meal is just not cutting it. These jackfruits are not that. They’re just super freaking good! Juicy + full of spicy Mexican flavor, and made even better with super cheesy + rich refried beans (always a favorite for me + Jordan). Just a freaking awesome taco that happens to be vegetarian, and that’s all that needs to be said about it. The jackfruit is full of chipotle + citrus flavors and then topped with some fresh veggies + queso fresco - total taco perfection.
Jackfruit is so freaking easy to cook
Jackfruit should be easy (like super easy!) for you to prepare. When we first started using this ingredient, we’d spend so much time picking out the seeds. Point of that story - don’t do that. And just don’t let it intimidate you. Take the jackfruit as is, simply just drained from juices in the cans, and throw it all in the crockpot. Cook it, shred it all in the jackpot, and consider it an almost one pot meal.
The crucial step to transform your jackfruit into plant based carnitas - put that stuff in the oven + turn thee broiler on. Crucial! Just dries it out just enough, and how I like to think of it is your taking the final step of cooking that sauce into the jackfruit. Really getting it to soak + stick to the veg. When you broil it for just a few minutes, the jackfruit just crisps up a little bit on it’s edges, loses any soupy texture it may have after coming out of the crockpot, and truly turns into something that mimics carnitas. And it’s fabulous piled into a tortilla.
Don’t sleep on the crockpot + jackfruit
Discovering how good + how easy it is to cook jackfruit in the crockpot and then crisp it up in the broiler to get very satisfying vegetarian, carnitas style tacos is like the best gift to my 2022 at-home meal repertoire. Jordan + I are obsessed with jackfruit tacos - so juicy + flavorful + 100% satisfying for a true taco themed datenight.
For this recipe, I picked Jordan’s favorite - chipotle peppers - to give us a smokey, super savory style taco. And then added in my favorite - cold + crunchy veggies and queso fresco. The combo of slowcooking the jackfruit in fresh fruit juices + plenty of chipotles made for a super savory, flavorful, and sweet heat kind of taco.
Not so traditional refried beans
I’ll admit, grapefruit + beans is probably the weirdest combo I’ve ever heard of. With that said, it’s so good, and one of the best Matty Mathieson recipes we’ve tried at our house. Though I do modify it - pretty much don’t put nearly as much cheese in mine as he does his. Even with that, they’re perfectly cheesy + citrusy, and the best Mexi style beans I’ve had at home. The seasoning is just so perfect that a simple little side dish like beans changes into something so flavorful. We’re obsessed! And we’re loving having leftovers of this for some chip + dip action.
One not so Mexican ingredient in these beans - mozzarella cheese. But it melts so perfectly and gives a perfect texture and light cheesy flavor to the beans. Between the grapefruit + the mozz, it feels a little odd (admittedly) but it’s so good and everything just works. Highly recommend dipping some crunch tortillaa chips right into these guys for a lttle taste test!
These cheesy beans are one of the easier items we’ve made out of the Matty Mathieson cookbook, and boy oh boy were they memorable. And fun to bring back into our weekly meals with a fun new taco recipe. A totally great weeknight meal that was a very fun fix for a midweek taco craving.
For the tacos
2 cans of jackfruit
1/2 a yellow onion, finely diced
6 garlic cloves, smashed
3-4 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (minced) and + 1-2 tbsp of the saucee
juice of 3 blood oranges (or regular oranges)
juice of 1 lime
1 tsp cumin
pinch of salt + pepper
corn tortillas
fresh cilantro, red onion, queso fresco and avocado (for serving)
For the beans
1 can of refried beans
1 can of pinto beans
1/2 a yellow onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
2 tbsp chipotle or chili powder or other Mexican spice blend (I used a chipotle lime seasoning blend)
juice of 1 large grapefruit
1/4 c. chicken stock
1 1/2-2 c. shredded mozzarella
Start by getting your jackfruit cooking. Add the jackfruit, onion, garlic, chipotles, citrus, and seasoning to the crockpot. Give it a gentle stir and set the crockpot on low for 6 hours, stirring at the halfway point.
When your jackfruit is about an hour from being done, get started on the beans. Place a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the beans, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and seasonings to the pan & stir. Add on the grapefruit juice + chicken stock, stirring to incorporate. Cover the pan and let it cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. You want the beans to be simmering, but not burn to the bottom of the pan. Add in the cheese, a small sprinkle at a time, and stir to incorporate. Once the cheese has totally melted, add in another small handful of cheese, and repeat this process until all the cheese has been melted with your beans. Keep covered over low heat.
Turn the broiler to high. Shred the jackfruit while it’s still in the crockpot, then transfer all ingredients to a foil lined baking sheet. Broil the jackfruit for 5-6 minutes. The edges should be just a little crispy, and the jackfruit still being slightly juicy.
Heat your tortillas. Spoon a bit of your broiled jackfruit right in the center of warm tortillas. Add on the avocado, onion, cheese, and cilantro. Serve alongside a little cup of the cheesy beans (we sprinkled a little of the queso fresco right on the beans). So yummy and a perfect little at-home taco night.
