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Tacos! It’s been too long.
Well, not really. I make tacos at least once a week, but I have not posted tacos since these Caribbean Jerk Salmon Tostadas with Grilled Pineapple Peach Coconut Salsa. That was back in August and those are technically not even tacos.
So yeah, it has just been too long.
And yeah, I am aware that there is this giant food holiday on Thursday. I am also aware that I should probably be showing you last-minute Thanksgiving food, and maybe I will tomorrow, but we still gotta eat for the next three days, right? So, I mean why not make it good food?
Good pretty, festive and healthy food.
Yes!
I am pretty sure that most everyone is loaded up with sweet potatoes and cranberries in their cupboards right now, and if you’re not you should be. They are November’s super foods and they are kind of delicious.
And speaking of November and food and Thanksgiving, do you guys have your menus set?
Personally, I have never been so unprepared.
I have honestly not given our Thanksgiving meal a thought until now. Ok well, I have thought about Thanksgiving meals, but only in regards to what to make to show you guys. As for my family’s Thanksgiving I have not a thing planned… and there is a lot of us. Too many if you ask me, but that’s just my family. It’s big.
Fortunately (in this case anyway), most of them all have super boring taste buds, so our Thanksgiving does not require much thought.
Although, I know there has to be a lot of pie, so I better at least start prepping some dough or something.
Ok, but back to the tacos.
These tacos, that personally I could honestly eat for Thanksgiving dinner and be SO happy with, do have two Thanksgiving “all-stars”. Hello sweet potatoes and cranberries.
This recipe is one of my favorites.
First the quinoa and sweet potato filling. In my opinion it is better than any meat filling out there. It is full of flavor and texture. It’s spicy with the slightest hint of sweet from the sweet potatoes. The combo of chipotle and sweet potatoes is one of the best. Plus, it’s really quick and easy to throw together. I never even peel my sweet potatoes, that alone helps cut down the already quick prep time!
My favorite part?
My favorite part is without a doubt the salsa. The salsa is what makes these tacos. It is incredible, and my all time favorite salsa that I have made yet. And I made A LOT of salsa over the summer. It is sort of like cranberry sauce, but so much better. It has more flavor, better taste and paired with the quinoa it is just SO good. Actually, I would totally dig into the salsa with a spoon, spread it on toast, sandwiches, pretty much whatever.
And the leftovers are equally as good.
The next night I made a giant taco salad with a little lettuce, a lot of quinoa, cheese, avocado, crushed tortilla chips and a ton of salsa. Total health food. It’s kind of awesome and perfect since I have a feeling Thursday through Friday will be um well… not so healthy.
Oh, and the quinoa can also be eaten as a side, or even a lunch. It is very versatile.
I just cannot say enough good things about these tacos. They are my favorite, maybe one of my favorite recipes on this site. Yes, I have a lot of recipes on Half Baked Harvest and as of right now these tacos are in the top five favorites.
They are so good. They’re a little spicy, a little sweet, very healthy and the prettiest food I have ever eaten. You guy will love them. Really you will!
Chipotle Quinoa Sweet Potato Tacos with Roasted Cranberry Pomegranate Salsa
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 628 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 a small sweet onion
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 large sweet potato chopped (peel if desired)
- salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa I used red quinoa
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 canned chipotle chilies minced
- 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo from the chipotle chili can
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cayenne or to your taste
- 1 cup cooked black beans if using canned drain and rinse them
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 small bunch cilantro
- 6-8 four tortillas corn tortillas (warmed) or hard shell tacos (personally my family prefers hards shell, but all of them are good!), warmed
- 1 avocado sliced or diced, for topping
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese for topping
- cotija cheese crumbled, for topping
Roasted Cranberry Pomegranate Salsa
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 canned chipotle chili chopped
- 1 lime zested + juiced
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 1 jalapeno chopped and seed removed if desired
- the arils from 1 pomegranate learn how to deseed a pomegranate [here | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/deseed-pomegranate-pictures/]
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- To make the salsa. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
- Place the cranberries, brown sugar, chipotle chili, lime zest + juice, garlic, jalapeño and a pinch of salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss everything together until the cranberries are evenly coated. Place in the oven and roast until the cranberries burst and release their juices, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and and let cool 10 minutes. Then add the pomegranate arils and toss well. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. Set aside and keep at room temperature.
- Well the cranberries are roasting start the tacos. Heat the olive oil over a large skillet set over medium heat. Add the onions and sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Cover the skillet and let cook until the sweet potatoes are fork tender, but not mushy, stirring once or twice for about 15 minutes. Once the sweet potatoes are fork tender, add the garlic and saute 30 seconds. Then crank up the heat to medium-high (adding more oil if needed) and add the quinoa. Let the quinoa get crispy and cook for about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup water, tomatoes (if using), the chili powder, chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar and cayenne, stir to thoroughly combine and bring the mixture to a boil. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the water has completely evaporated. Remove from the heat and stir in the black beans, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and the lime juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
- To assemble the tacos place some of the quinoa in a tortilla or shell. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, a large dollop the the roasted cranberry salsa, crumbled catija cheese and fresh chopped cilantro. Take in their beauty and then EAT!
Get at em.
I’m making this soon. How many tomatoes should I use if I want to add them. They are not listed in the ingredients. Thank you; love all your recipes!
Hey Jane,
I did not use tomatoes in this recipe so you could just add them to your liking. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Thank you! I made it (without tomatoes) and it was amazing. Served it to meat eaters and they enjoyed it too.
P.S. I asked about tomatoes because it was included in the body of the recipe. Not sure if that was an error or in there for folks that can’t do without tomatoes.
Thanks again; appeciate you.
Looks great, but what’s “ 1 leaves can diced tomatoes”?
Hi! That was a typo, recipe all fixed! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
I eagerly awake pomegranates and cranberries to come into season so I can make this! It’s become one of my husband and I’s favorite fall recipes! Thank you for an amazing dish!
I am so glad you both love this recipe Erin! I hope you continue to! xTieghan
Delicious! Was wary of cranberry salsa and took the plunge – it went with the meal so well, everyone loved it.
Thank you Lori!
O my! I want these so badly. We live in Africa and cranberries do not exist here. I also think pomegranates are out of season. How are the tacos without the amazing salsa? Worth making? Any ideas on a different salsa?
Hey Denise! The tacos are still great minus the salsa. Just replace it with your favorite fruit based salsa, or serve the tacos with no salsa. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much! xTieghan
Tieghan, we tried these chipotle quinoa sweet potato tacos with roasted cranberry pomegranate salsa this week and they were a SUCCESS! That’s the first time I’ve made tacos with sweet potatoes, or quinoa, or pretty much every ingredient you had in them. My husband is a serious carnivore, and he actually liked these! And the salsa on top just took it to the next level. As usual, your recipes are spot-on. it’s Halloween tonight, and I’m making my homemade Chicken Chile Verde with Bean & cheesy Burritos, and for desert I’m gonna do your Sweet Potato Pie Dutch Baby. YUM! Keep your awesome recipes coming! BTW, good luck with your new barn/cooking barn; I hope it’s going well.
I am so happy you loved these Liz! And I hope you love the butch baby as well! Thank you and Happy Halloween!
I had these for the first time when a friend made this recipe for a dinner party she was hosting. I loved it so much, I had to make it for myself and for my boyfriend! We are just starting to explore vegetarian food, and these tacos are so satisfying, complex in flavor, and delicious. I quadrupled the recipe so that we could have it for a couple dinners and to pack for lunch for the week.
I’m so happy to have found your website through my friend! There are so many amazing recipes I am jumping to try!
Awh wow so happy you liked it Jenna! SO cool that you two are trying vegetarian cuisine! Hope you love all the recipes to come!!
Thanks so so much!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times and my guest always rave! It makes a lot of food, so I was wondering if you have any freezer leftover suggestions. I like to use leftover chicken taco meat to make enchiladas that I can put in the freezer for a quick reheat another day. I’d love to do something that freezes well, like enchiladas, with this filling but I don’t think typical enchilada sauce would be a good match. I see others have made enchiladas – maybe they’d know? Any suggestions?
SO happy you love these tacos!! 🙂
Thanks Bonnie!
Oops, sorry! Hit reply too fast!
I think turning these into enchiladas would be great, sauce or no sauce! Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!
Making these tomorrow for dinner and have a question. The recipe calls for cooked quinoa, but in the directions, the quinoa is added with water. Can you clarify whether I should cook the quinoa before adding it into the potatoes?
hi Cobby, please use COOKED quinoa for this recipe. Let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks and enjoy the tacos!
Tieghan
Nice One
Tieghan, I made these but altered the recipe to make them enchiladas to feed my whole family that is in town for the holidays. Everyone loved them and the cranberry salsa was a huge hit. Thanks for such a unique and crowd-pleasing recipe!
I first made these tacos in 2013 when you posted them, and now every year when the cranberries and pomegranates hit the stores I instantly crave them. This is easily in my top 5 fall dishes, and everyone I’ve made them for has loved them. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!!
Oh my gosh! That is so awesome! Thank you for reading and letting me know how much you love these! 🙂
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I use Canon as well
I made these tacos a few months ago and LOVED them! I am making them again tonight for dinner. Thank you!!