Double decker chickpea tacos

Before I made these double decker tacos, I’d never cooked with hard corn taco shells before. I’d eaten them a few times (though I can’t for the life of me remember where), and I know I didn’t enjoy them too much – purely because they make such a mess! The tacos look beautiful when they’re neatly stuffed with a load of delicious fillings, but after one bite, the shell cracks, and everything goes all over the place.

That’s where double decker tacos come in! The hard taco shells are wrapped in a soft flour tortilla, with a layer of refried beans to stick them together. That way, when the shell cracks, it’s all still in one piece! You get all the crunch, with none of the mess. Utter genius.

I can’t take credit for the double decker idea, by the way (much as I’d love to be able to put my name to it). I’ve seen this idea all over the internet for the past few years. I’m not sure who came up with the idea originally, but whoever they are, we owe them this delicious dinner. Thank you, wherever you are.

This recipe was inspired by Gocompare – since January is all about being the best person you can be, they asked me to come up with a healthy, family-friendly recipe that also didn’t break the bank. Now, I don’t have kids, but I can’t imagine many kids are going to turn their nose up at a big stack of tacos, and they’re stuffed to the brim with vegetables – so I think I’ve got the first two boxes ticked.

As for the cost of the meal, I reckon the whole thing comes in well short of a tenner – not bad for a meal for four! I only made six tacos, but if you think your kids might eat more than one taco each, the whole thing can easily be scaled up without any bother.

The stuffing of these double decker tacos is really simple – just some chickpeas sautéed up with some onion and spices, then sprinkled with cheese before baking. Baking the tacos helps the cheese to melt through the chickpeas, and makes the edges of the tortillas nice and crispy. Finish them off with your choice of toppings, and you’re good to go!

You can check out other bloggers’ healthy, family-friendly recipes on the Gocompare website.

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Double decker chickpea tacos

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• 6 mini flour tortillas
• 6 tbsp refried beans
• 6 hard taco shells
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1/2 onion sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 400 g tin chickpeas 240g when drained, or ~ 1 1/2 cups, drained
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp hot chilli powder
• tbsp ~10 cherry tomatoes or 2 salsa, halved
• 60 g cheddar cheese ~2/3 cup, grated
• g Your choice of cold toppings e.. lettuce, cherry tomatoes, avocado, jalapeños, sour cream, salsa, lime juice, olives, etc.

Instructions

• Spread each flour tortilla with about a tablespoon of refried beans. Place a hard taco shell on one side of the tortilla, and gently fold the other side over to encase the shell. Press gently so you don’t crack the shell (though it’s not the end of the world if you do!).
• Place the 6 double decker taco shells in a baking dish, open side pointing upwards. Set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
• Heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the onion, garlic, chickpeas and spices. Cook over a medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. If you want, you can turn the heat up a touch to get a little bit of char on the vegetables.
• Add the halved tomatoes, and cook for another few minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down. Squash the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to help speed along the process. Alternatively, you could use a couple of tablespoons of salsa to save time.
• Distribute the chickpea mixture evenly into the 6 taco shells, and top each with some grated cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
• Add your chosen cold toppings to each taco, and serve immediately.

Course: Main meal

Author: Becca Heyes

Love tacos? Try my vegan lentil and black bean tacos!