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Taco night, but cozier. Think caramelized chorizo, tender sweet potatoes, and a bright black bean–corn salsa—all finished with a smoky poblano avocado crema. It’s a weeknight skillet situation with big flavor and a little heat, easy to scale for a crowd or game day.
Make the salsa and crema while the potatoes soften, then pile everything into warm tortillas and shower with melty cheese. Dinner’s done—and it’s a good one.
Ingredients Notes:
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Sweet potato: 1-inch chunks cook evenly; look for firm, dry flesh. Doneness cue: fork-tender with lightly caramelized edges.
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Mexican chorizo (raw/ground): Choose fresh Mexican-style (not cured Spanish); turkey or chicken chorizo works too, but will brown a little drier.
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Cheese: Pepper jack + sharp cheddar = melt + tang. Monterey jack works for milder heat.
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Tortillas: Corn for classic texture; flour for soft, foldable tacos. Warm until pliable.
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Black beans: Canned, drained and rinsed is perfect; cook your own for firmer bite.
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Corn: Grilled ears are ideal; in off-season, use thawed fire-roasted frozen corn for similar char.
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Poblano: Mild-to-medium heat; char to blister-black for smoky depth before peeling.
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Greek yogurt: Adds tang to the crema; swap with sour cream or go dairy-free
Step-by-Step Tips:
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Sauté sweet potato: Medium heat, covered, stirring occasionally until just tender; edges should look glossy and spotty-golden before adding chorizo.
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Brown the chorizo: Crumble with a wooden spoon; cook until deep reddish-brown with crisp bits and no visible pink. If excess fat renders, spoon off to keep filling from turning greasy.
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Char the poblanos: Broil skin-side up until fully blackened (check every 2–3 minutes), then steam in a covered bowl 10–15 minutes; peel most of the skin for a smoother crema. Grill or gas-burner works too.
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Crema texture: Process until silky; adjust with lime juice for brightness or a splash of water to thin.
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Salsa: Toss just before serving so tomatoes stay juicy and corn keeps its pop.
Make-Ahead, Storage & Reheat:
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Make-ahead: Crema keeps best 1 day (press plastic wrap directly on surface). Salsa can be mixed 1 day ahead; add tomatoes and lime just before serving for freshness.
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Store: Keep components separate in airtight containers in the fridge 2–3 days.
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Reheat: Warm sweet potato–chorizo mixture in a skillet over medium until hot; add a splash of water if dry. Steam tortillas in a damp towel in the microwave or warm on a dry skillet.
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Freeze: Filling (sweet potato + chorizo) freezes up to a month; thaw overnight and re-crisp in a skillet.
FAQ:
Can I use Spanish (cured) chorizo?
Not for the filling—Spanish chorizo is firm and won’t crumble. Use fresh Mexican-style chorizo (or turkey/chicken chorizo) so it browns and mingles with the sweet potatoes.
How do I char poblanos without a broiler?
Use a gas burner or outdoor grill, turning with tongs until skins are blistered and black. Steam in a covered bowl before peeling for that smoky-sweet flavor.
What if my sweet potatoes are still firm when the chorizo is done?
Add a splash of water, cover, and let them steam a few minutes; they’re ready when a fork slides in easily and edges look lightly caramelized.
How can I make these ahead for a party?
Cook the filling and prep the salsa/crema a day ahead; rewarm filling in a skillet and set up a taco bar with warmed tortillas. Assemble to order so tortillas stay soft and the salsa stays bright.
Sweet potato + Chorizo Tacos with Black Bean Salsa and Roasted Poblano Avocado Crema
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 1222 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Tacos
- 1 sweet potato, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 pound ground mexican chorizo
- 1 clove garlic minced or grated
- 4 ounces pepper jack cheese grated
- 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 6-8 corn or flour tortillas warmed
Black Bean Corn Salsa
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- 2 ears grilled corn
- 1 cup grape tomatoes quartered
- 1 jalapeno seeds removed and chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 3 green onions chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Poblano Avocado Crema
- 1 avocado skin and pit removed + chopped or sliced
- 1/4 cup greek yogurt
- 1 poblano pepper
- 2 teaspoon hot sauce I use Franks
- 2 limes juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- salt and pepper taste
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil. Add garlic and sweet potatoes and stir. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until sweet potatoes are just softened. Crumble in the chorizo and cook until browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. I like to really grind up the meat with a wooden spoon to make sure the meat gets cooked and browned evenly.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking make the roasted poblano crema, remove the core and seeds from peppers and slice in half. Lay on a baking sheet and preheat the broiler on your oven. Place under the broiler skin-side up until skins are completely charred and black – this took about 5 minutes for me, but sometimes is can go faster or shorter. I like to check them every 2 or 3 minutes and rotate if needed. Immediately remove peppers from oven and using kitchen tongs, quickly place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (obviously being sure to not let plastic wrap touch peppers). Set aside for 15 minutes. Or you can grill the peppers directly on the grill until charred.
- While the peppers cool throw the salsa together. In a medium size bowl add the black beans, grilled corn, jalapeno, cilantro, green onions, lime juice and cumin. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Set aside
- Once the peppers are cool remove some of the charred skin (I like to leave some of the skin on, but that is up to you) and place the pepper, avocado, greek yogurt, lime juice and hot sauce in the bowl of a food processor. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and process until smooth. Taste and season to your liking.
- To assemble, place generous spoonfuls of the sweet potato + chorizo mixture in warm tortillas. Top with shredded cheese, then black bean and corn salsa and roasted poblano crema.
This post was originally published on July 30, 2013
Hi Tieghan! My sister and I made these this week and LOVED them! We did have a question though – in the ingredients list, grape tomatoes are included for the salsa, but aren’t mentioned in the directions. Also, cumin is listed in the ingredients for the crema, but in the directions it’s used in the salsa. We ended up not including tomatoes, and put the cumin in the crema but not the salsa. Just wondering what you intended! Thanks, and love the blog!!
Hey Brittany! Sorry about the confusion. The tomatoes go in the salsa as does the cumin, but I am sure it was delicious in the crema too!! so happy you guys loved these and thanks for making them!
Hi Tieghan, just had a quick question on what type of chorizo you use in this recipe. Is it the type that looks kind of like smoked sausage & is vacuum sealed or more like italian sausage style. My supmarket sells both. They also had a spicy Portuguese style chorizo that looked good. Thanks.
Hey Theresa! I use the kind that looks like ground sausage!! Hope you love these!
Just made all of these last night, and everything was incredible!
Oh yeah!! So happy you loved these!! Thanks Sarah!
These are a million times better than my tacos!! 😉 I love the sweet potato in these!!
Thank you, Jocelyn!
I love these flavors and love the sweet potatoes. Great idea!
Thank you so much, Cassie!
Oh, perfect timing! I just got a bunch of avocadoes at the farmers market, and the avocado cream…yeah, that looks good enough to simply eat with a spoon!
Perfect!! Hope you love this!
What a great idea for the lunchbox, and here’s to smooth sailing from here on in for the big day –
Thank you!
YUM. Tacos are food perfection. WANT.
Thanks Sarah!
You had me at avocado.
YA! Thanks Maris!
Tacos definitely make every night a happy night! Especially if they involve sweet potatoes. And cheese. Two of my favorite things in life!
Thanks Joanne!
How much yogurt is to be used, you don’t like it as an ingredient in the Poblano Avocado Crema.
Oops! Sorry, I used about a 1/4 cup. I just fixed the recipe. Hope you love these!
This looks sooo good, i love sweet potato tacos with kale chips, maybe the chorizo will please my husband as well, cant wait to try it, thank you!
Thanks Holly! Hope you guys love these!
I really need to start using soyrizo in my tacos!! I really love it and I love the extra spice that it gives to Mexican foods :).
Whoa! Soyrizo? That is crazy, I have never heard of that!
Thanks Hannah!
I totally remember those taco nights at home – straight from the Ortego taco kit box! These look phenomenal! And I love the idea of the sweet potato!! Can’t wait to try these – especially the crema!
Thank you so much, Maria!
I love everything going on in these tacos! I could eat about a half dozen right about now! 🙂
Thank you, Liz!