Name: Vegetable Fajitas
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons chili powder (divided); 2 teaspoons cumin (divided); 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (divided); ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional); 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin); 1 pound asparagus; 1 pound butternut squash (peeled, seeded, cubed); ½ pound zucchini (chopped); ½ pound baby portobello mushrooms (quartered); salt & pepper (to taste); 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin); 2 large bell peppers, red or green (sliced); 1 medium onion (sliced); 1 tablespoon garlic (minced); salt & pepper (to taste)

^{Never miss out again on a Mexican restaurant favorite if you’re a vegan or vegetarian. Even if you’re a die hard meat eater, these fajitas are far from disappointing!}

Vegan fajitas – probably not your first fajita choice if you’re a chicken and steak lover. Honestly, I wouldn’t have jumped on these either believing these were just as good as traditional fajitas. There is a factor of determination within me to attempt making these as good as meaty ones.

It took me a while to think about some of the vegetables that would work well in a tortilla that wouldn’t be boring and would work well with the zesty spicy flavors. Somehow I came to this conclusion and it just worked. Mushrooms, squash and asparagus (in addition to peppers and onions) became a perfect combination.

I needed something that was light and sweet, as well as something hearty and meaty. This is where the butternut squash and the portobellos came into play. When I saw asparagus, I knew that it was such a subtle flavor and if cooked properly it would hold up well with all the other vegetables. Usually my go to blend of most vegetables is zucchini, peppers, onion and mushrooms and luckily it worked here as well.

Mixed with the flavors of chili and cumin, it was surprising even to me how much I didn’t miss the meat. These were just as filling and they made me feel super great about eating them. Even though I loved that they were vegan, I needed something else to go with them. I didn’t want to break the trend of adding crumbled cheese on top (which would be just fine if you wanted it). I decided to add sunflower kernels. Not traditional I’m sure but since I didn’t have pepitas on hand I worked with these. They added the perfect crunch! Not to mention I added a pile of guacamole.

Pair these with my Chicken Fajitas, Steak Fajitas or even Shrimp Fajitas so that regardless of who attends dinner, you’ll have options for all. I also loved having leftovers for meal prep the rest of the week knowing I could add vegetables to everything!

So what are we looking for in the best fajita?

A perfect cook – a nice char on the cook vegetables will keep them super flavorful.
The seasoning – you don’t think about this being that important but imagine having a fajita that was bland? This rub packs so much flavor with a lot of the spices you already have on hand.
The sides – The sides are easy and I highly recommend making them yourself but if you can’t, this meat and vegetable mixture pulls a lot of the weight!
Leftovers – I make a lot of these JUST so I can enjoy them for a few days.

Please check out my other recipes that support the feast of Fajitas Four Ways:

Chipotle Pepper Refried Beans

Tableside Guacamole & Baked Tortilla Chips

Pico de Gallo

Jalapeno Ranch Dressing

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Vegetable Fajitas

Print Recipe

Never miss out again on a Mexican restaurant favorite if you’re a vegan or vegetarian. Even if you’re a die hard meat eater, these fajitas are far from disappointing!

Prep Time:30 mins

Cook Time:30 mins

Total Time:1 hr

Ingredients

2 teaspoons chili powder divided
2 teaspoons cumin divided
1 teaspoon smoked paprika divided
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
1 pound asparagus
1 pound butternut squash peeled, seeded, cubed
½ pound zucchini chopped
½ pound baby portobello mushrooms quartered
salt & pepper to taste

Peppers & Onions

1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
2 large bell peppers, red or green sliced
1 medium onion sliced
1 tablespoon garlic minced
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°
Snap hard ends off the asparagus. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or foil and spray them down with nonstick cooking spray
On first sheet, in a single layer, lay out asparagus and spray with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle with garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and a dash of salt and pepper. Do the same with laying out and seasoning the butternut squash. Bake for 15-20 minutes. If asparagus is thicker, bake for 15-20 minutes. If they are thin, they only need 10-12 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool. after 15-20 minutes of cooling, chop each piece into 3-4 slices and set aside.
Heat a large frying pan with olive oil on medium high heat. Let heat up for 45-60 seconds. Add zucchini and bell peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add chopped asparagus and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add to platter with other fajita ingredients.

For Pepper-Onions:

Heat a large frying pan with olive oil on medium high heat. Let heat up for 45-60 seconds. Add minced garlic and heat up for 1 minutes. Add in peppers and onions. Sautee for 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent and you can see a slight char on the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and add to platter with other fajita ingredients.

Notes

Ingredients & Technique:

Depending on the tools you have on hand you can certainly make these on the grill. You can use a grill basket if you have one. If not, lay foil sheets onto the grill.

I pre-roasted my squash and asparagus in the oven and then added them to sautéed vegetables right at the end. This insured that everything was cooked properly and had room in the same pan when it was time to serve.

I also made these with all the other fajita recipes I recently posted such as grilled chicken/steak/shrimp fajitas so each recipe needs one batch of fajita peppers and onions.

How long does it last and where?

This can last for about 5-6 days in the fridge.

Can you freeze it?

No, I wouldn’t suggest freezing these after they have been completely cooked.

Substitutions?

I think you could get away with a lot of different vegetables in this recipe. The reason I like these was because they has a variation in flavor but cooked more consistently. They also held the flavors well.

I also topped them off with avocado at the end if not guacamole! I highly suggest!

Tips and Tricks

Cooking the butternut squash and the asparagus first is the best tip I can give. These need a little big longer in cooking time and I wanted to make sure they were cooked perfectly when they were added to the dish.

Wait to salt the mushrooms and the zucchini until right before adding the asparagus and the squash. If you add salt too soon in the cooking process it will extract more moisture and steam the vegetables instead of developing a nice sear.

What to serve with it?