A crispy pan fried taco stuffed with crispy shredded brussels sprouts and creamy ricotta cheese. These Crispy Brussels Sprout Tacos with Ricotta Cheese are quick and easy to throw together for a quick lunch, dinner, or snack.
Most of my recipes come from a careful process. Brainstorming ideas, planning out the recipe, researching the best techniques and tricks, and organizing ingredients. But this recipe, this recipe is not one of those. This recipe came about one night when Steve was having dinner with his dad, and I was left with the rare occasion of having dinner by myself.
Usually when I am just cooking for one I like to use up leftovers, so as I stared into the fridge a leftover container of ricotta and a few lonely brussels sprouts caught my eye. And these Crispy Brussels Sprout Tacos with Creamy Ricotta Cheese were born.
How Do You Make Crispy Tacos?
While it might sound weird to put brussels sprouts or even ricotta cheese in a taco, if you are a fan brussels sprouts, you absolutely have to give these tacos a try. The combination of crispy brussels sprouts with creamy ricotta cheese is a match made in heaven. In fact, in the last week, I have use the same combination in a creamy lemon ricotta pasta topped with bacon and brussels sprouts as well as tasty stuffed brussels sprouts (both recipes coming soon!).
To make these Crispy Brussels Sprouts Tacos, I used one of my favorite techniques of pan frying soft corn tortilla shells that have been stuffed with taco fillings. The corn tortillas get perfectly crispy in just a little bit of oil, so it’s still healthier than fried crispy tacos – which means you can eat tacos everyday right?
I have used this same technique to make crispy tacos filled with everything from ground beef to kale and mushrooms, and it never disappoints!
If you are making a large batch of tacos and want an easier method to cook them, you can also bake these tacos in the oven following a technique similar to what is used for these Crispy Chipotle Chicken Tacos.
How Do You Garnish these Crispy Brussels Sprout Tacos?
While they are great on their own, for me, these Crispy Brussels Sprout and Ricotta Tacos are all about the garnishes. I love to top them off with all of my favorite taco garnishes including:
- Quick pickled red onions
- Jalapeno slices
- Cilantro
- An extra squeeze of lime
- My favorite taco or hot sauce – This Pineapple Habanero Hot Sauce would be amazing!
Whether you are like me and make up just a couple of these crispy tacos for lunch or dinner, or you increase the recipe to make a whole batch for the family, these tacos will have you embracing brussels sprout tacos too!
More Crispy Taco Recipes
Looking for more healthier crispy taco recipes? Here are some of my favorites that bring the crunch along with some unique flavor combinations.
- Oven Baked Crispy Beef and Cheese Tacos
- Crispy Chicken Tacos with Chipotle, Corn, and Black Beans
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Creamy Celery Ranch Slaw
- Crispy Baked Jalapeno Buffalo Chicken Taquitos – not technically a taco, but with flavorful chicken rolled up in a crispy corn tortilla, these do not disappoint!
Crispy Brussels Sprout Tacos with Creamy Ricotta Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded brussels sprouts - about 3-4 (see note)
- 1 pinch garlic powder
- 1 pinch chipotle chili powder (optional, you can leave it out if you don’t like spicy)
- lime wedge
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 1 tbs + 1 tsp olive oil (divided)
- 2 soft corn tortillas
- ¼ cup ricotta cheese
Garnishes:
- jalapeno slices
- cilantro
- pickled red onion
- extra lime juice
- hot sauce/taco sauce
Instructions
- Heat 1 tsp oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat, add brussels sprouts, garlic powder, optional chipotle powder, and cook stirring occasionally about 2-3 minutes. When cooked, brussels sprouts should just begin to get a little crispy and brown in some bits.
- Remove brussels sprouts to a small bowl, add a squeeze of lime juice and salt and pepper to taste, toss to coat. Set aside.
- In same skillet, add remaining 1 tbs oil over medium to medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add in each corn tortilla, laying flat.
- Working quickly, top ½ of each tortilla with ricotta (spreading evenly over half), then brussels sprouts. Fold each tortilla over, and cook each side for several minutes until crispy and lightly golden brown.
- Serve immediately with garnishes as desired.