Quick and easy oven roasted paneer tacos! The Indian cheese paneer makes for an amazing meatless taco filling, roasting beautifully in the oven in a smoky sticky sauce, then topped with an avocado mango salsa. This delicious and unusual fusion meal comes together in just 30 minutes.
Making the Case for Paneer Cheese as a Taco Filling
Paneer is is grill-able, non-melting cheese from India which makes a fantastic vegetarian protein for curries, skewers and all sorts. But it’s such a versatile cheese that there’s no reason it can’t stray over to other cuisines. So that is what we’re doing today. Using this tasty hearty cheese to make vegetarian tacos.
Paneer has a soft milky taste, so it pairs nicely with strong flavors, and this combo of barbecue sauce and taco seasoning is just right. We roast it in the oven and the result is some delightfully crispy, charred chunks of paneer, with sweet roasted peppers and onions. A simple avocado mango salsa topping adds sweetness and creaminess to round it all off.
Given all the fun flavors and textures going on here, you won’t believe how simple they are to make and how short the ingredient list actually is! It’s a weeknight winner.
Where to find paneer
Paneer is not always available in smaller supermarkets so I suggest trying a local Indian food market if you’re unable to track it down in yours.
You can also make it yourself! It’s probably the easiest cheese to make, and really delicious. It is more crumbly and less firm homemade, so if you go down this route, make sure to treat it more delicately when you’re prepping and seasoning it.
Love paneer recipes?
I’m always looking for new ways of cooking with this cheese – these are some more of my favorite fusion recipes that use it! I also have plenty of paneer curry recipes over in my Indian Inspired section.
Smoky Paneer Tacos (Easy Sheet Pan Recipe!)
Ingredients
- 6 soft taco shells, 12-15 if you use mini ones, as pictured
Roasted Paneer Filling
- 225 g (8 oz) paneer cheese, cubed
- 1 medium red pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 Tbsp barbecue sauce
- 2 tsp taco or fajita seasoning
Avocado Mango Salsa
- 1 avocado, chopped
- 2 Tbsp of finely chopped mango
- 1-2 Tbsp chopped cilantro, coriander
- Squeeze of lime juice
For serving
- Lime wedges
- Greek yogurt or sour cream, to taste
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 200C / 390F.
- In a large bowl, toss the paneer, onion and red pepper with the olive oil. Then toss in the barbecue sauce and taco or fajita seasoning. Mix to ensure every piece is coated.
- Spread the paneer, pepper and onion mix on a large baking tray that has been brushed with oil.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your salsa by mixing and mashing all ingredients in a bowl.
- Just before the paneer filling is ready, warm your corn tortillas on the stovetop. Place them on a heated nonstick frying pan (don’t use any oil) for a 30 seconds on each side.
- When the paneer mixture is ready, serve. Spoon paneer onto the tortillas, squeeze a little lime juice on top and finish off with the avocado salsa and greek yogurt (if using).
What an excellent recipe. Your recipes really are a cut above the rest. So simple and so tasty. Thank you ☺️
This recipe was tasty! The Bbq gave a smoky taste to the paneer and complimented the bell pepper and onions really well.
So happy to hear this! Thank you! 🙂