Make every day National Taco Day with these tasty recipes

Editor’s Note: Food writer Casey Barber says October is the month to taco ‘bout all things tacos. Stay tuned for her November recipe selection and all the months to come.

If the first thing that comes to mind when you think of a taco is that crispy corn shell filled with seasoned ground beef, strings of bright yellow cheese and shredded lettuce, then it’s time to think beyond the emoji.

October 4th is National Taco Day. However, any day of October (or any month really) is a good opportunity to explore the many worlds of tacos.

“When I was living in Mexico, I realized there is this word, ‘taquear,’ which means to taco something or to go have tacos somewhere,” said Lesley Téllez, a New York-based writer and author of “Eat Mexico.”

“It’s not just a physical thing, it’s a way to eat something,” she added.

If you have tortillas, you’re already halfway to making tacos. Whether built from soft flour or corn (masa) tortillas, fried corn tortilla shells, or other grain variations like quinoa flour or cassava flour tortillas, the taco is really flexible – both literally and metaphorically. You can either buy ready-made tortillas, or make your own. King Arthur Baking offers many recipes that use a variety flours.

Since the Aztecs' time, tortillas were used as edible vessels. However, tacos gained popularity with the spread of Mexican cuisine in the 20th Century. You can stuff them with almost any filling you like: From puffy tacos from Tex-Mex to Baja fish tacos to food trucks serving regional specialties, the taco can hold a multitude of fillings.

There are so many ways to make a taco filling, why limit yourself? “I object to the idea of a taco night because it’s not a night – it can be every day,” Téllez said. “There’s a whole universe of tacos out there.”

Use the taco this month as a canvas to try both traditional and improvised dishes. And if you’re anywhere near San Bernardino, California, stop by Mitla Café and try the tacos that inspired the founder of Taco Bell.

Once you’ve crunched into one of Mitla’s freshly fried taco shells – as I have at the end of a long Route 66 road trip – you’ll wonder how you can ever eat a fast-food taco again.

Hearty meat tacos

Tender pork and beef are the traditional and most loved taco fillings. These recipes will help you make your own delicious tacos at home.

Carnitas are made with pork shoulder braised and Coca-Cola in orange juice. They are both juicy and crispy. Traditionally, the pork is fried in lard prior to slow cooking. However, this slow cooker recipe for carnitas allows you to use coconut oil.

Barbacoa translates to “barbecue” in Spanish and refers to the method of slow-roasting tough cuts of beef – or goat or lamb – in a pit. When it comes to tacos beef is the most popular meat. Instant Pot barbacoa is a much more convenient alternative to digging a hole in your backyard.

Another favorite taco filling is chicken tinga, a Pueblan recipe that's known for its spicy chipotle and tomato sauce. This saucy shredded chicken is another taco filling that’s easy to replicate in the Instant Pot – or for a no-stress dinner, use shredded rotisserie chicken.

Vegetarian tacos

Tacos are the perfect solution for farm-share subscribers who have trouble deciding what to do with their produce boxes. Tellez says that any vegetable can be made into a taco filling if it can be cooked. “You can ‘taco’ a pile of sauteed mushrooms, sauteed squash and chopped tomatoes,” she suggested.

Mushroom tacos can be made simply with a skillet of sautéed cremini mushrooms – or with meaty wild varieties such as oyster mushrooms for a vegetarian version of carnitas. These are just a few of the many ways you can cook mushrooms.

You can fill squash tacos with zucchini and summer squash when they are in season, or with hard squash varieties like butternut, kabocha, or delicata during the colder months. For a special taco filling, grab some delicate squash blossoms to pan-fry in light batter.

In one of Téllez’ “Eat Mexico” recipes, shredded carrots make the most unexpectedly delicious taco fillings. You can either roll them in tortillas and fry them for a taquito-style dish or just spoon them into a soft tortilla.

Breakfast tacos are great for any time of the day

Austin, Texas, seems to have single-handedly made the breakfast taco a dish worth waking up for, but you don’t need to travel to the Lone Star State – or anywhere further than your kitchen – for a loaded-up, fill-you-up tortilla.

Eggs are a standard in breakfast tacos, whether scrambled or fried, but beyond that, it’s up to your cravings to dictate what else is included. You can also include chorizo, potatoes and salsa as well as beans, salsa, cheese, salsa, fresh or fried avocado, and steak or brisket.

If all else fails, you can always look at what you have on hand and make a taco out of it. “My favorite tacos (use) the leftovers that I pull out of my fridge and reinvent,” Téllez said.

She says her secret to turning sad leftovers into delicious meals is to always keep the fridge stocked with classic taco toppings that add big flavor. “I tend to keep a lot of toppings,” she explained. “I always keep hot sauce that I love, cilantro, raw jalapeño, and raw cabbage because it stays good forever.”

You can make anything from fried rice to frittatas into taco fillings by adding a variety of crunchy, spicy, and fresh toppings. Take stock of what you’ve got and taquear to your heart’s content.

Casey Barber, a food writer, artist, and editor at Good. Food. Stories.