Vegetarian Grilled Corn and Green Bean Tacos with Cilantro Goat Cheese Crema

There’s nothing like the taste of freshly grilled corn, am I right?

It’s the kind of fresh flavor that I totally crave during the summer months, and I can never get enough of any sweet summertime corn recipe. It takes me back to July 4th gatherings at my grandparents’ house when they would grill corn on the cob for all of the kids.

We would always get so rowdy, demanding as much food as possible at every turn. So my grandpa would bust out the grilled vegetable as the healthy thing for us to stuff our faces with. That would at least hold us off so that the cake would stay untouched until after dinner.

The sweet flavor of the corn with the charred flavor from the smoky grill is a must-have any day of the week when it’s hot outside.

I mean, if you hand me a cold beer, I’ll never complain about tending the grill and watching the tender veggies get all smoky and tasty.

However, that’s just one element of these vegetarian tacos.

The other big star is the green beans, one of my all-time favorites. The funny thing is, until discovering this dish, I’d never used them in tacos before.

Green beans are such a reliable and versatile summer vegetable, so I can’t believe that I hadn’t tried it before!

For summer cooking, this combination is pure genius. After a trip to the farmers market, local produce stand, or your own backyard garden, you absolutely have to try this recipe soon as possible. When you cut the the beans into bite-sized pieces, they’re perfectly prepped to provide mouthful after tasty mouthful of goodness.

Sauteed with onions for a fresh bite, when all of the veggie components are combined, you have a hearty filling base to work with. The combination of vegetables is pure deliciousness, and every bite really screams summer.

For that final punch of flavor, you’ve got a crema that will beat all others that you’ve tried before. The Greek yogurt and goat cheese come together to provide some serious tanginess that’s smoothed out just a touch with olive oil.

Then you get a burst of herbaceous freshness from the cilantro, and finally a bit of spice to bring all the elements together.

Sounds like a pretty darn easy recipe to make, doesn’t it?

The answer is yes, yes it does. It truly is.

I like to bring out this recipe for summertime parties. It’s reminiscent of Mexican street corn: charred kernels, zesty spices, fresh herbs, and a creamy condiment!

And it’s fantastic to make for a taco bar where guests can pick and choose which components to add to their plates. It’s a filling that you can easily pile together in a bowl, served with tortillas, sliced radishes, and other fresh garnishes and sauces. You can set out bowls of other fillings like beef or chicken as well, making it easy for everyone to try out whatever they want.

Just don’t be surprised if this green bean and grilled corn concoction disappears faster than the meats that you might choose to serve alongside it – even with carnivores in the house.

Any recipe that gives you an extra excuse to fire up the grill is a good thing in my book. So grab a beer and fire it up. It’s time to celebrate summer.

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Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Prep and Measure Ingredients

Shuck three ears of corn, removing the husks and silk.

Trim one pound of green beans. Cut the beans into 1 to 1 ½-inch pieces. These don’t have to be perfectly uniform, but you want them to be bite-sized.

Peel and slice half of a medium-sized onion.

Chop enough cilantro leaves until you have about 2 tablespoons, plus more for garnish.

Thinly slice some radishes for garnish as well.

Measure out all of the remaining ingredients as listed on the ingredients list.

Preheat your grill.

Step 2 – Grill Corn

Rub the ears of corn with about ½ tablespoon of the olive oil. Season well with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Place the corn on the grill and cook until it is lightly charred. This will take about 2 minutes per side and the corn should be cooked through, but not overdone.

Remove from heat and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Step 3 – Cook Green Beans and Onion

Add the rest of the olive oil to a medium skillet over medium high heat. This can be done on the grill, in a grill pan with small openings so they won’t fall through into the flames. If using a grill pan, you can lightly coat it with oil and toss the beans in a little bit of oil as well.

Once the pan is hot, add the beans.

Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in onion and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Once the onions are softened and beans are cooked through, remove from heat.

Step 4 – Make Crema

Add the yogurt, olive oil, goat cheese, cilantro, cumin, honey, salt, and pepper for the crema to a medium-sized bowl.

Stir together until combined. I find it’s easier to work with if the yogurt and cheese are at room temperature, but this isn’t necessary.

Step 5 – Assemble

Cut the corn off the cobs and add it to a large bowl. Add the green beans and onions, and stir to combine.

Add the crema to the vegetables, and toss evenly to coat.

If you don’t plan to use up all of the vegetable mixture right away, if you have vegans in the house, or if you’d just prefer to have more control over how much crema you add to each tortilla, feel free to keep the sauce and the veggie mixture separate.

Homemade vegan cashew chipotle sauce makes a delicious substitute for the crema if you’re looking for a dairy-free option to serve alongside this flavorful goat cheese sauce.

Serve immediately with sliced radishes and cilantro for garnish.

Like a little rice with your tacos? So do we! This makes a nice accompaniment to the filling, or you can go for larger tortillas and wrap some up into a burrito. Instead of plain white rice, make our recipe for rice and beans for even more fun flavors.

Can I Make The Filling Ahead of Time?

You can easily make the filling for these tacos ahead of time. Mix it all together, and you can leave it at room temperature for about an hour or so before serving.

If you’re prepping the filling a little more in advance, be sure to cover it and place it in the refrigerator. This filling can be served hot or cold, and it tastes amazing either way.

For more taco inspiration, here are some more of our favorite vegetarian recipes:

• Vegetarian Tacos with Onions, Mushrooms, and Peppers
• Vegetarian Taco Soup
• Veggie Tacos with Chipotle Cashew Cream Sauce

Are you a bigger fan of grilled corn or green beans? Have you ever tried them together? Tell us your stories in the comments below, and be sure to rate the recipe to let us know how much you enjoyed it!

Photos by Meghan Yager, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Adapted from a recipe originally written by Raquel Smith. Last updated: July 18, 2023 at 11:12 am. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.