One Dinner. Two Ways. Everyone at the Table.

Now that it’s just the two of us at home, I don’t cook for four anymore. But I still cook Base and Branch style, because it works just as well for a couple as it did for a family. One of us might want beef tonight, the other wants beans, and nobody wants to cook two dinners.

These tacos are the easiest example I know. You build one pan of seasoned peppers, onions and fire-roasted tomatoes, then split it into two small skillets. One gets ground beef, the other gets black beans and lentils. Same flavors, same toppings, same table, in about 25 minutes.

Watch it come together

How the split works

• The base: Onion, bell pepper, garlic and spices cooked down with a can of fire-roasted tomatoes and green chilies.
• The meat branch: A quarter pound of ground beef or turkey, browned and simmered with half the base.
• The veggie branch: Black beans and lentils simmered with the other half, mashed a little so they hold together in a tortilla.
• The shared part: Warm tortillas and one set of toppings.

What you’ll need

For the base (serves 2):

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ onion, diced
• ½ bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt to taste
• 1 (10-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes and green chilies

For the meat branch:

• ¼ pound ground beef or ground turkey
• 1½ teaspoons taco seasoning
• A pinch of salt and pepper

For the veggie branch:

• ¾ cup black beans (about half a can), drained and rinsed
• ½ cup cooked lentils
• 1½ teaspoons taco seasoning
• 1½ tablespoons water

For serving: flour or corn tortillas, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and salsa or lime wedges if you like.

How to make it

1. Start the base. Heat the olive oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft.
2. Bloom the spices. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and smoked paprika. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
3. Add the tomatoes. Pour in the whole can of fire-roasted tomatoes and green chilies and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes, until most of the liquid cooks off. Taste before adding salt, since the canned tomatoes are already seasoned.
4. Split the base. Divide it evenly between two small (8-inch) skillets. This is the split point.
5. Finish the meat branch. Brown the ground beef in a separate pan with a pinch of salt and pepper, then drain any fat. Stir in 1½ teaspoons taco seasoning, add it to one skillet of base, and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Finish the veggie branch. Add the black beans, lentils, 1½ teaspoons taco seasoning and the water to the other skillet. Simmer for 5 minutes, mashing some of the beans with a fork or potato masher.
7. Warm the tortillas in a dry pan for about 30 seconds per side, then wrap them in a clean towel.
8. Build your tacos with whichever filling you like and pile on the toppings.

Tips from our kitchen

• Use small pans for small batches. An 8-inch skillet keeps a half batch from spreading too thin and drying out. Small pans also cook faster, so keep an eye on the simmer times.
• Don’t waste the half can. You’ll have about half a can of black beans left. They’re perfect for burrito bowls or a quick taco salad later in the week.
• Color-code it. We use a green taco holder for meat and a yellow one for veggie, so nobody grabs the wrong taco.
• Both of you eating veggie tonight? Skip the beef, keep all the base in one pan, and double the veggie branch: a full can of beans and 1 cup of lentils.
• Make your own seasoning. The Homemade Taco Seasoning in my cookbook makes about 3 tablespoons, enough for two nights of these tacos.

More dinners like this

This recipe comes from my cookbook, One Table Kitchen: Family Dinners That Split Into Meat and Vegetarian Versions, scaled down for two. The book has 41 Base and Branch dinners, from pasta night to breakfast for dinner.

Find the cookbook on Amazon

Already have the book? Get the free reader planner, which scales every recipe to your table and builds your grocery list.