Crunchy Lentil Tacos
with roasted cauliflower
These crunchy tacos are classic in every way except that they use lentils instead of ground beef. We promise you won't miss the meat in this satisfying and quick weeknight meal. A version of this recipe was last featured in 2019.
Ingredients
- Lentils, cooked - 2 cups (use pre-cooked lentils or if cooking from dried, use half the amount of dried and prepare according to package directions)
- Chili powder - 1 tsp
- Cumin, ground - 1/2 tsp
- Coriander, ground - 1/2 tsp
- Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/4 tsp
- Lettuce, romaine - 2 oz, shredded
- Cilantro leaves - 3 Tbsp, torn
- Cheese, shredded cheddar - 4 oz
- Sour cream - 1/2 cup
- Salsa - for serving
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
- Taco shells, crunchy - 8
- Cauliflower florets - 12 oz
- Oil, olive - 1 Tbsp
- Paprika, smoked - 1/2 tsp
- Cumin, ground - 1/2 tsp
- Lemon juice - 2 tsp
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Cauliflower - Chop into florets. (If prepping right before cooking, get cauliflower in the oven before continuing with prep.) (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Season lentils - Combine lentils with chili powder, cumin (portion for the lentils), coriander, and red pepper flakes.
- Lettuce / Cilantro - Prep as directed.
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Make
- Heat oven to 400F / 204C.
- Toss cauliflower with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin (portion for the cauliflower), and some salt and pepper. Spread out on a sheet pan. Roast, turning with a spatula halfway through cooking, until tender, ~25 minutes.
- While cauliflower is roasting, set out toppings - lettuce, cilantro, cheese, sour cream, and salsa.
- Next, heat a skillet with cooking oil over medium heat. Add seasoned lentils. Saute until warmed through, ~4 minutes. Taste and season with some salt and pepper.
- Place taco shells on a second sheet pan (or you can place them directly on the oven rack) and toast just until warm and crisp, 2 to 5 minutes (watch closely to prevent overcooking).
- When cauliflower is done roasting, squeeze lemon juice over top.
- Fill taco shells with lentils and toppings. Enjoy with cauliflower on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
6 reviews
I'm a believer. I hate lentils, beans, peas- anything with that texture but I wanted to give these a try because they are so highly rated and my fiance hates the texture of ground meat. These worked, easy taco nights can finally return to our family!! :)
0 HelpfulI used very tiny black lentils - bought them pre-cooked from Target - and they were not easy to keep in the shell. They also became a little too dry and crunchy. I'm not sure where I went wrong.
0 HelpfulI made the Paleo version of the recipe and I was very pleased with how it turned out except that I had to cook the pork for another eight minutes in order to get it up to temperature. I also added honey to the salad dressing because I thought it was too bland otherwise
0 HelpfulThe lentils were delicious! But cooking from dry we wound up with a lot more than fit in our taco shells. We're planning on using the leftovers on nachos.
0 Helpful