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
Most Helpful
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!! :)
1 Helpful16 reviews
Yummy taco option that everyone enjoyed. We don’t normally use crunchy shells, and this was a fun change up.
0 HelpfulI skipped all the dairy ingredients and this still came out fantastic. One of my favorites now.
0 HelpfulI must be the odd man out but these were terrible and awful. I usually adore my cooksmarts meals but no one in my family liked them. Maybe because we are texan and are particular about our tacos!! But this was a no go for me.
0 HelpfulLoved the cauliflower! Tacos were easy and simple to come together. I added some additional taco toppings - like chopped tomatoes, red onion, cilantro, avocado, lettuce, green onion. I added salt/pepper and lemon juice to some of the leftover toppings to make a nice pico de gallo to use with lunch the next day.
0 Helpful