Description
This Lentil Tacos recipe offers a delicious, hearty, and protein-packed vegetarian twist on traditional tacos. Featuring perfectly seasoned brown or green lentils simmered with aromatic spices and tomato paste, these tacos are easy to prepare and ideal for a nutritious family meal. Serve with your favorite taco toppings for a customizable and satisfying dish.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Lentils
- 2 Tbsp. neutral-flavored oil, such as canola or vegetable
- 1 white or yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. ground coriander
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika (optional)
- 1 cup brown or green lentils, rinsed
- 3 cups water or vegetable broth
- ½ tsp. Mexican-style hot sauce, such as Cholula (optional)
For Serving
- 12 hard or soft taco shells
- Grated cheese (optional)
- Diced tomato (optional)
- Lettuce (optional)
- Other favorite taco toppings
Instructions
- Sauté the Onion: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the diced onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until it becomes softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add Tomato Paste and Spices: Stir in the tomato paste, kosher salt, chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, garlic powder, and smoked paprika if using. Cook for an additional minute until the mixture is fragrant.
- Simmer Lentils: Add the rinsed lentils and water or vegetable broth to the saucepan. Stir to combine, then raise the heat to high to bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot, and simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 20 minutes.
- Adjust Liquid and Add Hot Sauce: Remove the lid and stir in the Mexican-style hot sauce if desired. If there is excess liquid and the lentils are tender, simmer uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the liquid until the mixture thickens to your preference.
- Prepare Taco Shells and Serve: Heat the taco shells according to the package instructions. Fill them with the warm lentil mixture and serve with grated cheese, diced tomato, lettuce, or any other favorite taco toppings.
Notes
- Use vegetable broth instead of water for richer flavor in the lentils.
- The smoked paprika is optional but adds a lovely smoky depth to the dish.
- Adjust spice levels by increasing or omitting chili powder and hot sauce as preferred.
- Leftover lentil filling can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.
- This recipe is naturally vegetarian and can be made vegan by omitting cheese or using a plant-based cheese alternative.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: lentil tacos, vegetarian tacos, meatless tacos, lentil recipe, Mexican tacos, plant-based taco filling, easy vegetarian dinner
