Easy Lentil Tacos

Lentil Taco meat on tortilla topped with avocado and cabbage.

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5 from 6 votes

In just 30-minutes, whip up perfectly seasoned Lentil Taco Meat using pantry staples, for a delicious plant-based taco.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings:

Calories: 189kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

For Lentil Taco Meat

1 cup dried green or brown lentils
2 ½ cups vegetable broth
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tablespoon taco seasoning see notes for individual spices

For Avocado Sauce

1 large avocado
2 limes divided
1 teaspoon salt

For Serving

2 cups shredded cabbage
1 tomato optional
¼ cup cilantro optional
6 tortillas

Instructions

Bring water, tomato sauce, taco seasoning, and lentils to a boil in a large stock pan. Once boiling, turn the heat to medium-low, cover the pan, and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed.
While lentils are cooking, prepare the avocado sauce, by mashing the avocado with the juice of 1 ½ limes and salt. Use the remaining lime juice to drizzle the cabbage with.
Warm the toritllas by placing tortillas directly over gas burners (over medium-heat) for 1 minute per side, but you can also heat them in dry hot skillet the same way.
To assemble, place a layer of cabbage on tortilla, top with lentil mixture, diced tomatoes, cilantro and a drizzle or dollop of the avocado cream.

Notes

Lentils: Be sure to use green or brown lentils for the lentil taco meat, not yellow or red lentils.

Taco Seasoning: In place of the homemade taco seasoning blend use 2 teaspoons chili powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, and a pinch each of oregano, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.

To prepare lentils in the Instant Pot: Place rinsed lentils into the inner pot of the instant pot. Add in 2 cups of water or stock and 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning. Stir well. Top with tomato sauce--do NOT stir. Place lid on the pressure cooker and set cook time for 9 minutes on high pressure. Once cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally on its own for at least 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, stirring in the tomato sauce, and serve as desired.

Leftovers: Store cooled lentil taco meat in an air-tight container for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or freeze for up to 3 months.

No Broth? If you don't have vegetable broth, you can use chicken stock (no longer veggie tacos) or water. If using just water, you may want to increase your taco seasoning by an additional 1-2 teaspoons.

Adding Onions and Garlic: Feel free to saute 1 minced onion and 2 cloves of garlic in 2 teaspoons of oil before cooking the lentils. Once the onion and garlic are softened, add in the lentils, taco seasoning, broth, and tomato sauce and simmer.

Replace Tomato Sauce with Salsa: Add some more dimension to this simple recipe for Lentil Taco Meat by using jarred salsa in place of the tomato sauce.

Nutrition is based on lentil taco meat and avocado cream, not tortillas.

Nutrition