1-Pot Smoky Lentil Vegan Taco “Meat”

1-Pot Smoky Lentil Vegan Taco “Meat”

Easy vegan taco “meat” made with lentils, carrots, and TONS of smoky spices! Just 30 minutes required for this flavorful, 1-pot dish!
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Category Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings 6 servings
Calories 82 kcal

Ingredients
  

SMOKY LENTIL FILLING

  • 3 tbsp water
  • ½ cup brown onion finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • cups carrot grated, or try subbing sweet potato
  • cups lentils cooked – see notes for cooking raw lentils.
  • ¼ cup vegetable stock
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce roughly chopped (omit for less heat)
  • 1 tsp coconut aminos
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp lime juice

FOR SERVING optional

  • 6 tortilla try our recipe
  • ¼ red cabbage shredded
  • 6 tbsp guacamole
  • ¼ cup coriander chopped
  • 1 lime

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add water (or oil), onion, and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until tender and slightly browned.
    3 tbsp water, ½ cup brown onion, 3 cloves garlic
  • Next, add carrots and sauté for several minutes to get slightly browned and tender, stirring frequently. Then add cooked lentils (see notes below), vegetable stock, salt, paprika, cumin, chili powder, chopped chipotle pepper, adobo sauce (start with 1 tsp for low spice level), coconut aminos, maple syrup, and nutritional yeast (optional). Stir to combine.
    1½ cups carrot, 1¼ cups lentils, ¼ cup vegetable stock, ½ tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, 1 tsp coconut aminos, 1 tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp nutritional yeast
  • Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove the lid and cook for 5-10 minutes more or until the carrots are tender and the color has deepened. Stir occasionally and add more broth (or water) as needed if it dries up. Near the end of cooking, add lime juice and stir.
    1 tsp lime juice
  • Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more paprika or cumin for smokiness, salt to taste, coconut sugar for sweetness, lime for acidity, coconut aminos for umami flavor, or chipotle peppers for heat. We added more adobo sauce, coconut aminos, lime, cumin, and salt. Don’t be shy with flavor here!
  • Optional: Scoop half of the mixture into a food processor and (using the "s"-shaped blade) mix/pulse to mash some of the lentils and carrots together. This creates a more cohesive texture but isn’t necessary.
  • Serve the mixture on tortillas (we used corn tortillas heated over an open flame for 20 seconds on each side, check out our tortilla recipe to make your own). For toppings, we suggest shredded red cabbage and coriander. Serve with lime wedges, guacamole or hot sauce for more flavor.
    6 tortilla, ¼ red cabbage, 6 tbsp guacamole, ¼ cup coriander, 1 lime
  • Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or up to 1 month in the freezer. Reheat on the stovetop until hot, adding water or broth as needed to add moisture back in.

Video

Notes

*To cook lentils from scratch, rinse 3/4 cup (144 g) lentils (as original recipe is written — adjust quantities as needed) under cool water. Then add to a small saucepan with 1 ½ cups (340 ml) water (as original recipe is written — adjust quantities as needed) and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer (uncovered) for 20-30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain off any remaining liquid. Proceed with recipe as instructed.

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Nutrition Per Serving

Calories: 82kcalCarbohydrates: 15.7gProtein: 4.7gFat: 0.5gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.17gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.14gSodium: 283mgPotassium: 330mgFiber: 4.1gSugar: 3.8gVitamin A: 6867IUVitamin C: 5.09mgCalcium: 33.5mgIron: 1.89mg
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword Gluten Free, Lentils, Mexican, Taco, Vegan, Vegan Taco, Vegetarian
Category Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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