While much of the time, I’m a gal that scribbles down ideas for recipes, and then, thinks about them for awhile. This vegan lentil taco meat recipe was created without much thought, besides that I wanted to add it to a salad. That was it. And it was really simple and tasted good, so why not share it with you!
This recipe makes ~ 4 cups of lentil taco meat.
Two things…
- I used canned lentils to cut the cook time and preserve the shape of the lentil. You are more than welcome to cook up some dried lentils, drain them off, and use them, instead.
- While testing this recipe, I tried both black and brown lentils. Both were fine.
When you’re in a rush to make dinner, this lentil taco meat recipe does the trick. It uses common vegan pantry staples. It takes less than 20 minutes to put together. And it’s great in tacos, salads, or whatever you can come up with. Plus, it’s a lovely excuse to eat more lentils.
Check out other UVK recipes, like Vegan Loose Meat Sandwich with Lentils and Mushrooms, Vegan Slow Cooker Soy Curl Carnitas, Lentil Salad with Shiitake Mushrooms, Spinach and Miso Mustard Dressing, Sweet Potato Lentil Soup and more.
Lentil Taco Meat
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp ancho chili powder
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
2 15 ounce cans of black or brown lentils, drained and rinsed (OR ~3½ cups cooked lentils)
Reduced sodium soy sauce, to taste
1.In a large skillet, add the onions, garlic and olive oil. Sauté until the onion is soft and translucent.
2. Add the paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir around.
3. Add the lentils. Stir together. Sprinkle with soy sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings for the lentil taco meat, if needed (more soy sauce? more chili powder?). Serve on tortillas with your favorite toppings or as component to vegan taco salad or whatever you’re in the mood for!