Serves 4
Active time: 20 minutes || Total time: 20 minutes
It’s no secret that I love to use lentils in place of ground meat. Sloppy Joes, shepherd’s pie, burgers…nothing is safe. Especially tacos!
But before I delve into the particulars of this recipe, lets talk a little more generally. This method for “ground meat” can be used in a variety of ways with a little spice switcheroo. Swap out the taco flavors and go Italian (thyme, basil, fresh black pepper) for a meat that would be great in a Bolognese. Add some Sauerkraut to make a great filling for pierogis. So really, anywhere that ground meat would be appropriate, you can sneak these lentils in. Got a favorite Hamburger Helper™ type recipe? Lentils to the rescue instead!
Now on to the taco filling. Ancho chile is dried poblano, and I love to use it straight up (as opposed to a mixed chili powder) for its deep, fruity, naturally smoky flavor. You can use regular old chili powder here, but pick up ground Ancho chili sometime and see if you don’t love it.
The filling is not too spicy, but it does have a little kick from the hot sauce (Cholula is my choice for Mexican inspired foods.) A few squirts of tomato paste provides moisture and binding and really helps to lend a convincing meaty texture. The idea here is to mash the lentils until they hold together, adding splashes of water along the way to keep it juicy.
I like to serve it with cooling ingredients; cilantro for bright freshness, lime for tanginess, avocado (or guacamole) for creaminess and of course some fresh salsa. I’m not really a soy sour cream or cheese person, and here I really don’t find it necessary, but as always, I can’t stop you! For total perfection, grill the tortillas to serve.
Brown lentils have the best color in this recipe but green lentils would work just fine, too. I always whip up a batch of lentils to have on hand, and you should, too. One cup of cooked lentils make about 2 1/2 cups. Just rinse them then bring to a boil in a small covered pot with a big pinch of salt in plenty of water. Lower heat and simmer until tender, then drain. Lentils are so very easy!
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups cooked lentils (from about 1 cup dried)
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Cholula)
Spice mix:
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
First combine all of the ingredients for the spice mix and set aside. Also, keep a cup of water within reach, you’ll need to add splashes as you cook.
Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee the onion and garlic in the oil with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Add spices and toss them for 30 seconds or so to toast.
Lower heat to medium, add lentils, a few splashes of water, tomato paste and hot sauce; use a spatula to mash them a bit as they cook, until they hold together. If your spatula isn’t strong enough to accomplish this, just use a fork. Do this for about 5 minutes, adding splashes of water as necessary if it appears dry. Taste for salt and seasoning; you may want to add more spices or hot sauce. And that’s it, time to serve!
Yum! I love lentil tacos! And what’s better is my hubby loves them too! He eats meat but lentil tacos are one of his favs & he says he likes it better then beef tacos, so needless to say lentil tacos are on the weekly rotation at our house. I only cook vegan at home now so anything my husband likes better then meat is a winner! I usually just mix the lentils with a packet of taco mix but this recipe looks easy and delicious, can’t wait to try!
love, love, love this – my tummy is actually growling. Gonna make these this week:) Wish I could buy Cholula sauce here:(
I love ancho and find excuses to put it in everything.
Oh, I just got a batch of your olive lentil burgers out of the oven and enjoyed them with rice and tomato sauce (I made them with Vindaloo mix, today). Now, you make me want to have lentils, tomorrow, again.
Hopefully, I can find the ingredients here in Germany. I probably can find a nice hot sauce from a different brand, but I am not sure about the dried poblano.
Your cookbooks have revolutionized lentils for me. I regularly enjoy the mjadra and snobby joe recipes in Vcon, and now I will be adding these tacos to my rotation!
Love Love LOVE lentils! Have actually seen “lentil bolognese” as a vegan alternative at an Irish pub. Can’t decide which was cooler: that lentils could sub for my beloved Bolognese or that an Irish pub actually had vegan menu items…
Whatev. This looks delish!
Make sure yr boy doesn’t see you use Cholupa! (I love the stuff too). Yum, I’ve got an avocado calling.
I guess, I am not the only German reader, here. So, in case you can’t find poblano, either: apparently the pepper dolmalik you often find in Turkish supermarkets tastes similar to poblano. As I never tasted poblano this goes with no guarantee.
Always looking for more lentil ideas and this looks fantastic! I included your recipe in a gluten-free post: http://www.greenwala.com/profiles/eco-vegan-gal/blog/15576-Wheatless-Wednesday-5-Spring-Time-Recipes
I’m making these right now for my Latino husband and he cam downstairs to say, “WOW! That smells so great! What are you making?!” So I know it must be great if he’s already interested. Thanks!
Yum! Just finished our cinco de Mayo dinner – these were fab in sprouted tortillas with rice and black beans on the side. Thanks!
Did you mean to say “One cup *dry* lentils makes about 2 and a half cups” in the paragraph before the ingredient list? — As long as I’m posting a comment, I might as well say I’m digging the blog and have made your homemade seitan twice now, so thanks. This recipe, too, is calling my name!
Crikey, I keep meaning to try lentil-filled tacos, and keep seeing such delicious-looking variations on the theme. Too bad Cinco de Mayo is already over and I missed my chance to rock ’em tonight (opted for veggie burgers instead, and I can’t say I regret the decision), but heck, any night can be taco night, right??
Thanks for this post—I’m finally inspired to stop drooling and actually make these things!
Are there more than one type of lentils? I went to the bulk food store and saw a few different coloured ones and couldn’t decide. Thought I would check back here to see which ones I’m to buy. There were whiteish and reddish lentils?
Thanks in advance,
Tammy
I say right up there^ to get either brown or green!
Yum!!! Thank you for the great recipes! I love lentils too!!
Super easy and delicious. We garnished with tons o’ green cabbage, avocado, red onion and cilantro. We used Valentina hot sauce instead, but it was still amazing. And the lentils made for super photogenic little tacos. Okay, drooling now.
I made these for cinco de mayo! yum!! Thanks for making my transition to veganism so easy. I couldn’t have done it (or have been inspired enough to do it) without you and all of your help!
That’s what I like to hear! Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me that.
Excellent recipe – comes together quick and tastes terrific. Many thanks!
I completely have to say ditto on what Kelly said…..your cookbooks have made it so easy
Oh STOP!
(go on…)
We made these along with the Sour Cilantro Cream from the Veganomicon. Dessert: Margarita Cupcakes from VCTOTW! <3
zomg! so freaking delicious!! yum yum yum. i’m trying to show some restraint and not eating the leftovers i’ve earmarked for lunch tomorrow right now…
next time i’m totally doing fajitas w a bunch of grilled veg added into the mix.
love you and all your inspiration!
ISA you are the bomb. I have dozens of vegan cookbooks and would give them all away before I ever let go of veganomicon. I can always count on your recipes. So thankful for you! I teach a vegan cooking class in my community and am always plugging your cookbooks 🙂 thanks for all u do, u were certainly meant for this.
I wonder if I can get my aunt to try these for tacos instead of using beef tongue or beef cheek. (I’m going veg; the rest of the family isn’t (of which I’ve got no problem with), but admit that they could stand to have a few more veggies in their diet – go figure.) I can’t wait to try it some time soon!
PeaSoup – If you don’t have Cholula sauce in your area, try looking around for Tapitio. It’s also a mild, sweet hot sauce, and tastes very similar to Cholula, but it’s made with different chili’s so it has a slightly different flavor to it. I find it’s just a touch spicier then Cholula, and (to me) Tapitio /almost/ has a smokey taste to it when compared to Cholula. I hope this helps!
I used Chipotle powder as I couldn’t find Ancho and used salsa instead of hot sauce, but these are awesome! My carnivorous family loved them too! Thanks for helping to make my transition from meat-eater to vegan so tasty! =D
awesome recipe! just had this today for dinner with some blue corn tortillas, guacamole, fresh salsa and some cabbage (for the crunch factor)…loved it…cant wait for lunch tomorrow(left overs)…
thanks again!
These are AMAZING! I have made them twice and they are quick to make and very delicious. A great introduction to ancho and Cholula for me. I’ve just passed the 5-month mark as a vegan and I have been relying on ALL of Isa’s cookbooks. Thanks for another great recipe that I will be putting into my regular rotation!
Holy Smokes! These are FANTASTIC!!! I am so thankful for your contributions! This recipe will be a staple of mine for sure!!! I didn’t have enough ancho chili powder left, but even with half the amount, the lentil mix had great flavor and kick. I made a basic fresh salsa as a topping (2 chopped romas, 1/2 diced avacado, small handful cilantro, 1T diced red onion, squeeze of lemon, little salt), plus tofutti sour cream and shredded lettuce in a hard shell corn taco = Yum! Now, I can’t wait to try the variations you suggested! Who would have thought something so healthy could be sooooo tasty!!! Thank you!!
I must say, that without you and your books (Vcon, Brunch) I could not have lasted as vegan, and now I’ve found this site!! I’m a happy camper!! Made the strawberry-rhubarb pie last night and am currently cooking off my lentils for tomorrow night’s meal of lentil tacos…yum!! thank you so much, I’m sure this is a lot of work, but without you i know I couldn’t have stuck it out, cuz I wouldn’t have had a clue what to do….THANK YOU.
I am new to this vegan thing and needing help finding great recipes! This one sounds so good I’m on my way out to the store to get theingred! Thanks so much!
Kristin: Any recipe by this woman is worth making…..she is really gifted in the kitchen. All her books are must haves for any vegan. The last book An Appetite for Reduction has some of the most amazing salad dressing recipes! And they’re low fat!!
Isa: What’s a nice girl from Brooklyn doing in Ohio? How on earth did that happen?
These were great! Made them tonight and have lots (yay!!!) of leftovers! Delicious!! Thanks Isa, you rock as usual!
These are on the menu for the second time tonight. So quick and easy and just delicious. I can’t wait.
Never liked lentils before, and never found Vegan recipes I really liked, but these are all really usable and tasty. I’m almost converted!
Awesome!! Even my meat-eating husband and bro-in-law liked them.
This is an awesome recipe!! It was so good I cooked it two days in a row! It was a hit with my hubby and picky three year old! Threw it on top of some Garden of Eatin’ corn chips and they were great! Thanks for such a great recipe!
These quickly became a favourite in my household. I make this recipe once a week and they are always a hit.
Made these this evening with green lentils instead of brown (green were the only available at the grocers). Although I over-cooked my lentils a little, oops (more like bean tacos than meaty ones, heehee)! Suggestion: with all that creaminess, texture-y stuff (I topped with avocado and a bit o’ cilantro plus lime and salsa on fresh tortillas), my roomie found some shredded cabbage does nice to add some crunch. Ancho chile powder is super supreme over the normal stuff, good call.
Thanks Isa for adding to my vegan cooking repertoire, which includes the opportunity to expose omni friends to some fabulous cooking! Cheers.
Just finished a batch and loved it – however I actually measured the spices by the tablespoon as opposed to teaspoon and still felt as if there needed to be a little bit more. Lentils do a damn good job at soaking up flavor, but I see no complaints here. Maybe my pallet is a little desensitized by all the hot sauce I habitually consume.
Mmm, I made these tonight and they were delish. I live in Australia, so can’t get ancho or cholula, but substituted some delicious yellow chillis and a fiery hot sauce. Fresh tomato salsa and a guacamole made this a brilliant dinner.
Thanks for sharing!
@mareelouise