It’s finally here! The lentil taco filling we’ve been making weekly.
This is basically a two-for-one recipe. You can make these insanely delicious crispy tacos, or you can use the lentil taco filling for any recipe you want! Think taco bowls, taco salads, healthy nachos, etc. The filling is so flavorful and SO easy.
All you need:
- Cooked lentils
- Riced cauliflower
- Crushed tomatoes
- Taco seasoning packet (I love this one)
- Garlic
- Shallot
That’s it! It’s a simple, no-fuss dinner staple.
I’ve been showing this taco filling on my stories for awhile now, and I know I’ve been promising to make it into an actual recipe. So now you guys can try it too!
Now for this crispy taco situation…wow. Honestly tastes like restaurant-style tacos at home. I am so obsessed! They get quickly baked (just 10 minutes), and you end up with perfectly crispy tacos. Pair it with your favorite toppings and your set!
Huge bonus that the taco filling itself sneaks in veggies and fiber, plus plant-based protein.
I really can’t wait for you guys to get your hands on this recipe! Be sure to leave a rating below if you try these, and tag me on Instagram so I can see :)!
Stay healthy friends! xo
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Crispy Lentil and Cauliflower Tacos
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3–4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
Description
Vegetarian (and vegan friendly) lentil and cauliflower rice crispy oven baked tacos!
Ingredients
For the Taco Filling:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 shallot, finely diced
- 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes, more if needed
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 (15 oz) can of cooked lentils, drained and rinsed
- ~1/2 bag of frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 packet of taco seasoning
- Tortillas (cassava flour, almond flour, or regular flour)
- 1/2 slice of cheese per taco (vegan or regular, optional)
- Optional toppings: lettuce, baby spinach, avocado, salsa, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium heat. Stir in olive oil, garlic, and shallot. Cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.
- Slightly reduce heat, then stir in crushed tomatoes, water, lentils, cauliflower rice, and taco seasonings. Break up frozen cauliflower rice and stir until everything is well combined.
- Allow to simmer for 5 minutes. If you want mixture to be a bit saucier, add an extra splash of the crushed tomatoes.
- Remove lentil mixture from heat and prepare the taco shells by gently heating each one over the stove or in the microwave until just soft.
- Place 1/2 square of cheese in each shell (optional), then scoop about 1/4 cup of the lentil mixture in each taco. Fold the taco shells over the mixture and gently press.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flipping each taco half-way through. Serve with desired toppings and enjoy!
Supriya
This looks super yummy! Trying to use ingredients I already have – can you use corn tortillas?
Mia Zarlengo
You should be good 🙂 I like using a bit of a softer/more flexible tortilla for this but if corn is what you have it will work!
Erum
I love this recipe! It was easy to make, the filling has a great taste and texture, and the crispy tacos are so good out of the oven. Could use the filling for other dishes too. I will definitely make this again!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
So happy you loved it!! This is my new favorite dinner 🙂 Thanks for the note Erum! xo
Alex
Tacos in the oven = genius. I’ll never make tacos without doing that again!
I’d never tried lentils before but this was so yummy. And my picky husband loved them!
Victoria
Tried this and loved it! Made with corn tortillas and it worked okay, just a bit messy but delish regardless! Definitely a recipe we will use again.
★★★★★
Sharon
For those wanting to use corn, just put 5 at a time in the microwave for 15-30 seconds. They get nice and pliable! I’ve also used flour tortillas with success. I had dried pinto beans instead of the lentils, no cauli rice, shallot, or garlic, and pasta sauce instead of tomatoes. I did have taco seasoning though! Cooked what I had in the pressure cooker with some water. Blended up most of the bean mixture once cooked… Used so delicious cheddar cheese. It was delicious!
Katie
Great recipe! I actually had to use ground beef instead of lentils because I didn’t have any but it worked out great. Also used corn tortillas because its what I had and they worked great after heating them to be more flexible. They were so good my boyfriend asked for the same meal the next evening. Can’t wait to try again with lentils.
★★★★★
Andrea
I made this tonight for dinner, my husband and I loved it!! We used corn tortillas since that was what we had on hand, still taste great!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
So good to know it work swell with corn! Thanks Andrea 🙂
Emilee
This recipe was easy to make and got rave reviews from my whole family!! I loved using the lentils in a unique way and the crispy tacos from the oven were phenomenal. Seriously texted all my friends that they need to make this ASAP! Definitely adding this to my regular dinner rotation 🙂
★★★★★
Tierney
These are amazing!!! Our first time cooking with lentils and I’m impressed by the overall taste and texture, plus it was super filling. Cherry on top: super easy to make.
Tierney
Update.. forgot the star rating
These are amazing!!! Our first time cooking with lentils and I’m impressed by the overall taste and texture, plus it was super filling. Cherry on top: super easy to make.
★★★★★
Katherine
Another winning recipe from Gathered Nutrition! These were so easy and very satisfying!
★★★★★
Katie
These were so so amazing!!! I added beyond meat and Siete Cashew Queso as well.
★★★★★
Stephanie Santucci
Just another amazing recipe on your site. My boyfriend and I have been loving these. They’re great for the quarantine because the recipe was enough for several meals for us, plus, the ingredients are so affordable!
Thanks again!
★★★★★
Mara
This is such a great recipe. Make a lot of your stuff but haven’t commented until now…
One modification for this I’ve found to be helpful – make in flour burrito/fajita tortillas and cut after baked for more of a quesadilla vibe. I find it maximizes how many toppings you can have!
On a side note, I really appreciate your approach to nutrition…it’s refreshing and genuine in a saturated market. Thanks for all you do!
★★★★★
Mia Zarlengo
Thank you so much for your note and for leaving a review! It means so much to me. Glad you enjoyed this one Mara 🙂
Natalie
So easy and so so delicious!
★★★★★
CC
The first time I made this with the lentils and it turned out amazing. I used the spicy Siete Food taco seasoning for them and it was so good my dad ate my leftover filling plain. The second time I made it with ground beef and it turned out amazing as well. Baking the tacos is such a genius idea!
★★★★★
Emily
Love this recipe! I love having a healthier option for tacos and this was was super simple to make. Lots of flavor and makes a lot so I have some meals for the rest of the week!
★★★★★
Gabby
LOVE LOVE LOVE!
The best tacos I’ve ever had! So healthy, great way to add so many different foods into a taco!
So happy I’ve found great GF recipes!
Thank you!
★★★★★
Juliette
Made these tacos tonight and they were incredible! So easy and satisfying.
★★★★★
Marie
My favorite recipe right now!! I make this several times a month and love how easy it is to modify based on your current pantry. It also makes a lot of filling so you can make fresh tacos throughout the week or mix it up with quesadillas or salads.
★★★★★
Caitlin
This recipe is a family favorite! The cauliflower and lentils as a replacement for beef/turkey are so perfect you don’t even miss the meat. The meal takes hardly anytime at all to make that it is perfect for a quick weeknight meal!
Baking tacos, no matter what the filling, is now a permanent step in taco night in this house!
★★★★★
Georgie
I love this recipe! My family strictly eats ground turkey tacos however, I recently made these for the first time and was told by family… “these are our new tacos!!” And have made them multiple time since! They dont make you feel overstuffed and greasy like tacos frequently do. New staple.
★★★★★
Meredith
Love this recipe!! So quick and easy and perfect for busy weeknights. The meat eaters in my family loved it!
★★★★★