Vegan Lentil Cauliflower Tacos — A simple and healthy plant-based recipe full of fiber, protein, veggies, and flavor! All made in one skillet in under 30 minutes!
This recipe was originally posted in 2018, but has since been updated.
Why we gotta limit happy to an hour? Why we gotta limit tacos to Tuesday? Let us enjoy tacos and margaritas for 3 hours on a Monday. Damn, I feel so liberated now.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about adding more veggies to every day, but I like my pizza to be pizza. And my rice to be starchy. So I bet you’re wondering why the hell I’d make tacos with cauliflower after all this ranting is done with.
It tastes good.
What makes these cauliflower tacos delicious and healthy
- cauliflower
- olive oil
- water
- garlic
- lentils
- chili powder
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- salt
- pepper
- tomato paste
How to make these lentil cauliflower tacos:
Chop a small head of cauliflower into rough pieces. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Add chopped cauliflower, and sauté for 5 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water to the pan, cover, and let cauliflower cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened.
Add two cloves of minced garlic to the pan, cook for 30 seconds, and remove from heat. Add mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add 1 cup of cooked lentils, and pulse mixture 3-4 times, or until roughly chopped. Add mixture to same skillet, and heat over low.
Add 1 teaspoon of chili powder, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in a 6-ounce can of tomato paste, and 1 cup of water, and cook until heated through. Serve mixture in preferred taco shells, and top with desired toppings, such as avocado, cilantro, or a squeeze of lime juice.
Pro Tips:
- Use canned lentils that have been drained to make these super quick and easy.
- This can be done without a food processor as well, but will have a different texture.
- My favorite topping include Greek yogurt, chopped green onion, and diced avocado.
FAQs
Can you freeze the taco mixture?
I haven’t tried freezing the taco ‘meat’, but would imagine it would freeze fine. Just make sure the mixture is completely cooled before transferring to a freezer-safe container.
How long does the mixture keep for?
If kept in a sealed container in the refrigerator, the taco ‘meat’ should keep for up to 4 days.
Money-Saving Tips for these Lentil Cauliflower Tacos:
- Use store brands. Utilizing store brands for basics such as spices, tomato paste, and lentils can be an easy way to save money without sacrificing flavor or quality.
- Swap frozen for fresh. If fresh cauliflower is expensive, swap it out for frozen florets. Allow it to defrost, chop, and cook in the pan the same as fresh. The cooking time will be less.
more taco recipes:
Portobello Mushroom Tacos
Veggie-Loaded Kitchen Sink Tacos
Baked Sweet Potato Tacos
Did you make this recipe? Leave me a comment & rate to let me know how it turned out!
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Lentil Cauliflower Tacos {Vegan, GF}
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 8 tacos 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A simple and healthy plant-based recipe full of fiber, protein, veggies, and flavor! All made in one skillet in under 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup + 1 cup water
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 cup cooked lentils
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- tortillas, diced avocado, cilantro, green onions, etc.
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add chopped cauliflower, and cook until lightly browned ~ 5 minutes.
- Add 1/4 cup water, cover, and cook until cauliflower is softened ~ 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, and cook another 30 seconds. Remove from heat.
- Transfer lentils and cauliflower to bowl of a food processor. Pulse 3-4 times, until mixture is chopped.
- Move back to skillet, and heat over low.
- Add spices, and cook 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste and 1 cup of water, and stir until mixture is thoroughly combined.
- Transfer mixture to tortillas, and top with desired additions.
Notes
- Use canned lentils so they are already cooked and ready to go. Just drain and rinse before using.
- This filling can be a salad topping, omelet filling, or even wrapped in a burrito as well.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of mixture
- Calories: 67
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 72
- Fat: 1
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 1
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 12
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 4
- Cholesterol: 0
Keywords: Vegan, Gluten Free, Taco, Lentil, Cauliflower, Dinner, Main Dish, Entree, Vegetarian
INSPIRED BY FOOD & NUTRITION
Make it a great day!
What’s your favorite kind of taco?
Soft shell or hard shell?
Why is cauliflower just so awesome! It adopts ANY and ALL flavors!!! Ugh, I friggin’ love it and this recipe is so unique and I love that too! I have a newly vegan friend who would wolf these babies down instantaneously!
★★★★★
Ooh love the lentil addition in this recipe! Definitely will be using this recipe for my next taco night!
★★★★★
I LOVE Lentil Tacos! I was just getting ready to update my recipe on the blog too! 🙂 These look so good!
Love this post! So hilarious! And I adore tacos, so YUM!
Okay.
I.want.this.for.lunch!!!!
This sounds amazing but I’d totally have to hide the cauliflower from my husband. He’s like a child that way, so if he knows it has cauliflower he won’t eat it.
I’ll definitely try out these cauliflower tacos! Though not a vegan, I eat a plant based diet most of the times.
Yay! Hope you enjoy! 🙂 I’m not vegan either, but love finding quick & easy ways to add more plant-based foods!