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.
Seriously though, is there a bad time for tacos? Whoever tells you there is, kick ’em to the curb. You don’t need that kinda negativity in your life.
I’m still surprised how much attention cauliflower gets. Like what HASN’T it tainted? Pizza. Mashed potatoes. Rice. Buffalo wings. MY LIFE.
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.
I first got the idea when trying out the Test Kitchen recipe from Food & Nutrition that involved cauliflower and walnuts as the taco meat. Riiigghht. It was awesome. I was wrong. Cauliflower has a place in my tacos.
The walnuts gave it an awesome texture, but my heart always goes back to the lentil. Have you met yet? Lentil, this is my friend. My friend, the lentil. And they lived happily ever after.
It’s spicy. It’s smoky. Chock full of pro, fiber, and yes, cauliflower. I have been reborn.
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
Lentil Cauliflower Tacos {Vegan, GF}
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 25 min
- Yield: 8 tacos 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeDescription
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.
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Keywords: Vegan, Gluten Free, Taco, Lentil, Cauliflower, Dinner, Main Dish, Entree, Vegetarian
INSPIRED BY FOOD & NUTRITION
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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!