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5.0 from 186 votes

1-Pot Smoky Lentil Vegan Taco “Meat”

Easy vegan taco “meat” made with lentils, carrots, and TONS of smoky spices! Just 30 minutes required for this flavorful, 1-pot dish!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 6 (1/2-Cup Servings)
Calories: 82 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Mexican , Vegan

Ingredients

SMOKY LENTIL FILLING
  • 3-4 Tbsp water (plus more as needed // or sub half the amount in oil)
  • 1/2 cup finely diced onion (any color)
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ½ cups finely shredded carrot (or try subbing sweet potato)
  • 1 ¼ cups cooked lentils (rinsed and drained // we used canned — see notes if cooking raw lentils // or sub black or pinto beans)
  • ~1/4 cup vegetable broth or water as needed (plus more as needed)
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt (plus more to taste)
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika (plus more to taste)
  • 1 tsp ground cumin (plus more to taste)
  • 1 tsp chili powder (plus more to taste // spice blend should contain chili powder, cumin, oregano, etc.)
  • 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, roughly chopped (omit for less heat)
  • 1-2 tsp Coconut aminos 
  • 1-2 tsp Coconut sugar or maple syrup (omit if avoiding sugar, or sub stevia to taste)
  • 1-2 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 1-2 tsp lime juice
FOR SERVING optional
  • corn or flour tortillas
  • shredded red cabbage
  • guacamole
  • cilantro
  • Lime wedges
  • hot sauce or Salsa

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add water (or oil), onion, and garlic. Sauté for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until tender and slightly browned.
  2. Next, add carrots and sauté for several minutes to get slightly browned and tender, stirring frequently. Then add cooked lentils, vegetable broth, salt, paprika, cumin, chili powder, chopped chipotle pepper, adobo sauce (start with 1 tsp for low spice level), coconut aminos, coconut sugar, and nutritional yeast (optional). Stir to combine.
  3. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then remove the lid and cook for 5-10 minutes more or until the carrots are tender and the color has deepened. Stir occasionally and add more broth (or water) as needed if it dries up. Near the end of cooking, add lime juice and stir.
  4. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more paprika or cumin for smokiness, salt to taste, coconut sugar for sweetness, lime for acidity, coconut aminos for umami flavor, or chipotle peppers for heat. We added more adobo sauce, coconut aminos, lime, cumin, and salt. Don’t be shy with flavor here!
  5. Optional: Scoop half of the mixture into a food processor and (using the "s"-shaped blade) mix/pulse to mash some of the lentils and carrots together. This creates a more cohesive texture but isn’t necessary.
  6. Serve the mixture on tortillas (we used corn tortillas heated over an open flame for 20 seconds on each side). For toppings, we suggest shredded red cabbage and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges or hot sauce for more flavor.
  7. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days or up to 1 month in the freezer. Reheat on the stovetop until hot, adding water or broth as needed to add moisture back in.

Notes

  • *To cook lentils from scratch, rinse ~3/4 cup (~144 g) lentils (as original recipe is written — adjust quantities as needed) under cool water. Then add to a small saucepan with ~1 ½ cups (340 ml) water (as original recipe is written — adjust quantities as needed) and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer (uncovered) for ~20-30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain off any remaining liquid. Proceed with recipe as instructed.*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
  • To cook lentils from scratch, rinse ~3/4 cup (~144 g) lentils (as original recipe is written — adjust quantities as needed) under cool water. Then add to a small saucepan with ~1 ½ cups (340 ml) water (as original recipe is written — adjust quantities as needed) and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer (uncovered) for ~20-30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain off any remaining liquid. Proceed with recipe as instructed.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1half-cup serving Calories 82 (4%) Carbohydrates 15.7g (5%) Protein 4.7g (9%) Fat 0.5g (1%) Saturated Fat 0.1g (1%) Polyunsaturated Fat 0.17g Monounsaturated Fat 0.14g Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg (0%) Sodium 283mg (12%) Potassium 330mg (9%) Fiber 4.1g (16%) Sugar 3.8g (8%) Vitamin A 6867IU (137%) Vitamin C 5.09mg (6%) Calcium 33.5mg (3%) Iron 1.89mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6(1/2-Cup Servings)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 82

% Daily Value*

Serving 1half-cup serving
Calories 82 4%
Carbohydrates 15.7g 5%
Protein 4.7g 9%
Fat 0.5g 1%
Saturated Fat 0.1g 1%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.17g 1%
Monounsaturated Fat 0.14g 1%
Trans Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 283mg 12%
Potassium 330mg 7%
Fiber 4.1g 16%
Sugar 3.8g 8%
Vitamin A 6867IU 137%
Vitamin C 5.09mg 6%
Calcium 33.5mg 3%
Iron 1.89mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.