Vegetarian Lentil Taco Meat
What’s meaty without being literally meaty, and is brimming with Tex-Mex flavors? This Vegetarian Lentil Taco Meat, that’s what! With Mexican flavors and a combo of far-from-boring textures, this versatile vegetarian taco meat is the perfect filling for tacos, burritos, quesadillas, taco salad, and so much more.
I love to make this lentil walnut taco meat at the beginning of the week for meals all week long. It’s so easy!
My guy, who is a carnivore, will cook taco-seasoned ground beef, and then we’ll enjoy several nights of one-dish-two-ways meals: Vegetarian taco salad + meaty taco salad. Taco stuffed sweet potatoes (recipe coming soon!) Just straight-up tacos. Quesadillas. It totally works!
Table of Contents
Lentil Walnut Taco Meat Ingredients
Can I Freeze This Vegetarian Taco Meat?
Jump to the Full, Printable Recipe
The Story Behind the Recipe
I’ve been making a version of this recipe for years! I first caught wind of the genius of the lentil-walnut combo for taco meat in the Oh She Glows cookbook. Over the years, I started building my own recipe around the lentil-walnut combo.
I love, love, love the simplicity of this vegetarian taco “meat.” It’s just a matter of toasting up the walnuts, then cooking the veggies, sauteeing the aromatics, and simmering the lentils in everything plus the broth. Add back the walnuts, squeeze some lime juice over the top, and eat well!
Lentil Walnut Taco Meat Ingredients
Lentils – I prefer French green lentils in this vegetarian taco meat recipe, because they stay rather firm and don’t get mushy like other lentils can. I love how they soak up the flavors but hold their own in this recipe. I did test this recipe with common brown lentils, and it was good, but not AS good as French green lentils, in my opinion.
Walnuts – Chopped and toasted. They add a little nutrition and healthy fat, plus some nice texture.
Onion, green pepper, & garlic – These veggies/aromatics add some nice flavor and nutrition.
Olive oil – For sautéing the veggies and other ingredients.
Tomato paste – I like the rich color and umami flavor that tomato paste gives a recipe. It’s kind of a magic ingredient for vegetarian recipes!
Taco seasoning – I use my homemade taco seasoning in this recipe, but if you don’t have any taco seasoning mix on hand, I’ve added substitute information in the notes section of the recipe.
Veggie broth – Store-bought or homemade veggie broth will work! I always like to start with low-sodium vegetable broth so that I can better control the salt in the finished product.
Salt & pepper – For enhancing all of those flavors.
Lime juice – Adds a bright, zippy, acidic touch to your lentil taco meat.
Adaptations/Variations
This vegetarian taco meat is vegetarian, dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free already, so it’s one of those great neutral recipes that works for a lot of different diets.
Make it spicier by adding a few dashes of Tabasco with the lime juice. You can also drop in some cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes to turn up the heat.
Brown lentils also work, but I really prefer French green lentils for this one.
How to Make Lentil Taco Meat
First, you toast your walnuts, then remove them from the pan and wipe the pan clean.
From there, heat the olive oil and add the onion and green peppers. Saute until soft and tender, then add the garlic, tomato paste, and taco seasoning spices. Saute until fragrant, then add the vegetable broth, lentils, salt, and pepper.
At this point, you’re going to need to simmer your vegetarian taco meat for a bit to cook down and the lentils get tender. Splash in a bit of broth if it gets too dry.
Then, stir in the toasted walnuts, squeeze in some lime juice, add more salt and pepper if you like, and voila! Taco time!
Can I Freeze This Vegetarian Taco Meat?
Yes, this taco meat freezes really well! Just place it in an airtight freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of vegetable broth or water.
More Lentil Recipes
Instant Pot Golden Lentil & Spinach Soup
Wild Rice & Lentil Stuffed Delicata Squash
Vegetarian Lentil Taco Meat
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprrika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
** I usually use about 1 teaspoon kosher salt, but I kept the salt content low with the option to add more because tastes vary.
Nutrition
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