Smoky Lentil and Sweet Potato Tacos
These smoky lentil and sweet potato tacos come together quick and easy for a vegetarian weeknight meal. Packed inside gluten-free blue corn tortillas, it is healthy and flavorful. Change up the sweet potatoes for any vegetable that is in season to make this any time of year!
Servings: 8 tacos
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dry lentils
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 sweet potato or yam cubed (1 - 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium red onion chopped (3/4 cup)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder or 1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, chopped
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder or cumin seeds
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 3/4 tsp salt or more, to taste
- a generous dash of black pepper
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste or 1/2 large ripe tomato, finely chopped
- 1 tsp sriracha sauce
- 1-2 tsp lime juice
- a dash of liquid smoke optional, for extra smokiness
Assembly
- hard or soft tacos I used gluten-free blue corn tortillas
- lettuce or cabbage finely chopped
- salsa of choice I used pico de gallo
- avocado, jalapenos, cilantro, lime juice
Instructions
- Soak the lentils for half an hour. Chop up the potatoes, get the ingredients ready. Drain the lentils, wash, and keep ready.
- In a deep pan, add oil and heat on medium heat. Add onion and cook until golden (5 to 6 mins).
- Add all the spices, herbs, salt, pepper, tomato paste/tomato, and mix well. Cook for a minute (2-3 minutes if using a tomato).
- Add the washed lentils and water. Mix, cover, and cook on low-medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Add the cubed sweet potato, Sriracha, mix, and cook covered for another 15-25 minutes until lentils and sweet potato are tender and all liquid is absorbed.
- Add lime juice, taste, and adjust for salt and spice. Add a dash of liquid smoke for extra smokiness.
- Warm the taco shells, then load them with the warm lentil mixture, lettuce/cabbage, fresh salsa, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime juice. Serve immediately.
Notes
If using canned/pre-cooked lentils or black beans: Add cubed Sweet potato and 1/4 cup water to the onion, spices, tomato mixture(step 3). Mix, cover and cook for 15 minutes at medium heat. Add drained lentils/beans and salt(depends on if the lentils are salted or not), mix and cook covered until sweet potato cubes are tender.
Serve the lentils as a stew, on a salad, top a pizza, or make a sloppy sandwich.
Use seasonal squash or other veggies instead of sweet potato.
Nutrition
Calories: 183kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 412mg | Potassium: 408mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2640IU | Vitamin C: 5.6mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1.8mg