Lentil Taco Meat

A vegan substitute for Taco Tuesdays! Lentil Taco Meat is so easy to make. The carnivores in your life will be happy.

This lentil taco meat is a gamechanger. It is so easy and saves you from all the questionable ingredients that you may or may not find in supermarket veggie grind brands.

This recipe makes about 4 cups. And I find for us, as a family of 4, I need about 2 cups for one meal. I split this recipe in half, and store one portion in the freezer. It will keep in the freezer for several months and just needs a quick thaw before heating in a recipe.

Where to use Vegan Lentil Meat

• Tacos – obviously. See below for some seasoning suggestions. But feel free to use a “Taco” Seasoning packet, like these from Old El Paso.
• And don’t limit yourself to tacos, of course, this works for burritos or nachos too.
• Spaghetti “meat” sauce. Adjust the seasonings – instead of chipotle and cumin add dried oregano and dried thyme.
• Vegan Shepards Pie – again adjust the seasonings – instead of chipotle and cumin, add 1/4 teaspoon celery seed and dried thyme.

A few more notes

You might find that vegan meat absorbs more liquid in some recipes than ground beef. So when using this for certain recipes, you might find you need a little bit more liquid to prevent sticking. Use water to avoid adding more sodium and seasonings to your dish.

I haven’t used this in the slow cooker. So I can’t say that it will work as a vegan substitute for ground beef in a long cook recipe.

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Lentil and Walnut “Meat”

An easy vegan meat recipe. Walnuts add texture and fat. Use this just about anywhere you would use ground beef. The Taco seasonings below are relatively mild, and really doesn't limit this recipe for just taco filling.

Servings: 2 2 cup portions

Calories: 848kcal

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts
• 3 cups cooked lentils
• 2 large carrots, shredded
• 1 small onion finely diced
• 1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil
• 1/2 tsp salt

Taco seasonings (optional)

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin

Instructions

• In a large skilet over medium heat, toast walnuts until just fragrant. Transfer walnuts to a food processor.
• In same skillet, heat oil on medium heat, add onions and saute 3-5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add carros and saute another 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a food processor.
• Add salt (and taco seasonings, if using) and pulse a couple of times to break up walnuts. Add lentils and pulse again, a couple of times. Divide into 2 equal portions. Will keep frozen for several months.

Notes

You may find that this vegan ground meat substitute absorbs more liquid (from the lentils) than regular ground meat when using it to make tacos, etc…. just keep an eye on it while cooking and add more liquid as necessary to keep it from sticking. 

The calorie count and nutritional information below is based on half of the recipe — not a serving for one person. This recipe is designed to make a ground meet substitute that you can use in other recipes.

Trish | The In Fine Balance Food Blog

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Trish

Hi, I’m Trish. I share quick and healthy recipes designed to get you through your busy days, balanced with a generous serving of sweet and decadent treats for weekends and special occasions. You will find vegan, gluten-free and plant-based recipes here too. Thanks for visiting!