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Smoky lentil and sweet potato tacos on a blue plate
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5 from 3 votes

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!
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Entree
Cuisine: Indian Fusion
Keyword: lentil and sweet potato tacos recipe, smoky lentil and sweet potato tacos
Servings: 8 tacos
Author: Vegan Richa

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