I love a baked taco - you put all the goods in a crunchy tortilla then stick it in the oven to get nice and melty and crunchy - it’s a dream. I’ve been long searching for a health{ier} version of the classic baked taco with all the good flavors and textures. I was so excited when Siete Foods came out with their crunchy grain-free taco shells and immediately went to work trying to get a delicious and easy taco meat alternative to put inside the crunchy, grain-free tortilla shells and stick in the oven.
I tried a lot of taco meat recipes and ended up combining two of the ones we liked the best, baked them up, and…they were a hit. The bulk of the taco meat is made with lentils and walnuts - the way these two ingredients come together and soak up the liquid when they’re cooking create a ground beef-like texture so your manly man won’t complain about a veggie dinner and you can silently brag about feeding yourself and your people some extra nutrients.
Let’s talk quickly about the stars of this show:
Lentils - lentils are small legumes (aka a seed that grows in a pod - like a bean) that are a great vegetarian source of protein. They’re affordable and nutrient-dense - packed with fiber, iron, calcium, magnesium, and folic acid. For this recipe I used green lentils but there are so many different kinds and you could absolutely use whatever type you have.
Walnuts - proclaimed to be the best nut for your heart health as they have the highest amount of heart-healthy fat (the ALA type of omega-3 fatty acid). Walnuts are anti-inflammatory and help reduce oxidation in the arteries.
Even my extra-picky-right-now girls liked how these tacos turned out and I ate the taco meat on a salad for lunch the next day and it was extra special that way as well. These are going in the repeat column -simple, quick, delicious, and healthy - and I’m going to try doubling the recipe and freezing the leftovers to see if that works as well. Anyway, enough of my future plans (believe when you see it, right?) let’s just check, check, check it out, shall we?
Baked Lentil Tacos
Ingredients:
Instant Pot Lentil Taco Meat (recipe below)
Siete Foods Grain-Free Crunchy Tortillas
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Roasted Corn Kernels
Chopped Spinach
Optional Toppings: salsa, diced tomatoes, avocado
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
Assemble tacos in baking dish - taco shell, chopped spinach, taco meat, corn, shredded cheese.
Bake 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted.
Instant Pot Lentil Taco Meat (recipe adapted from Delish Knowledge)
Ingredients:
1 yellow onion, chopped small
1-2 TBSP olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
Taco Seasoning (1 Tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, 1/4 tsp each onion powder, oregano, pepper - mix together - add 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes if you like a little heat - I leave it out because of the kiddos)
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1- 15 oz can fire roasted tomatoes
3/4 cups walnuts, chopped
1 cup dried lentils
Directions:
Using “Sauté” mode on Instant Pot, sauté olive oil, onion, and garlic until onions are soft and translucent (3-4 minutes), stirring often to not burn garlic.
Press “Cancel” on Instant Pot and add the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine.
Place the top on (make sure to close the pressure valve) and cook on high manual pressure for 15 minutes. Allow the steam to release naturally for at least 5 minutes. Remove lid and stir - adjust seasoning as needed.
