My Cheesy Baked Lentil Tacos come together quickly and are great for an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. The lentil filling is packed with flavor and can be prepared ahead of time. Bake these crispy tacos in the oven, until cheese is melted, serve with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy.
Tacos are one of my favorite meals, and I especially love when they’re baked in the oven until crispy. My Cheesy Baked Lentil Tacos are packed with flavor and protein, making them a great weeknight family dinner recipe. Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite taco toppings for a hearty vegetarian meal that you’ll be making over and over again.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Vegetarian Dinner
- Packed with flavor – The lentil filling is packed with so much flavor in this vegetarian taco recipe. It’s made using onion, garlic, tomato sauce, smoky paprika and tamari. I love it in these cheesy tacos, but it can also be enjoyed with rice or pasta.
- Meal prep friendly – These lentil tacos can be meal prepped in two different ways. You can prepare the lentil filling ahead of time so you can quickly throw together the tacos just before dinner. Or, you can freeze the assembled tacos for up to 3 months and pop in the oven, from frozen, when ready to eat.
- Easy to make – The lentil filling comes together quickly by cooking together a few sauce ingredients before adding the canned lentils in. Once the filling is made, assemble the tacos and bake in the oven until cheese is melted and tortillas are golden brown.
Why Your Body Will Love This Flavorful Lentil Recipe
Iron is an essential mineral that helps maintain healthy blood in our bodies. Iron helps to carry oxygen from your lungs to other parts of your body. Without sufficient iron in the blood, the body is unable to transport oxygen as efficiently, resulting in a condition called anemia. There are several types of anemia, but I’m referring specifically to Iron Deficiency Anemia. Anemia can cause several different symptoms, including fatigue, easy bruising, dizziness, shortness of breath, pale skin, and heart palpitations. If you experience any of these symptoms, please bring them to your doctor’s attention. Anemia is diagnosed with a simple blood test.
There are two types of iron, heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron is only found in animal protein, like poultry, shellfish, and other meats. Non-heme iron is found in plant-based products, such as lentils, spinach, and nuts. Unfortunately, for us vegetarians, heme iron is more readily absorbed by the body. A diet rich in non-heme iron requires additional factors for absorption, such as vitamin C. This salad recipe is rich in non-heme iron sources, so I made sure to add extra vitamin C to aid in its absorption.
Cheesy Baked Lentil Taco Recipe Ingredients
- Lentils – I used two cans of brown lentils for this taco recipe. You can easily swap in home cooked brown lentils instead though. If you don’t like lentils, black beans or pinto beans would be great substitutes.
- Cheese – I used a block of colby jack cheese that I shredded myself, but any kind of cheese will work in these tacos, as long as it melts well. Use pepper-jack if you want a spicy kick.
- Tortillas – I used small, fajita sized flour tortillas for these tacos, but corn tortillas would also work well. Larger sized tortillas can be used, if you prefer.
- Lentil Sauce – The homemade lentil sauce might seem like it has a lot of ingredients, but pretty much all of them are pantry staples, so you probably already have them on hand. It is made using marinara sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, tamari, maple syrup and lots of warm spices like cumin and smoked paprika.
How To Make Protein Packed Lentil Tacos
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Add all of the lentil sauce ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix well, until combined. Set aside until ready to use. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons olive oil, the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Mix together and cook until onions are softened, 2-3 minutes. Next, add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add in the marinara lentil sauce, that you made already, and mix together well. Cook sauce until heated through and starting to simmer, 2-3 minutes. Add in the lentils, mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes, to allow all the flavors to develop.
- Lay out the flour tortillas on a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper. For each taco: add 1-2 tablespoons shredded cheese on one side, top with about 1/4 cup of the lentil mixture and then finish off by adding on 1-2 more tablespoons shredded cheese to the top.
- Fold over the top of the tortilla and repeat until your sheet pan is full. It’s ok if the top of the tortillas won’t stay folded over, once they go in the oven and the cheese starts to melt, you can carefully reach in and make sure they are folded over. Place tacos in the oven and bake until cheese is melted and tortillas are starting to brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes and then enjoy with your favorite taco toppings.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Make this recipe gluten free by using gluten free corn tortillas for the tacos.
- Make this recipe vegan by using your favorite meltable vegan cheese.
- Can the lentils be substituted? Yes, if you’re not a big fan of lentils, you can easily substitute black beans or pinto beans.
- Can these tacos be meal prepped? Yes, this dinner is great for prepping ahead of time. You can either make the full recipe and then just store the tacos in the freezer, or refrigerator, until ready to re-heat. You can also just prepare the lentil mixture ahead of time and store in the refrigerator. Then, when ready to make the tacos, just pull out the lentils and assemble them.
- Are these tacos spicy? No, they are not spicy, but you can add hot sauce if you want them to be spicy.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Iron Rich Lentil Recipes?
Spaghetti with Meaty Lentil Sauce
Iron-Rich Spinach Lentil Salad
Lentils and Rice with Curry Yogurt
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Cheesy Baked Lentil Tacos
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
My Cheesy Baked Lentil Tacos come together quickly and are great for an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. The lentil filling is packed with flavor and can be prepared ahead of time. Bake these crispy tacos in the oven, until cheese is melted, serve with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (15 oz) cans lentils, drained and rinsed
- 10 fajita sized flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded colby jack cheese, or more if desired
- Cooking spray
Sauce For Lentils
- 3/4 cup marinara sauce
- 2 teaspoons tamari, or soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon ketchup
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon regular paprika
- 3/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard powder (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Add all of the lentil sauce ingredients to a medium sized bowl and mix well, until combined. Set aside until ready to use.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons olive oil, the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Mix together and cook until onions are softened, 2-3 minutes. Next, add in the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add in the marinara lentil sauce, that you made already, and mix together well. Cook sauce until heated through and starting to simmer, 2-3 minutes. Add in the lentils, mix well and cook for another 2-3 minutes, to allow all the flavors to develop.
- Lay out the flour tortillas on a large sheet pan lined with parchment paper. For each taco: add 1-2 tablespoons shredded cheese on one side, top with about 1/4 cup of the lentil mixture and then finish off by adding on 1-2 more tablespoons shredded cheese to the top.
- Fold over the top of the tortilla and repeat until your sheet pan is full. It’s ok if the top of the tortillas won’t stay folded over, once they go in the oven and the cheese starts to melt, you can carefully reach in and make sure they are folded over.
- Place tacos in the oven and bake until cheese is melted and tortillas are starting to brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for a few minutes and then enjoy with your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
This recipe makes about 10 small sized tacos. You can make them larger if you wish though.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegetarian
- Method: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: American
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