Description
A delicious and healthy vegetarian taco salad packed with flavor and texture.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 cups brown lentils
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 can (6 oz.) black olives
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
- 1 avocado, diced (or more)
- 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
- 6 cups chopped Romaine or Iceberg lettuce
- 2 T olive oil
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
- 1 can (4 oz.) diced green chiles with juice
- 1 T ground cumin
- 1 T Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning
- 2 T Green Tabasco Sauce (more or less to taste)
- 1/2 cup vegetable stock
- Ranch Dressing (optional)
- grated Mexican Blend cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Put lentils, 6 cups water, and a little salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
- When the water boils, reduce to a low simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes. Drain lentils well.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chopped red onion and sauté for a few minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
- Add the can of diced green chiles with juice, ground cumin, and Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning and sauté about 2 minutes more.
- Add the lentils, Green Tabasco Sauce, and stock or water and simmer until the liquid has all evaporated, about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and let the lentils partly cool while you prep the other ingredients.
- While the lentils are cooling, drain and slice the olives, cut tomatoes in half, and slice the green onions.
- Dice the avocado into smallish pieces and toss with the lime juice.
- Coarsely chop the lettuce and wash/spin dry with a salad spinner, or wash in the sink and dry with paper towels.
- To assemble the salad, place the lettuce in a very large bowl with plenty of room to toss the ingredients.
- Add the partly cooled lentils on top of the lettuce and toss well, so the spicy taco flavoring is coating quite a few of the lettuce pieces.
- Add sliced olives, tomatoes, and sliced green onions and toss again.
- Serve the Vegetarian Taco Salad right away, with diced avocados (and Ranch Dressing and/or grated cheese if desired) to add at the table as desired.
Notes
- For a spicier kick, use jalapenos instead of green chiles.
- Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning can be adjusted depending on your spice preference.
- This salad is best served fresh but can be prepped in stages for convenience.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 2g
- Sodium: 210mg
- Fat: 14g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 42g
- Fiber: 12g
- Protein: 15g
- Cholesterol: 0mg