I love vegan food because it’s so versatile, healthy, makes you feel good, and aesthetically pleasing. I partnered up with Old El Paso to try my hand at making some vegan taco fillings because you can never have enough taco recipes! I’m actually so excited for this collaboration because I’ve always ran to Old El Paso for taco night supplies, haha.
So, after many trial and errors, I have 3 recipes to share made out of: lentils, rice, and cauliflower. If you want a video, I’ll have it linked at the bottom of this post.
Please note that I made these in portions enough for about 2-3 servings, so feel free to double, triple, or quadruple the ingredients. All of the recipes can also easily be adjusted to taste, so feel free to experiment until you’re happy. You guys know from my Vegan Onigiri post, I do love testing things out.
Lentil “Meat”
I wanted something that would look similarly to meat, so I figured lentils would be the best candidate for this vegan taco filling. I think it’s also a great option for people who are trying to introduce vegan recipes to friends and family because aesthetically, it’s not too far of a stretch.
What you need:
- olive oil
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 1/4th of an onion, chopped
- 1-2 tablespoons of Old El Paso taco seasoning
- 1/2 cup rinsed lentils
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup water
Directions:
- In a pot, add a drizzle of olive oil, 1-2 cloves of chopped garlic, and 1/4th of a chopped onion. You can adjust the amount to taste; whether you like a lot of onions and garlic or not.
- Sautee until slightly browned
- Add in half a cup of rinsed lentils and cook according to directions but with the vegetable broth and water instead of only water.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and stir.
- Cook your lentils according to directions until soft.
- Have a taste and add more seasoning as needed.
- Serve.
Burrito Rice
I knew I wanted to include rice as a filler in this compilation of vegan taco fillings because it’s so versatile and you can cook it however you like.
What you need:
- 1/2 cup rice
- 1 cup water or vegetable broth
- 1-2 tablespoons Old El paso taco seasoning
- Favourite fillings (i.e beans, onion, cilantro, etc)
- 1/2 cup of fresh or canned tomatoes
Directions:
- Using your favourite type of rice, rinse it and place into a pot or pan.
- Add water. OPTIONAL: Replace water with vegetable broth for more flavour. Keep 1:2 ratio for rice to liquid.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of taco seasoning and mix.
- Cook rice with lid until it is done.
- Add favourite fillings (i.e. beans, onions, cilantro, etc)
- Add tomatoes for moisture.
- Combine and taste. Add more seasoning as needed.
- Serve.
Cauliflower Bites
This vegan taco filling was surprisingly really good and I find would be really nice as a snack or replacement for chicken nuggets/popcorn chicken.
What you need:
- 1/2 head of cauliflower
- 6 tablespoons flour
- 1 tablespoon Old El Paso taco seasoning
- 4 tablespoons water
- panko or vegan breadcrumbs
- olive oil
Directions:
- Make sure cauliflower is cut, washed, and dried. The smaller the chunks, the more crunch from breading there will be.
- Make a paste with 6 tablespoons of flour, 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning, and 4 tablespoons of water. Ass more of less seasoning and water as needed. If you want a lot of breading, have a thicker paste, if you want less, add more water for a thinner paste.
- In a separate bowl or plate, fill with vegan or panko breadcrumbs.
- Dip dried cauliflower pieces into wet mixture then roll it in the bread crumbs.
- Place on an oiled baking sheet in a pan. I used olive oil.
- Place in preheated oven at 350’F until cauliflower is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Approx 25 min. for mine. Cooking times vary depending on size of bites. the larger they are, the longer to cook
- Serve.
Hopefully you guys like these vegan taco fillings.
What is your favourite vegan recipe? Share some with me so I can try it out!
Like tacos? Check this out:
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