Ancho Lentil Tacos
Easy lentil taco meat. Smoky, spicy lentils cooked down with ancho chile, tomato paste, and hot sauce until they hold together like ground meat.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pc small onion minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils (from about 1 cup dried)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Cholula)
Spice mix:
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
To serve:
- tortillas
- pico
- shredded lettuce
Instructions
- First combine all of the ingredients for the spice mix and set aside. Also, keep a cup of water within reach, you’ll need to add splashes as you cook.
- Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sautee the onion and garlic in the oil with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Add spices and toss them for 30 seconds or so to toast.
- Lower heat to medium, add lentils, a few splashes of water, tomato paste and hot sauce; use a spatula to mash them a bit as they cook, until they hold together. If your spatula isn’t strong enough to accomplish this, just use a fork. Do this for about 5 minutes, adding splashes of water as necessary if it appears dry. Taste for salt and seasoning; you may want to add more spices or hot sauce. And that’s it, time to serve!
- Fold into tacos with all the fixings or use some of the ideas in the post.
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