Each December, my children’s school hosts a craft fair that is as homespun as they come. Parents and middle schoolers spend months making handmade goods that range from colorful sock puppets to delicate wreaths crafted from tree branches. An entire section of the fair is devoted to edible crafts, mostly cookies and cupcakes made by fledgling young cooks. Tempting as the sweets may be, though, my favorite booth is manned by one of the teachers whose family hail from India. He brews up a pot of savory lentils called dal, which he spoons over tortillas, finishing the whole business with yogurt and chutney. Lines form to buy one (or several) of these Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos with Indian Spices. They’re often the first to sell out.
What Are Lentil Tacos with Indian Spices?
Today’s easy recipe is a nod to those craft fair tacos. It comes courtesy of our crock pot experts Jane McKay and Meg Barnhart of the Zen of Slow Cooking. And while it might sound sort of unusal, the recipe calls for familiar ingredients and requires minimal fuss in the kitchen. Lentils stew alongside ginger and a host of Indian spices until tender and flavorful. The result is not only delicious, but a nutrient powerhouse, packed with protein, folate, fiber, and iron.
Health Benefits of Lentils
Clearly this isn’t your typical taco recipe. Aside from the fact that it’s not remotely Mexican, it’s also made with lentils instead of more standard beans. Lentils are a nutrient-packed legume that provides protein, fiber, and a decent dose of iron, which can be hard to come by if you’re following a vegetarian or vegan diet. Adding yogurt means a dose of probiotics and a hit of protein to boot. Choose a whole-grain tortilla and you get even more fiber in every taco.
How to Make Slow Cooker Tacos
You start by sautéeing onion with ginger and garlic until tender. Then, in goes a variety of Indian spices to perfume your pot. After that, everything gets transferred to the slow cooker, where it stews for a couple of hours until tender. Once the lentils are done, it’s a matter of assembly. I like to spoon the fixings into a small flour tortilla, but corn will do the trick, too. To finish, add a dollop of plain yogurt, fresh cilantro, and Indian chutney if you have one on hand.
Top Tips to Make Indian-Style Lentil Tacos
Here are a few simple tips to make a successful pot of these healthy tacos:
- Be sure to pick through the lentils before using to eliminate any tiny stones or debris.
- This recipe relies heavily on spices. Check to make sure yours aren’t antiques. If they’ve been in the pantry more than a year or two, it might be time to replace them.
- Tortillas are that much tastier when slightly blistered, either directly over a gas burner, or in a pan set on the stove.
- This is an entirely vegetarian recipe. If you prefer it to be vegan, look for a plain, plant-based yogurt.
- If you want to make this for a bigger crowd, feel free to double the recipe.
When you’re lentils are done and everything is on the table, you’ve got a meal worthy of family dinner, or perhaps, your next craft fair.
Be sure to check out these other tasty vegan recipes!
Instant Pot Rice and Vegetable Soup
Green Lentil Daal by Slow The Cook Down
Vegan Enchiladas by Oh She Glows
Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos with Indian Spices
An easy slow cooker recipe that gives traditional tacos a different spin using nourishing green lentils. Once seasoned south Asian spices, pile the lentils on tortillas with yogurt, cilantro, and hot sauce or Indian chutney, if you like.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups Green lentils
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium diced onion
- 2 medium diced carrots
- 2- inch piece minced fresh ginger
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 small finely chopped jalapeño pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 8 Corn or small flour tortillas
- 3/4 cup Plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup cilantro sprigs
- Optional garnishes: finely shredded cabbage, pickled cabbage, hot sauce, Indian-style chutney
Instructions
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Pick through the lentils to be sure there is no debris or tiny stones.
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Heat the olive oil over medium-high in a large skillet. Add the onion, carrot, ginger, garlic and optional jalapeño. Sauté gently for 3 minutes. Add the coriander, turmeric, cumin and curry powder and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker. Add the tomato paste, lentils and broth and stir well.
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Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours until the lentils are very tender. Add the salt, stir, and taste to see if more salt is needed.
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When ready to serve, warm the tortillas directly over a gas burner or in a cast iron skillet until just slightly blistered and wrap in a clean dish towel. Make tacos by topping a tortilla with a generous spoonful of lentils, a dollop of yogurt, a pinch of fresh cilantro, and any of the optional garnishes.
Recipe Notes
Very slightly adapted and used with permission from the Zen of Slow Cooking, where you can find an abundance of fabulous slow cooker recipes.