Description
These Instant Pot Lentil Tacos are a delicious and nutritious vegetarian alternative to traditional meat tacos. Featuring seasoned brown or green lentils cooked quickly in a pressure cooker and combined with salsa for extra flavor, they are perfect for a healthy, protein-packed meal served in soft or crunchy taco shells with your favorite toppings.
Ingredients
Scale
Lentils and Seasonings
- 1 1/2 cups (300 g) dried brown or green lentils, rinsed and drained
- 3 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
Additional Ingredients
- 1 cup red or green salsa (preferably thick and chunky vs thin and watery)
- 12 to 15 soft or crunchy taco shells
- Taco toppings of choice (such as chopped lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro)
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: In a 6-quart electric pressure cooker, add the rinsed lentils, broth, chili powder, ground cumin, salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Stir lightly to combine.
- Pressure Cook: Secure the lid and ensure the valve is set to the sealing position. Cook on high pressure for 12 minutes to allow the lentils to soften and absorb the spices.
- Release Pressure: Let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes for gentle cooking, then carefully release any remaining pressure manually to safely open the lid.
- Drain Excess Liquid: Check the lentils and drain off any excess liquid if desired to achieve your preferred consistency.
- Add Salsa and Season: Stir in the salsa thoroughly and taste the lentil mixture. Adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed to enhance the flavor.
- Optional Mashing: For a thicker taco filling, lightly mash some of the lentils with a fork or potato masher to your desired texture.
- Keep Warm and Serve: The lentil mixture will thicken further if kept warm in the pressure cooker. Serve the warm lentils in taco shells topped with your favorite taco toppings.
Notes
- Using vegetable broth keeps the dish vegetarian/vegan; chicken broth adds extra flavor but is not suitable for vegetarian diets.
- Chunky salsa is preferred to avoid a watery filling.
- You can customize this recipe with your favorite taco toppings like avocado, chopped onions, cilantro, or hot sauce.
- If you prefer, soak lentils for 1 hour before cooking to reduce cooking time slightly, although not necessary.
- This recipe makes 12 to 15 tacos depending on shell size and filling amount.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco (lentils only)
- Calories: 98 kcal
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 246 mg
- Fat: 0.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 7 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
