Vegan Taco Salad (Restaurant-Style!) – Connoisseurus Veg

A zesty lentil walnut mix takes the place of meat in this scrumptious vegan taco salad. It’s totally meatless, dairy-free, packed with flavor, and served up in a crispy (baked!) tortilla bowl!

I don’t post too many salad recipes on this site. Although I eat a ton of salad, it’s not something I usually get excited about. In order for me to get really excited about a salad, it has to be pretty darn special.

This vegan taco salad is just about as special as it gets.

First, let’s talk vegan taco meat. I recently shared a recipe for some vegan tacos made with black bean and walnut filling. The texture is still one of my favorites when it comes to DIY meatless meats, so I decided to see how it would turn out with another type of bean, like lentils. Lentils actually worked really well to make a crumbly filling that’s perfect for taco salad.

Then there’s the bowls. In my younger years I waited tables at a handful of restaurants that served taco salads in fried crispy tortilla bowls. Could I recreate the bowls without frying? I did! I found a great little hack for baking crispy tortilla bowls.

It all gets topped off with a super creamy avocado lime dressing that’s good enough to eat with a spoon. (I tried, can confirm.)

Let’s talk about how these salads come together!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Flour tortillas. You’ll need large (burrito-sized) tortillas to make the bowls. Smaller tortillas won’t be large enough to hold much salad!
• Oil. You’ll preferably need a mister or cooking spray for the bowl, though you could also brush the oil on. The recipe calls for olive oil to make the filling, but canola, corn, avocado, or any other high-heat oil will work just fine!
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Walnuts. Pecans would work as a substitute. Sunflower seeds would probably make a good substitute if you need to keep the recipe nut-free. You could also skip the nuts if needed. They add texture, but aren’t crucial to the recipe.
• Spices. We’re using ground cumin, ancho chile powder, and optionally some cayenne pepper.
• Lentils. The recipe calls for cooked brown lentils. Another variety of firm lentil like black or green would work, but I don’t recommend using red lentils, as they’d probably be too mushy.
• Tomato sauce.
• Soy sauce. Tamari or liquid aminos can be substituted if needed.
• Salt & pepper.
• Avocado.
• Non-dairy milk. Use something unsweetened and unflavored. Soy milk, almond milk, and cashew milk would all be great choices.
• Lime juice. Use freshly squeezed juice to give your dressing the best flavor.
• Fresh cilantro. Skip this if you’re not a fan.
• Fresh chives.
• Lettuce. The recipe calls for romaine lettuce, but you can absolutely substitute your favorite salad green.
• Cherry tomatoes.
• Black olives.
• Salsa. Use your favorite homemade or jarred salsa. My mango salsa or pico de gallo would be excellent with this salad!

Tip: Feel free to take shortcuts! Skip the bowl and instead top your salad with crushed tortilla chips, or use your favorite store-bought salad dressing instead of homemade avocado dressing.

How It’s Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!

• Start by making your bowls. You’ll need something to bake your bowls in. A medium-sized oven-proof mixing bowl like I’m using works great! You could also use a tortilla bowl pan.
• Mist or brush both sides of your tortillas with a thin layer of oil, then place them into your baking vessel. For a mixing bowl you’ll want to create little pleats in the tortilla so it fits.
• Bake your tortillas until they’re crispy and browned in spots. Let them cool in the bowls for a few minutes before removing them, and be careful not to burn yourself on the hot bowl! It’s easier to do than you’d think.

• Make the filling while the bowls bake. Sweat some diced onion in olive oil for a few minutes, until it begins to soften.
• Add garlic, finely chopped walnuts, and spices. Toast everything very briefly, stirring constantly to prevent anything from burning.

• Add cooked lentils, tomato sauce and soy sauce to the mixture, bring the sauce to a simmer, and let it cook for about 10 minutes, until it’s nice and thick.

Tip: The vegan taco meat portion of this recipe can easily be prepared a day or two in advance.

• Make the dressing while the filling simmers. Place your avocado, milk, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chives and some salt into a food processor or blender and blend the mixture until smooth.
• At this point you can thin the dressing with more milk if you’d like, or add additional salt and/or lime juice.

• Assemble the vegan taco salads. Fill your tortilla bowls with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and taco filling, then top each salad with dressing and salsa. Feel free to pile on any other taco toppings you’d like to include as well!

Leftovers & Storage

If possible, store each of the components of these salads separately. The filling and avocado dressing can be kept refrigerated in airtight containers for 3 to 4 days, although the dressing may turn brown over time. The best way to avoid this is by using very fresh avocados.

The bowls will keep in sealed bags or airtight containers if you can find ones that will fit them, but your best bet is probably to just make as many bowls as you plan on eating, then make more for the leftovers.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Vegan Salad Recipes

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Vegan Taco Salad (Restaurant-Style!)

A zesty lentil walnut mix takes the place of meat in this scrumptious vegan taco salad. It’s totally meatless, dairy-free, packed with flavor, and served up in a crispy (baked!) tortilla bowl!

Ingredients

For the Crispy Tortilla Bowls

• 4
  large (burrito size) flour tortillas
• Oil mister or cooking spray

For the Lentil Walnut Taco Filling

• 1
  tablespoon
  olive oil
• 1
  medium onion,
  diced
• 2
  garlic cloves,
  minced
• ½
  cup
  finely chopped walnuts
• 1
  tablespoon
  ground cumin
• 1
  teaspoon
  ancho chile powder
• ¼
  teaspoon
  cayenne pepper,
  or to taste
• 3
  cups
  cooked brown lentils (Note 1)
• ½
  cup
  canned tomato sauce
• 1
  tablespoon
  soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Avocado Dressing

• 1
  ripe avocado,
  pitted and peeled
• ¾
  cup
  unflavored soy or almond milk
• 3
  tablespoons
  lime juice
• 1
  garlic clove
• ¼
  cup
  chopped fresh cilantro
• 2
  tablespoons
  chopped fresh chives
• ½
  teaspoon
  salt,
  plus more to taste

For the Salad

• 6
  cups
  roughly chopped romaine lettuce
• 1
  cup
  cherry tomatoes,
  halved
• ¼
  cup
  black olives
• Salsa, and/or any of your favorite taco toppings

Instructions

Make the Crispy Tortilla Bowls

1. Preheat the oven to 400°.

2. Use a mister or cooking spray to lightly coat both sides of a tortilla with oil. Drape it into a large oven safe bowl, or you can use a tortilla bowl pan.

3. Repeat for the remaining tortillas. (You can work in batches if you need to. I used a couple of small stainless steel mixing bowls, and baked the tortillas 2 at a time).

4. Bake until the tortillas are lightly browned around the edges, about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the bowls from the oven and place them on a cooling rack. Allow them to cool for a couple of minutes before carefully removing the the tortillas. (Note 2)

Make the Lentil Walnut Taco Filling

1. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with oil and place it over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion. Sweat the onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, walnuts, cumin, ancho chile powder and cayenne pepper to the skillet. Cook the mixture for about 1 minute, until it becomes very fragrant, stirring constantly.

3. Stir in the lentils, tomato sauce and soy sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook the filling for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens up a bit.

Make the Avocado Dressing

1. Place the avocado, milk, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, chives, and salt into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Optionally, thin the mixture with additional milk and add more salt and/or lime juice to taste.

Assemble the Salads

1. Divide the lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and olives among the tortilla bowls. Top each salad with lentil walnut filling, a scoop of salsa, avocado dressing, and any other taco fixings you’d like to use. Serve.

Recipe Notes

1. You can use canned/precooked lentils or cook them yourself. If you cook them yourself you’ll need to start with about 1 ½ cups of dry lentils. Cover them with water and boil them for about 20 minutes, being careful not to overcook them.
2. Please be careful not to burn yourself on the bowls. I don’t usually put bowls in the oven, so I find it’s easy to forget that they’re hot!
3. Tortilla bowls adapted from Livestrong.

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Taco Salad (Restaurant-Style!)

Amount Per Serving (1 salad)

Calories 716
Calories from Fat 275

% Daily Value*

Fat 30.6g47%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Sodium 1346mg56%

Potassium 1396mg40%

Carbohydrates 87.5g29%

Fiber 22.6g90%

Sugar 12.6g14%

Protein 28.9g58%

Calcium 401mg40%

Iron 11mg61%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.