These aren’t your ordinary vegan tacos. You’ll be surprised with how well fresh cherries go with roasted cauliflower, red lentils, and dill in this easy recipe. Have an assemble-your-own taco night or bring these to a potluck. We recently served this at a birthday bbq and it was a hit!
When creating vegan or vegetarian recipes, I try to incorporate a
Lentils provide protein as well as nutrients such as iron, folate, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and fiber, while cherries are a rich source of antioxidants, vitamin C and vitamin A.
click below to watch how to make these easy vegan tacos
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here's how to get started
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE
- 3 small heads of cauliflower (purple, orange, and white)
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon
- low sodium soy sauce
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 cup dry red lentils
- 2 cups low sodium vegetable stock
- kosher salt
- 5 cherries
- 8 small corn tortillas
- fresh cilantro (cilantro microgreens if you like)
- fresh dill
- pickled sliced red onions (optional)
cooking equipment and pantry items used in this taco recipe
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how to make colorful roasted cauliflower, lentils, and cherry vegan tacos - step by step
First, preheat your oven to 450F.
Then, prepare the cauliflower by washing and cutting them into florets. Toss the cauliflower florets with olive oil, low sodium soy sauce, and lemon juice before spreading out into a single layer on a half (large) parchment paper covered sheet tray.
Roast the cauliflower in your preheated oven until slightly golden brown on the edges but still with a light crunch, tossing once (about 15 to 20 minutes).
how to cook lentils
Inspect the lentils for any small pebbles by spreading them out on a large sheet tray.
Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the minced garlic in a small saucepan on low heat until the garlic is fragrant (about 1 minute).
Add the dry red lentils and stir in low sodium vegetable stock and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring the stock to boil on medium-high heat, stir, then cover and turn down the heat to low.
Allow the lentils to simmer in the stock for 25 minutes. When the lentils are cooked, mix in 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice right before serving.
final ingredients preparation
While the cauliflower and lentils are cooking, cut the cherries by slicing around the pit into 4 pieces each.
Heat your tortillas on
mise en place - prep table to use while cooking
Here is an ingredient prep table I use when making multiple recipes. It's also useful when you want to be able to quickly glance at a to-do list while cooking instead of re-reading recipe instructions over and over again.
| ingredient | qty | prep |
| preheat oven to 450°F | ||
| cauliflower | 3 small heads | wash, cut into florets |
| lemon | 1 each | wash, cut for juicing |
| cauliflower florets | toss with olive oil, lemon juice, and low sodium soy sauce roast in 450°F oven | |
| garlic | 1 clove | peel and mince |
| dry red lentils | 1 cup | inspect for pebbles |
| dry red lentils | 1 cup | cook with olive oil, garlic, veg stock, salt finish with lemon juice |
| cherries | 5 each | wash, slice around pit into 4 pieces |
| corn tortillas | 8 small | heat and keep warm |
| cilantro sprigs | ½ cup | wash, dry, and rough chop |
| dill sprigs | ¼ cup | wash, dry, and pick |
assembling the tacos
- Scoop ¼ cup of the cooked lentils onto a hot tortilla and smear with the back of a spoon.
- Top the lentils with a few roasted cauliflower florets.
- Add 2-3 slices of fresh cherries.
- Top with a few sprigs of fresh cilantro and dill.
- Add pickled red onion slices (optional, but a lovely addition).
- Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
COOKING WITH KIDS - what can the kids help with?
- wash and peel the leaves off of the cauliflower
- toss cauliflower florets with olive oil, lemon juice, and soy sauce
- organize the prepared cauliflower onto the large baking pan
- help inspect the dry lentils for pebbles
- picking fresh cilantro and dill sprigs
- assembling their own tacos!
what are some possible ingredient substitutions?
- romanesco, broccoli stems, or kohlrabi make great substitutes for the cauliflower in this recipe
- you can season the cauliflower or vegetable substitute with salt instead of low sodium soy sauce
- flour tortillas can be used instead of corn tortillas, or tortillas made from a mix of masa and flour work well too
extra cooking tips
- For a summer BBQ, you can grill the cauliflower instead of roasting
- Cut cauliflower into "steaks" or large pieces and coat with olive oil. Grill until desired doneness, cut into small florets and toss with low sodium soy sauce and lemon juice
The combination of roasted cauliflower and cooked lentils with fresh cherries and dill may sound a bit strange, but it tastes amazing! I've served these at many friends and family gatherings and taco parties, and every guest (including meat-eaters) has been surprised at how good these are.
Cherries are especially sweet during summer in Southern California so now's a great time to give this vegan taco recipe a try.
Happy cooking! ~ Cin
recipes that go well with these vegan tacos
- a refreshing chilled coconut corn soup
- simple watermelon cucumber mint salad
- asparagus ribbon spring salad (omit the cheese and substitute honey with agave nectar for a vegan option)
- sweet and savory sautéed green beans with basil
- browse all vegan recipes
Please give this recipe a star rating below and leave a comment. I would appreciate it so much and would love to hear about your experience or if you put your own twist on the recipe. Show off your results by taking a photo and tagging @thesoundofcooking on Instagram. I would love to share what you come up with!
Disclosure: The recipe below may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon
tri-color cauliflower, lentils, and cherry tacos
watch it step-by-step: the sound of cooking® video
ingredients
roasted cauliflower:
- 3 small heads cauliflower (purple, orange, and white), cut into florets
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
lentils (dal):
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup red lentils, sift through to check for small pebbles
- 2 cups vegetable stock, low sodium
- ½ teaspoon salt, kosher
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
toppings:
- 5 cherries, sliced around the pit into bite-sized pieces
- 8 small corn tortillas
- ½ cup cilantro microgreens (or regular chopped cilantro)
- ¼ cup dill springs
- ¼ cup sliced pickled red onions (optional)
instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Line a large sheet tray with parchment paper.
- Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil, low sodium soy sauce, and lemon juice. Spread out into a single layer on the prepared sheet tray and roast in the preheated oven until slightly golden brown on the edges but still with a light crunch (about 15 to 20 minutes).
- Heat 1 teaspoon of olive oil and the minced garlic in a small saucepan on low heat until garlic is fragrant (1 minute). Add red lentils, stir in low sodium vegetable stock and ½ teaspoon of salt. Bring the stock to boil on medium-high heat, stir, then cover and turn down heat to low. Allow lentils to simmer in the vegetable stock for 25 minutes. When the lentils are cooked, mix in 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice right before serving.
- While cauliflower and lentils are cooking, cut cherries.
- Heat tortillas on a hot cast iron or nonstick pan (about 30 seconds on each side). Store hot tortillas in a baking dish or serving platter covered with a clean kitchen towel.
- To assemble tacos - scoop ¼ cup of cooked lentils on a hot tortilla and smear with the back of a spoon. Top with roasted cauliflower, cherries, cilantro, and a sprig of dill. A few slices of pickled red onions is optional but would make a lovely addition. Enjoy immediately!
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