Cauliflower tacos are a riot of colour, texture and flavour. These are mini wraps jam-packed with roasted cauliflower, a lentil stew, shredded purple cabbage and fresh coriander leaves - all drizzled with a creamy tangy sauce. They will become your new (and a bit different) mid-week go-to.
There are four main filling (or topping) components….
- Roasted Cauliflower – tiny florets that are equal parts chewy and crisp. Naturally sweet and delicious little nuggets.
- Lentils – conveniently from a can. Simmered in stock with tomato paste and spices to make a soft and ‘dollop-able’ taco filling.
- Creamy Dressing – simply made with store-bought mayonnaise and pimped up with freshly squeezed lime juice and smoky sweet paprika.
- Fresh Raw Accompaniments - coriander, shredded purple cabbage & lime juice.
There's enough to generously fill sixteen soft tacos. This meal is fun to assemble and eat (delightfully messy!). It’s healthy, filling, vegetarian and gluten-free (if you use gluten-free wraps). It ticks many flavour and texture profiles in each bite.
It’s a meal that comes together within an hour. Perfect for a mid-week meal that is healthy, yet still satisfying and so tasty!
This recipe is inspired by Cookie and Kate’s recipe . Some changes I’ve made: I’ve removed the onion and garlic (always!). I've added some shredded purple cabbage for colour, crunch and freshness. I've used canned lentils for speed and ease.
🥘 Ingredients
Cauliflower – the hero of the dish. You’ll need a large cauliflower for this recipe. It’s quite incredible how much volume it loses as it cooks. Try to find a white unblemished one. The prepared little florets collapse into deliciously sweet, crispy yet chewy nuggets when roasted. Even my kids fight over the crispy bits.
Coriander – used here as a bona fide ‘green’, not just the usual garnish. No need to chop the leaves up. If the stems are fine and tender, you can even include those (as the photo above shows).
Smoked Sweet Paprika – adds a touch of colour, smokiness and mild heat to the mayo dressing.
‘Street’ Tacos/Soft Tacos – these are smaller than standard tortilla wraps, usually around 14cm across. These are typically made of corn. If you need to stick to a gluten-free diet, make sure the packaging states that they are GF. Otherwise, wheat tacos will work just as well. Smaller wraps mean you can have more of course. I like the ratio of filling to carbs with these smaller ones. Wholemeal soft tacos work well here but are harder to find. One day I’ll include a link to make your own 😊
Canned Lentils – consistent, easy, convenient – I love canned lentils. Even if you buy organic, no-salt added ones, they’re relatively cheap. In this recipe, we simmer them in stock with tomato paste and some spices. This creates a delicious filling that is ‘meaty’ in texture and satisfying. There’s only a touch of spicy heat provided by a little chili powder. Feel free to add more if you like it hotter. Note that the lentils in the photo above have already been rinsed and drained.
Purple/Red Cabbage – I just love this stuff finely shredded. It looks and tastes so good. It adds a wonderful crunch element to these otherwise soft and chewy tacos.
Lime Juice – adds to the Mexican vibes and livens up all the earthy flavours. It helps thin down the mayo sauce to make it more drizzle-able. It’s worth having a few lime cheeks available to spritz the filled tacos for a last flourish.
🔪 Instructions
Lentils – so easy! Empty, rinse and drain canned lentils. Add to a saucepan with a little tomato paste, stock, ground cumin and a touch of chilli powder. This simmers gently while you get everything else ready.
Cauliflower – this is the part of making this recipe that takes the most time. But, separating the cauliflower into tiny florets (all the better piling into little wraps) is well worth the effort. I've upped my tiny floret producing game since taking these photos. 😂. The easiest way to get the littlest florets is to snap off florets with your hands, then cut just under the bushy 'tree' part at the top of the stem. The florets will naturally split into lots of smaller ones with very little effort. You can the chop up the stems to about the same size.
We toss the florets with olive oil and salt before laying out on baking sheets.
DON’T line the cauliflower baking trays with baking paper. The cauliflower gets more crispy when it roasts in direct contact with the hot baking sheet. And we love the crispy bits. Roast the florets with lots of space around them so that they roast, rather than steam-cook. Be prepared to take them quite far in terms of browning. Some cauliflower edges may char slightly. This is good! Serve the cauliflower straight away, directly from the baking sheets. Piling them into a bowl will cause them to go soggy with steam. They will shrink a lot as they cook; you can combine them onto one baking tray at the end to serve. Make sure to remind your eaters not to touch the baking sheet; tea towels placed at each end are a good cue. Having said all this about the crispy bits – reheated leftovers are still delicious!
Sauce (see photos above) – simply combine mayo, sweet paprika, lime juice and a pinch of salt in a small bowl or shake up in a screw-top jar. Done!
How to heat up soft tacos
Place wraps one by one in a hot dry frying pan for 10-20 seconds each side to warm through and soften. They don’t need to colour. Transfer immediately to a clean tea towel wrapped in foil. This method keeps them warm, is nice for passing round and sharing and keeps the wraps moist so they don’t crack. Corn wraps (more so than wheat flour ones) are prone to cracking if bent when cool.
The fresh stuff
Finely shred the purple cabbage (a mandoline is your best friend here. Use a protective glove!). Pull the coriander leaves off the stems only if the stems are thick and woody; they can be eaten too if thin and tender. Cut some ‘cheeks’ from whole limes.
Put all the components on the table and let everyone build their own adventure. Have some serviettes handy 😊
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Lentils
- 425 g canned lentils (no salt) (1 can. The drained weight will be about 200g)
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 200 ml vegetable stock (note)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chilli powder
Cauliflower
- 1 large cauliflower about 1kg
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Sauce
- 90 g mayonnaise
- ½ Tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
- 3 Tablespoons lime juice
- Pinch salt
Accompaniments
- 75 g purple cabbage
- big handful coriander leaves thinner stems fine too (about 20g)
- 16 soft tacos
- lime cheeks
Instructions
- Preheat Oven – to 180°C
- Prepare Lentil Mix - empty lentils into a sieve over the sink. Rinse with cold running water until the water runs clear. Tip the lentils into a small saucepan. Add tomato paste, stock, cumin and chilli. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat so that it simmers (lid off) while you get everything else ready.425 g canned lentils (no salt)2 Tablespoons tomato paste200 ml vegetable stock (note)½ teaspoon ground cumin¼ teaspoon chilli powder
- Prep Cauliflower - separate cauliflower into little florets. You can cut the stems into similarly sized chunks. Put cauliflower in a large bowl and toss with oil & salt.1 large cauliflower3 Tablespoons olive oil¼ teaspoon salt
- Roast Cauliflower - spread the cauliflower out on a couple of (unlined) baking sheets. Roast for about 30 minutes, until crispy with charred edges. Rotate and swap positions of the sheets to keep colouring even. Get everything else ready for when they come out of the oven. The cauliflower will shrink quite a lot as it roasts. Combine onto one sheet to bring to the table (warning everyone that it’s hot!).
- Prepare Sauce – whisk up the mayo, paprika, lime juice and salt in a small bowl (or shake up in a screw-top jar). Set aside.90 g mayonnaise½ Tablespoon smoked sweet paprika3 Tablespoons lime juicePinch salt
- Cabbage & Coriander – finely shred the cabbage, using a knife or mandoline. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Put the coriander in a separate bowl, picking out any tough coriander stems (you can leave the finer ones).75 g purple cabbagebig handful coriander leaves
- Warm Tacos – place wraps one by one in a hot dry frying pan for 10-20 seconds each side to warm through and soften. They don’t need to colour. Transfer immediately to a clean tea towel wrapped in foil. This method keeps them warm, is nice for passing round and sharing and keeps the wraps moist so they don’t crack.16 soft tacos
- To Serve - put out the bowl of sauce, shredded cabbage, lentils, coriander leaves. Bring the cauliflower to the table on the baking sheet. Have the warmed tacos ready and some lime cheeks for a spritz of freshly squeezed lime over the top. Give everyone a plate and let them go!lime cheeks
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