This Super Green Vegan Taco Salad is healthy, flavorful and packed with 4 kinds of greens, seasoned lentils and jalapeño cilantro dressing.
Sometimes you just want all of your favorite taco flavors, but you want them in the form of a big bowl of healthy greens. Impossible, you say? Well I am here to show you how to make a taco salad that is not only tasty, but is filled with tons of greens, plenty of protein and a tasty dressing.
The protein in this salad is going to come from lentils. Lentils are one of my favorite legumes! They are easy to find at any grocery store, they take on any flavor you season them with and they have a lot of protein - which will keep you full longer.
TSV TIP: I always buy my lentils pre-cooked. You can usually find them in your grocery stores refrigerator section near the produce. You can also buy them dry and cook them yourself.
Now, to make this a SUPER GREEN salad, I used 4 different types of greens - spinach, arugula, brussels sprouts and microgreens. You could swap these out for whatever you have one hand, or just use one green. But I personally love the different flavors and textures you get when you use different types of greens.
Last detail of this salad is the dressing. If you follow me on Instagram, then you see me make my jalapeño cilantro sauce on a weekly basis. The dressing I made for this salad is a take on that sauce. It is tangy, spicy and lives up to the super green theme of this salad.
This salad is perfect for meal prepping. Prepare your greens, lentils and dressing, then keep everything in separate containers. When you are ready to eat, heat up your lentils and assemble your salad.
Super Green Vegan Taco Salad
Ingredients
FOR THE LENTILS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ red onion diced
- 1 bell pepper deseeded and diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 2 cups cooked lentils
FOR THE DRESSING
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 jalapeño roughly chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoon vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar plus more to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
FOR THE SALAD
- 6 cups greens I used a mix of spinach, arugula, shredded brussels sprouts and microgreens
- ¼ cup pepitas
Instructions
- Prepare the lentils by heating the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the red onion, bell pepper and half of the taco seasoning to the pan. Continue to cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes (or until the veggies are tender). Add the lentils and the remaining taco seasoning to the pan. Stir until everything is combined and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Turn heat to low until ready to serve.
- Prepare the dressing by adding all of the ingredients to a blender. Pulse until combined. Taste and adjust vinegar, salt and pepper as needed. Set aside until ready to use.
- To assemble the salad add your greens to a large bowl and toss to combine. Plate your greens in 4 different bowls. Top each bowl with lentils, pepitas and a drizzle of dressing. Serve and enjoy.*
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Notes
Nutrition
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ElleK
This was really easy and very tasty!! I used canned lentils since I’m awful at cooking them correctly so it made it even faster. Dressing was yummy. Added a little lime juice to it as well. Thanks for a great recipe! Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!