Taco salads are definitely one of my all-time favorites! I pretty much love any Mexican food that fills a tortilla. Coincidentally, this vegetarian taco bowl could totally work as a burrito, or anything else you like. Crispy tortilla salad bowl? Definitely!

So much of Mexican food works great for vegetarians. However, I wanted to ensure that this southwestern taco bowl would live up to, and perhaps even surpass, the reputation of beloved beef taco salads.

A lot of vegetarian taco salad recipes call for black beans. Some use tofu. Others cauliflower. I’ve seen them with brown lentils and walnuts too. My first thought was to use black lentils, which I love in my CAVA inspired roasted veggie bowl recipe. But I wondered how it would taste if I coupled them with black beans. Instead of using taco seasoning, like so many others, I decided to use chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. That smoky, savory flavor was perfect. Just perfect. Wait ’til you try it!

Ingredients for Vegetarian Taco Bowls

Black Lentils – Other lentils will work too, especially green or brown. But black lentils (if you can find them) create the best texture and flavor for tacos and taco salads. If these are not at your local grocer, check out Whole Foods or Amazon. A 16oz bag goes for about $3.50. Whole Foods is a couple towns away, so when I go I pick up at least 2 bags.

Black Beans – Canned works great! But if you have to have dry beans, do your thing. Beans provide the creamy texture, along with protein and fiber.

Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce – If you like smokey and a little spicy, you’ll love the addition of these flavors to your beans and lentils. It really does set it apart from recipes that simply call for taco seasoning.

Cumin – Adds warm and earthy flavors to beans and lentils. This is my favorite substitute for black pepper. Plus cumin and black beans really are meant for each other.

Salt – Dem beans and lentils need some salt to go from meh to amazing!

Guacamole – Make this ahead of time or purchase some from the store. I’ve got a fantastic Easy Guacamole recipe right here!

Romaine – Every. Literally. Every recipe I found on taco salads used romaine lettuce as the base. After testing out my own recipe I quickly discovered why. It’s delicious with this flavor combination and sturdy enough to hold all of those wonderful ingredients.

Red Cabbage – Just for added color. Complements romaine so well. I was looking for radicchio lettuce, but cabbage was 1/3rd the price. Also consider red onions for a bit of flavor. Pickled red onions would be even better. Or you could just leave it out.

Corn – There are lots of variations of corn that you could use for this recipe. My preference is fresh corn, cut right off the cob. Roast, boil, or steam it if you’d like, but it tastes great raw too. I am not a fan of canned corn. But if it doesn’t bother you, it doesn’t bother me.

Tomato – I thought about using cherry tomato halves, but a fresh diced tomato covers more of the salad. So I used the freshest vine-ripened tomatoes I could buy, and I love the results.

Cheese – Cheddar and Monterey cheese, or other Mexican cheese blends. MAKE IT VEGAN by swapping it with vegan cheese or omitting it. Perhaps some grated cotija could be good too.

Pickled Jalapenos – I really like these because they have a little spice, but not too much. Plus they add the tang of vinegar to the dish.

Tortilla Strips – This is my preference for taco salad. Crunchy multi-color, corn tortilla strips. Buy them by the bag or make your own. Other popular choices include Doritos, Fritos, and Tortilla chips. Let me know what you like best below in the comments!

Sauce – You can use my recipes for Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (vegan) and Cilantro Jalapeno Sauce. I’ll share them if requested in the comments. Or use your favorite taco sauce, Herdez Guacamole Salsa, or chipotle ranch dressing to give this salad yet another layer of flavor.

How to Make a Vegetarian Taco Bowl

This salad comes together very quickly, especially if some ingredients are prepped in advance. However, it doesn’t take long even if you don’t. Here’s how we make our vegetarian taco bowl!

Step #1 Cook the Lentils and Black Beans (and Guac if using homemade)

For making black lentils, simply add a cup of lentils with 3 cups of water to a sauce pan and let it simmer for a good 20 minutes or so. While that’s going, to a separate smaller pan, add a can of black beans, liquid and all. Simmer the beans until hot and the lentils are starting to soften.

Once the lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed or evaporated, add the black beans to the lentils (bean liquid too if lentils are a bit dry). Add 1/4 cup of chopped chipotles in adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon of cumin, and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Gently stir to combine and simmer for about 5 minutes so that the flavors have a chance to meld together. Give the chipotle lentil/bean mixture a taste and adjust with salt or lime juice as needed. Remove from heat.

If you haven’t made your creamy guacamole, now’s the time. Try my Easy Guacamole recipe! You just need 3-4 ripe avocados, cilantro, jalapeno, red onion, cumin, salt, and lime juice. A food processor or mortar and pestle are helpful, but not required.

Step #2 Prepare the Veggies (and shred cheese if needed)

While the lentils and beans are cooking, it’s time to chop some veggies. Start by setting up your chef’s knife and cutting board. Then rinse all the vegetables.

For Romaine lettuce, remove any wilted or ugly leaves. Then chop the good stuff into to bite size ribbons, about 2″ by 1/2″. Discard the stem. Add the lettuce to the salad spinner.

For Red Cabbage, just make a 3-4 1/4″ slices off the top. Chop them into 2″ strips, then add them to the salad spinner as well.

For Tomato, cut into quarters. Then remove the watery midsection and seeds. Cut each quarter into 1/4″ strips. Line 4 of the strips parallel to one another, then cut them into 1/4″ pieces for a small dice.

For Corn, cut the cob across the middle. Place the severed side on the cutting board and stand the 1/2 cob up with your fingers on top. Carefully, slice straight down the side of the cob. Rotate and continue until all the corn kernels have been removed. Repeat with the other half of the cob.

Last, if you still need to shred your cheese, this is as good of a time as any to do that.

Vegetarian Taco Bowl Assembly

Putting together a salad can be done lots of ways. One way is to start with a layer of greens, then add each ingredient separately clockwise around the bowl. This is the method I will show here. Another way is to layer the salad, starting with the greens, then adding each ingredient in layers on top of each other. That works perfectly well, and often looks even better.

This recipe creates about 5-6 medium servings, making this a side salad. But what my daughter and I quickly discovered when testing this recipe is that it’s NOT a side salad. I mean it could be, but it really deserves to be the star of the show. So thankfully, this recipe also makes 3 large servings for a satisfying meal. You’re welcome!

Plus there will be more than enough chipotle lentils and beans for a week of salad meal prep. If you find that you have too much, don’t throw it out. Use it in tacos, burritos, or quesadillas. You could also freeze it for your next time.

Let’s get started building this amazing veggie taco salad!

#1 Spin the Romaine and Red Cabbage together, then add about 4 cups to a salad bowl.

#2 Add spoonfuls of the chipotle lentils and beans over the greens. About 3/4 of a cup. It’s so good though, you may find yourself adding more!

#3 Place 1/4 cup of the diced tomato over the greens. Followed by 1/4 cup of corn kernels.

#4 Let’s also add pickled jalapeno peppers (about 10-12), a 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, and a 1/4 cup of crunchy tortilla strips. Add a generous scoop of guacamole.

#5 Finally, add your favorite dressings or sauces. For this recipe I made a cilantro-jalapeno-lime crema and a roasted red pepper sauce. About 1-2 tablespoons each.

#6 !Hora de comer!

FAQ for Vegetarian Taco Bowls

How can I make this recipe vegan?

That’s pretty easy, actually. Swap out the cheese for vegan or omit. If using the cilantro crema, either omit the sour cream or add vegan sour cream or even vegan mayo.

How can I meal prep this recipe?

Meal prep is a great idea for this taco bowl! There should be more than enough chipotle lentils and beans for 3 large salads or 5-6 sides. You’ll need to prep the rest though.

The romaine/cabbage, lentils/beans, corn, jalapenos, and cheese should be good together for several days. Diced tomatoes aren’t too great after a couple of days, so consider making those the day of use. The corn tortilla strips will get mushy if not stored separately, so consider adding those to a sealed snack bag.

Guacamole will last for several days, even if it does get that gross oxidized brown layer on it. Simply scrape that layer off, stir the rest, and enjoy green guac once again.

Finally, the dressings should last at least 5 days if refrigerated. Add them to the salad at lunch time. Otherwise, they may wilt your romaine and leave your salad an undesirable mess.

Did you make this recipe? Share your experience in the comments below and photos on Instagram @TheFlavorFanatic1.

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