Slow Cooker Lentil and Brown Rice Tacos

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

Servings:

Calories: 151kcal

Author: Melanie Bauer | Melanie Makes

These incredibly easy Slow Cooker Lentil and Brown Rice Tacos will completely change your weekly taco night. Simply add all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, stir and walk away. Dinner will be waiting for you, not the other way around.

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Ingredients

1 cup green lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
1 onion diced
6 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4-1/2 cups water

Instructions

Add lentils, brown rice, onion and garlic to insert of slow cooker.
TIP: You want to use green lentils in this recipe, NOT red. Red lentils tend to fall apart while they are cooking which makes them the best choice for a soup, rather than this taco filling.
Add chili powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper.
Pour water into slow cooker mixture.
TIP: Want to add even more flavor? Feel free to substitute vegetable broth - or chicken or beef or mushroom! - in place of the water called for in the recipe.
Stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.
TIP: For lentils that will retain their shape and still have some "bite" to them, cook for three hours, for softer lentils, cook four hours.
Stir taco filling once during the last hour of cooking.
TIP: A quick stir during the final hour of cooking helps to redistribute any remaining liquid and also gives you a sense of how much cooking time you'd like to give the lentils and rice to obtain the texture you prefer.

Notes

Recipe adapted from The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking.

Nutrition