If you’re like me, you love a hearty and tasty burrito! After much trial and error, I've finally compiled the perfect lentil burrito recipe. Personally, I enjoy a good burrito because they are filled with flavor, are easy to carry, to hold and eat with a wholeness and yummy feeling. You can prepare them for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Lentils are used in a variety of vegan recipes across the world. One example of a delicious recipe including lentils is as the Moroccan dish called Mujadara. This recipe is a crowd favorite among those interested in Veganism.

Lentil health benefits

Apart from being vegan and an excellent meat alternative, lentils are high in fiber and made up of over 25% protein. They’re jam-packed with B vitamins, zinc, potassium and magnesium. They’re also a great source of iron.

Lentils contain a broad range of beneficial plant compounds called phytochemicals, many of which protect against chronic diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Lentils are also included in the list when it comes to cancer prevention. Be warned: being overweight greatly increases your chances of getting several types of cancer. When it comes to preventing cancer, in addition to exercise, the American Cancer Society recommends that we eat mostly plants - vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and lentils, nuts and seeds.

The recipe I have presented here is a health, vegan alternative to the regular meat-based burrito.

How to cook lentils

A good tip about lentils is that they can be soaked in order to reduce cooking time by about half. Soaking them is optional. Before cooking lentils, rinse them in cold water and pick over to remove any debris or shriveled lentils, then drain.

For our lentil burrito recipe, you might want to add your own flavorings to your lentils, apart from salt and pepper, such as cayenne, cumin or curry.

Use a large enough saucepan to cook them, since lentils will double or triple in size. Keep that in mind when preparing them in the lentil burrito recipe. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, reduce the heat and simmer until they are tender.

For whole lentils, cooking time is usually 15-20 minutes.

The YouTube video below shows in full detail how lentils are cooked.

If you're trying to lose weight, this is a great vegan recipe to add to your diet.

The delicious lentil burrito recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup dried brown lentils

3 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons dried minced onion

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

1 cup corn

1 medium avocado (ripe)

1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic

1 cup of spinach

1 small zucchini

1 cup taco sauce

1 jalapeno

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

8 flour tortillas (8 inches)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Saute the onions, garlic, jalapeno and spinach in vegetable oil before adding vegetable broth and lentils. Add cumin and salt to taste. Bring to a boil.
  2. Reduce heat; let simmer for about 30 minutes and cover. Drain if necessary. Lentils should be tender.
  3. Warm the tortillas on a skillet or frying pan on each side.
  4. Chop the zucchini into small cubes and stir them in with taco sauce and lentils. To serve, place about 1/2 cup lentil mixture on each tortilla.
  5. Dice the avocado and top it on to the lentil pile. Sprinkle the corn and parsley and squeeze or drizzle some lime juice all over for a zesty, tangy flavor. Finally, roll up the burrito and serve.Serves 8.
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