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This Vegan Picadillo with lentils and potatoes is hearty, savory and smoky. Serve it up with rice and warmed tortillas. It’s the proper family-friendly meal for any day of the week. Prepared in beneath 40 minutes.

This recipe comes from my good friend Dora’s new cookbook, Comida Casera. Dora Ramirez is the writer and photographer behind the Dora’s Desk weblog . This cookbook “honors conventional Mexican flavors and methods however depends on the immense world of crops to take action.”
You may keep in mind I featured Dora and her Strawberry Dessert Tamales on this weblog when she launched her e book, Vegan Tamales Unwrapped. These would make the proper dessert for this vegan picadillo dinner.
Substances you want

Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Lentils ~ Use inexperienced or brown lentils. Rinse them properly to take away any filth or particles.
- Tomatoes ~ The recipe requires 3 roma tomatoes which leads to 1 ½ cups of sauce. I got here up shy of this quantity with simply over 1 cup, so I counsel having 4 tomatoes available simply in case yours are on the smaller facet, too.
- Potato and carrot ~ The recipe doesn’t say whether or not to peel these or not. I did, however so long as you wash them very properly, you don’t must.
- Chipotle in adobo ~ Chipotles in adobo have a pleasant smoky, spicy kick. I discovered the warmth slightly gentle within the completed dish due to the starchy potatoes that soak up and dilute a few of that spice. The spice stage could be very household pleasant. Should you like a spicier warmth, I counsel utilizing two chipotles in adobo or including a number of the sauce from the can along with the one.
- Mexican oregano ~ Mexican oregano shouldn’t be the identical as the normal Mediterranean oregano. For a substitute, use marjoram.
make the recipe
Please scroll right down to the recipe card for precise ingredient measurements and directions.

- Step 1: Add the lentils to a pot with onion and a bay leaf and canopy with water.

- Step 2: Deliver to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain.

- Step 3: In the meantime, add the tomatoes and chipotle in adobo to a blender.

- Step 4: Purée till clean. Put aside.

- Step 5: Sauté the onion and garlic in a pot with oil. Add the cooked lentils and mash a few of them.

- Step 6: Add the tomato purée and carrots and cook dinner till the combination thickens.

- Step 7: Add the broth, potatoes, and spices. Deliver to a boil, then simmer till the greens are tender.

- Step 8: The combination will thicken because it sits. Or you may proceed to cook dinner it till the sauces reduces even additional.
Serving recommendations
Dora suggests serving this with Mexican pink rice and heat corn tortillas, in order that’s what we did. It was all so scrumptious collectively. The right combo!
You too can use the Lentil Picadillo as a filling for tacos, enchiladas, burritos, and extra!
Attempt it with my straightforward home made tostada shells with guacamole and fast pickled pink onions. Yum!

Storage and freezing
Make forward: The lentils might be made forward of time, permitting this recipe to come back collectively even faster.
Fridge: Retailer leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Retailer individually from any rice or tortillas used for serving.
Freezer: You too can freeze this picadillo. Enable it to chill completly earlier than transferring to a freezer-safe container or plastic zip-top bag. It ought to preserve properly for as much as 3 months.

This cookbook options greater than 100 vegan Mexican recipes, from conventional to fashionable. It’s a love letter to the comida casera (house cooking) that she grew up with. Right here’s a pattern of what you’ll discover inside…
- The Fundamentals ~ Mexican Cowboy Beans; Almond Queso Fresco; Blue Corn Tortillas
- The Indigenous Kitchen ~ Thickened Squash Vine Soup; Lobster Mushroom Molotes; Pumpkin Seed Meatballs in Chaya Broth
- A Fonda Breakfast ~ Spicy Machaca Tofu Scramble; Pink Chilaquiles; Mexican Beans and Cheese Toast
- Road Meals ~ Al Pastor Tacos; Bean and Napal Tostadas; Mexican Cornish Pasties
- Mole From The Market ~ Mole Poblano; Pink Almond Mole; Yellow Mole Empanadas
- Comida Casera ~ Chiles Rellenos; Layered Chickpea Enchiladas; and the Lentil Picadillo recipe beneath.
- La Tamaleria ~ Creamy Poblano and Corn Tamales; Mushroom in Adobo Tamales; Chocolate and Pecan Tamales
- Fashionable Mexico ~ Watermelon Tartare with Mezcal Chile Ponzu; Herbed Mexican Ricotta Agnolotti; Onion Tarte Tatin in Pink Mole
- ¡Salud! ~ Coconut and Caramelized Pineapple Atole; Corn Thickened Mexican Scorching Chocolate; Cucumber and Lime Agua Fresca
- La Panaderia and La Paleteria ~ Tres Leches Cake; Candy Corn Ice Cream; Mango and Chile Ice Pops

Extra vegan Mexican-inspired recipes
I hope you love this recipe as a lot as we do! Should you tried it, please use the star score system within the recipe card and go away a remark along with your suggestions. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
For even simpler household recipes, you should definitely take a look at my cookbook, The Meatless Monday Household Cookbook!

Lentil Picadillo
Servings: 4
Energy: 231kcal
Directions
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Place the lentils in a medium pot and fill it iwth sufficient water to cowl them by 2 inches (5 cm). Add the onion, bay leaf, and salt. Deliver to a boil over excessive warmth, scale back the warmth to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, or till the lentils start to melt however will not be utterly cooked. Drain.
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Place the tomatoes and chipotle in a blender and purée till clean. It’s best to have about 1 ½ cups (354mL) of purée.
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Warmth the oil in a big pot over medium-low warmth. Add the onion and cook dinner for 3 to 4 minutes, till it turns into tender and translucent. Add the garlic and cook dinner for 1 minute. Add the lentils and, utilizing a potato masher, mash to interrupt them up a bit, leaving one-quarter of the lentils entire.
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Add the tomato purée and carrot and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, till the purée thickens and adjustments to a deep pink coloration. Add the vegetable broth, potato, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Deliver to a boil over excessive warmth, scale back the warmth, and simmer till the greens are tender, for 20 to 25 minutes. Because it cools, the lentils will soak up a number of the broth.
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Serve with rice and heat corn tortillas. STore in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days or within the freezer for as much as 3 months.
Notes
Oil-free: Omit the oil and use ¼ cup (59mL) vegetable broth to cook dinner the onion.
Central Mexican picadillo: Add 2 ½ tablespoons raisins, ¼ cup (47g) chopped Manzanilla olives, 1 tablespoon chopped capers, ¼ teaspoon floor cinna on, and ⅛ teaspoon floor cloves.
Diet details calculated for the Lentil Picadillo with out rice or tortillas for serving.
Diet
Energy: 231kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 11g | Fats: 4g | Sodium: 1175mg | Potassium: 855mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g
Diet values are calculated utilizing on-line calculators and are estimates solely. Please confirm utilizing your individual knowledge.