Spicy Veggie Barbacoa Street Tacos

These Veggie Barbacoa Street Tacos are loaded with a savory blend of lentils, shredded carrots and beets, smoky and spicy seasonings, and topped with a Peach Pico de Gallo for a little bit of sweet to compliment the spicy! Super easy to make, these tacos are rich in flavor and hearty in texture, rivaling the traditional meat-based barbacoa—with the advantage of being incredibly healthy! Packed full of vitamins, nutrients, fiber and protein but low in fat, these bold and savory street tacos are a guilt-free indulgence to any taco lover!

What is Barbacoa?

Barbacoa is a style of cooking that originated in the Caribbean and Florida by the indigenous Taíno people. Tough cuts of meat were seasoned and slow-cooked, then used as a filling.

Traditionally, barbacoa tacos are made with beef, goat, or lamb but my plant-based version with beets, carrots, and lentils makes a healthy and tasty alternative!

The lentils are loaded with fiber and protein as well as vitamins and minerals, the carrots and beets provide texture and tons of nutrients, and the beet adds a beautiful, vibrant color.

Can you omit the beet?

If you don’t have a beet on hand, don’t sweat it! Just sub extra shredded carrots in place of the beet. It won’t be as vibrant in color, but it will still taste just as fabulous! I’ve made this many times with just the shredded carrots (no shredded beet) and it’s just as tasty but the color is a dull brown (which is actually what the traditional dish looks like). But I wanted a dish that was more visually appealing, and that’s why I started adding shredded beet! It doesn’t change the flavor much, but wow…what a visual difference it makes! It’s true that we eat with our eyes, and these colorful tacos are fun to eat!

Tips for success

• If you don’t have a food processor or a mandolin with a shredder blade, pull out your cheese grater and prepare to sweat. There is nothing more tedious than trying to use a cheese grater to grate even a couple of small carrots but it works! Then maybe consider getting a mandolin!
• If you don’t like too much spice, go easy on the adobo peppers. It might miss that complex smoky flavor if you do, so after the mixture has simmered for 15 minutes, see if it needs more smoked paprika or even ¼ tsp liquid smoke.
• Too spicy?! It happens. The avocado will absolutely help but also top your tacos with vegan sour cream to cool your tastebuds down!

Lentil power!

Lentils are one of the most nutritional legumes and also help provide that hearty texture to these savory street tacos! One cup of cooked lentils are packed with an incredible:

• Protein: 17.9 grams
• Fiber: 15.6 grams

Of the reference daily intake:

• Folate: 90%
• Manganese: 49%
• Iron: 37%
• Phosphorous: 36%
• Copper: 25%
• Thiamine: 22%
• Potassium: 21%
• Magnesium: 18%
• Vitamin B6: 18%
• Zinc: 17%

Lentils have the highest antioxidant content among legumes! What else tops the list? After lentils, chickpeas aren’t far behind, trailed by small red beans and black beans.¹ What is the healthiest color of lentil? Red! For this recipe I use brown lentils because I prefer the texture and lentils in general are still number one! They also have anti-inflammatory properties, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic and neuroprotective effects and are also a source of prebiotics.²

Lentils can help lower cholesterol, protect against osteoporosis, and help moderate blood sugar levels — not just at the meal they were eaten, but for hours later or even the following day! 

Beets the meat

Traditionally, barbacoa tacos are made with beef, goat, or lamb but the plant-based swap with beets, carrots, and lentils makes a healthy and tasty alternative! Beets are fun to use in the kitchen, as they give food such a dramatic appearance! That’s the fun thing about cooking with plants; you can easily create a rainbow on your plate and the more colorful your food is, the more diverse the nutrients are!

Aside from being visually stunning, beets are an excellent source of fiber, folate, manganese, potassium, iron, and vitamin C. 

Beets can reduce blood pressure as well as improve physical performance and brain function. How? Beets contain nitrates, which aids in dilation of blood vessels and increases blood flow to the brain. The frontal lobe of the brain in particular, which is the area associated with decision making and working memory. Studies have shown that exercise combined with beet root intake in older adults showed brain networks that more closely resembled those of younger adults.³

Carrots

We grew up being told to eat carrots to improve our vision for a good reason: carrots are incredibly rich in beta carotene, a type of carotenoid that gives orange carrots their vibrant pigment. Carotenoids also act as an antioxidant that your body converts to vitamin A, which helps maintain and improve vision. Other carotenoids found in carrots are alpha carotene (yellow and orange carrots) which can also be converted to vitamin A in the body, lutein (yellow and orange carrots) which also aids in eye health, and lycopene (red and purple carrots). Dark purple and red carrots also contain anthocyanins, a different class of pigments (flavonoids) with antioxidant properties, making carrots a powerhouse for healthy eyesight no matter what color you choose!⁴

While most vegetables lose antioxidant power when cooked, carrots are one of the few exceptions! Cooking carrots actually improves the absorption of antioxidants, regardless of how they are cooked. Eating a little fat with the meal also helps with the bioavailability—hello, avocado! Isn’t it fun the ways that different foods bolster the absorption of one another?!

Spicy Veggie Barbacoa Street Tacos

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• Author: The Wandering Veggie
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Diet: Vegan

Print Recipe

Description

These Veggie Barbacoa Street Tacos are loaded with a savory blend of lentils, shredded carrots and beets, smoky and spicy seasonings, and topped with a Peach Pico de gallo for a little bit of sweet to compliment the spicy! Super easy to make, these tacos are rich in flavor and hearty in texture, rivaling the traditional meat-based barbacoa—with the advantage of being incredibly healthy!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Lentils and filling

• 1 1/2 cups dry brown lentils
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 of a red onion, finely chopped
• 2 cups carrots, shredded (about 2 medium-sized)
• 1 1/2 cup beets, shredded (1 large or 2 small-medium sized)
• 6 cloves garlic, minced

Spices + liquid

• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp oregano
• 1 tsp allspice
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/8 tsp or 10 grinds of black pepper
• 2 Tbsp liquid aminos or tamari (or soy sauce)
• 3–4 peppers in adobo sauce, minced + 2 tsp sauce (use less if sensitive to spicy)
• 1/2 cup veggie broth or water

Peach pico de gallo

• 2 large peaches, cut into small cubes (sub canned if out of season or sub pineapple or mango)
• 1/3 of a red or yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup red cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 of a jalapeño, minced (option for some or all seeds removed)
• 3 Tbsp cilantro, minced
• 2 Tbsp tsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
• Salt (to taste)

For Serving

• 1 avocado, sliced

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Instructions

1. In medium-sized pot, bring 3 cups water to a boil and cook 1 ½ cups of dry green lentils for 15-20 minutes at a simmer with the lid tilted until lentils are tender.
2. While lentils cook, finely chop onions and garlic (I use food processor) then place in a large pot or a large skillet with tall sides. Then fit the grating attachment on the food processor or mandolin (or cheese grater) and grate the carrots and beet. 
3. On medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in a splash of water or oil until softened, stirring occasionally. Add in shredded beets, carrots, vegetable broth, and everything else under “spices + liquid” and stir to combine. When lentils finish cooking, stir in cooked lentils also. Cover with a lid and simmer on low for 15 minutes or so. Taste and add anything more the Barbacoa filling may need (salt or spice).
4. While Barbacoa filling simmers, make Peach Pico: stir together all ingredients under “Peach Pico de Gallo” in a medium-sized bowl. Add anything more to-taste.
5. Heat medium or large skillet on medium heat and warm the tortillas, flipping halfway through. Fill tortillas with Spicy Barbacoa mix, a scoop of Peach Salsa, and top with avocado. Enjoy!

Notes

Spicy Veggie Barbacoa keeps well in the fridge in a well-sealed container for 5 days.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 35 minutes
• Category: wraps, dinner, main course
• Method: stovetop
• Cuisine: American, Mexican, Latin American

Did you enjoy these Spicy Veggie Barbacoa Street Tacos? I’d love to hear! Leave me a comment below! 🙂

1. https://nutritionfacts.org/video/benefits-of-lentils-and-chickpeas/
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5713359/
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5861951/
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/carrots#nutrition