master formula
taco bar

2 to 3 hard taco shells and/or 6-inch flour tortillas per person

Chili Lentils for Tacos

Fresh Ingredients (Pick 1 or more)

Rich Ingredients (Pick 1 or more)

Dairy (Pick 1 or both)

Finishers (Pick 1 or all)

Follow package instructions for heating hard tacos. Heat flour tortillas as follows: Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lay a damp paper towel on a 24 x 18-inch piece of heavy-duty foil. Set 2 stacks of 4 corn tortillas on the damp towel. Cover with another damp paper towel. Close the foil to completely seal. Bake until steamy hot, about 5 minutes.

Arrange bowls of Chili Lentils, the Fresh Ingredient(s), Rich Ingredient(s), Dairy, and Finishers on a tray or the center of your table, along with a plate of warm taco shells or tortillas. Allow each diner to assemble 2 or 3 tacos to their liking.

Serves 4

taco bar options

Fresh Ingredients (Pick 1 or more)

• Quick Cabbage Slaw (below)—As a topping or an accompaniment. If you’re considering slaw a topping, you don’t necessarily need more items from this category. If making the slaw an accompaniment, however, you may want to pick 1 or 2 more from here (and preferably not lettuce or onions, which are similar to the slaw).
• Romaine lettuce hearts—2 cups shredded, lightly salted just before serving
• Tomatoes—1 cup finely chopped, lightly salted
• Bell peppers—about 1 cup finely diced
• Onion—about ¹/₂ cup finely diced
• Radishes—about ¹/₂ cup halved and sliced

Rich Ingredients (Pick 1 or more)

• Guacamole—mash the flesh of 1 avocado, seasoning liberally with salt and lime juice
• Frozen corn—about 1 cup, microwaved until warm
• Ripe black, green, or pimiento-stuffed olives—about ¹/₂ cup sliced

Dairy (Pick 1 or both)

• Light sour cream—about ¹/₂ cup
• Cheese—generous 4 ounces grated sharp Cheddar, pepper Jack, or Monterey Jack or crumbled queso fresco

Finishers (I like all three)

• Salsa and/or salsa verde—1 cup
• Scallion greens—¹/₄ cup sliced
• Cilantro—¹/₄ cup chopped

quick cabbage slaw

4 cups finely grated cabbage (about ¹/₄ small head)

¹/₄ red onion, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons pure olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Toss the cabbage and red onion with the oil and a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper in a medium bowl, making sure the cabbage is lightly coated. Drizzle with the vinegar and toss to coat again. Adjust the seasonings, adding more vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.

Makes scant 2 cups

chili lentils for tacos

1 pound brown lentils

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 large garlic cloves

¹/₄ cup chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 can (14.5 ounces) petite-cut diced tomatoes

Salt and ground black pepper

Bring 5 cups of water and the lentils to a boil in a covered 12-inch skillet. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the water is almost absorbed and the lentils are just tender, about 12 minutes. Turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cooked lentils and tomatoes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning, including a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper.

Makes about 6 cups

notes and tips

• A word about taco shells. You’ve got a choice of hard corn tortillas or soft flour tortillas. Even if they’re oversize or the wide varieties that stand on their own, I find corn tortillas confining (I can never fit as much as I want in them) and more like a snack than an entrée. I usually offer a mix of flour tortillas and taco shells, but if I had to choose one, especially for dinner, I’d go with flour tortillas.
• Enjoy the slaw as a salad along with your tacos or use it as a taco filling. There are lots of other things you can add to this slaw—a handful of sliced radishes, a grated carrot, a bit of thin sliced bell pepper, a tablespoon or so of chopped cilantro—but if you’re looking for a quick bang-it-out salad, here it is.
• The lentil mixture cooks so quickly that you might still be assembling taco bar ingredients when they’re done. No worries. Just turn off the burner, cover the pot, and let them sit for a few minutes. In fact, a little rest time gives them a chance to soften a bit more—even better.
• You’ll have more lentils than you need for tacos for 4, but they can be refrigerated for up to 5 days, and they freeze well too. Use the leftovers to make taco salad, nachos, or quesadillas.