Cauliflower and Walnut ‘Meat’ Tacos

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Cauliflower and walnut ‘meat’ tacos, yes, please! Who doesn’t want another delicious plant-based taco for the lineup?

I already have a few vegan and vegetarian tacos recipes, also cauliflower taco recipe on the blog but this one might be one of my favorites. Maybe because my husband seriously loved it which always makes me feel good about a recipe. He thinks this is the closest to taco meat you’re going to get for a plant-based taco which I’m going to take as a compliment. I think the other taco recipes are pretty easy but this one, well it’s ridiculously easy. Especially if you buy pre riced cauliflower. Trader Joe’s makes a great one too.

You rice the cauliflower and chop the walnuts then spread thin on a baking sheet with some seasoning and bake, flipped around the mixture once and that’s all there is to it. It’s really that simple. The combination of the cauliflower and the finely chopped walnuts gives of that meat-like texture you want. The seasoning is pretty simple. I always keep taco seasoning on hand. I have a few favorites but use whichever one you like best. You could make your own taco seasoning but that’s another step and this is an easy meal so we don’t really need to do that.

Another trick for this recipe is using tomato sauce. It’s what will help give it the flavor and consistency of ground meat. I use a plain canned sauce from the market. Make sure you grab plain and not one with basil or another seasoning.

If you don’t buy pre-chopped cauliflower you’ll start there, getting the cauliflower prepped. Chop up the cauliflower into large florets and then pulse them in a food processor until you have a rice-like consistency. Put that in a large bowl. Then give your walnuts a good pulse. You don’t want big pieces of chunky walnut. Then you’ll spread over a baking sheet. Bake it fifteen minutes, tossing the mixture around once, and then bake it for another fifteen minutes.

For this recipe you need:

• Cauliflower – I recommend buy a prericed bag of cauliflower for ease
• Walnuts
• Taco seasoning
• Tomato sauce – plain, nothing with herbs or other seasoning

And here my friends is the base for a delicious taco. Add all your favorite taco toppings like shredded lettuce, avocado, salsa, yogurt or sour cream, hot sauce, and cilantro; you name it.

Looking for more delicious Mexican dishes? Check out these below.

Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos. We put these on rotation quite often. Super simple but unique and tasty. You coat cauliflower then bake it. Toss it with some buffalo sauce.

Deconstructed Enchiladas. These are so yummy. Layers of tortillas, cheese, vegetable feeling, and sauce. Customizable if you want to add meat or different vegetables. Great for big batch cooking.

Salmon Tacos. These are great if you make a big piece of salmon and want to use the leftovers. Also, just great for a quick, healthy dinner.

Chili Tacos. I love chili and if you put that into a taco, well yeah. I’m down for that!