Happy May everyone! Spring is such a great time of year, for so many reasons. Warming weather, green grass and flower, and asparagus! My husband said I should have called these spring tacos, but I thought lentil tacos with asparagus pico de gallo was more descriptive.
These tacos are bright and full of fresh flavors thanks to the grassy asparagus, fresh cilantro and lime juice, as well as the tomatoes.
I used up all the smallest asparagus from my bunch for this recipe. I love to grill asparagus, but these small spears fall easily through the grill grates. However, they were perfect for pico because their small size blended right into the mixture.
Mr. Allspice was skeptical when I told him I was putting asparagus into his beloved taco. However, he said it really worked because of the small dice of the asparagus, and the other fresh elements of the pico.
I usually use black beans in my tacos. This time I made a switch because I thought the earthy flavor of lentils would work well to compliment the asparagus. We enjoyed it, but cooked seasoned black beans would work just as well.
Variations to the Lentil Tacos with Asparagus Pico de Gallo recipe:
- Don’t need 10 tacos? Mix together leftover lentils and pico for an easy lunch salad.
- Only have large asparagus? Try slicing them in half before dicing to make their texture smaller.
- Want it to be spicy? Add a jalapeno to the pico, or serve with your favorite hot sauce.
- ½ cup French lentils
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- ¾ cup diced onion, divided
- ½ tsp salt, divided
- ½ tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flake
- 1 ½ cups quartered cherry tomatoes, from a 10 oz container
- ½ cup trimmed, diced, small asparagus
- ½ cup minced cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ a lime, juiced
- 10 corn tortillas
- 5 oz queso fresco, crumbled
- In a medium pot, combine lentils, water, bay leaf, ½ cup diced onion, ¼ tsp salt, cumin, black pepper, and red pepper flake. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, or until the liquid is evaporated and the lentils are tender.
- Meanwhile, combine tomatoes, asparagus, cilantro, garlic, and lime juice. Set aside
- Heat tortillas according to package directions.
- Assemble tacos by layering in cooked lentils, asparagus pico, and crumbled queso fresco.
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