I spend my summers at home so, I get the opportunity to cook for lunch. However, it’s not feasible every-single-day. Therefore lunches that just need assembly are a great option, like these tahini lentil kale wraps.
A few years ago I made these marinated tempeh wraps on repeat. This summer I feel a lentil wrap phenomenon coming over me because these wraps are just as delicious as they are easy.
When I first tried this recipe I was skeptical. Will lentils taste good in a wrap? Well, the lentils are tossed in an amazing tahini sauce that is so flavorful I might just start putting in on everything!
The sauce is really what makes these wraps, so to answer my own question, yes! The lentils do taste good in a wrap. Just add your favorite veggies and you are set!
Does anyone else get excited about the prospect of cooking for every meal? I know that I might be in the minority with my joy of cooking for lunch, so perhaps if that’s not the space you are in, then you can make these wraps for dinner or meal prep. 🙂
Variations to the Tahini Lentil Kale Wraps recipe:
- What kind of wrap: I used sprouted grain wraps in the pictures because they are made with whole foods. Any 10-inch wrap will do but I recommend avoiding tortillas with hydrogenated oils.
- What can I use besides lentils? The sauce can easily be tossed with just about any other legume. My first choice would be coarsely mashed chickpeas.
- Any vegetables could be used in the wrap. I used kale, cucumber, and red onion (try my picked red onion recipe here). Try bell pepper stripes, tomato slices, shredded carrot, sliced red cabbage, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, or another green like spinach.
- Ratio of Veg to Lentil: Because the lentils are mixed with the sauce, they are the major source of flavor in this wrap. Therefore you need to balance the amount of vegetables (1 cup) with the amount of lentils (1/2 cup). This way you get the right ratio of sauce to vegetable, and therefore as much flavor as possible in your wrap!
- The Plan: In the 15 minutes while the lentils are cooking, make the sauce and prep your vegetables. Then mix the sauce into the drained lentils and assemble the wraps!
- 1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed
- 2 cups veggie broth
- 3 TBS tahini
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp chili paste, such as sambal oelek
- ½ tsp each: cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, and kosher salt
- 2 TBS white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup water (or as needed to thin)
- 4 large wraps, preferably whole grain
- 2 cups torn kale, messaged briefly
- Sliced cucumber, to taste
- Pickled onions, to taste
- Combine lentils and veggie broth in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes, or until the lentils are tender. Drain any excess liquid.
- Meanwhile stir together the ingredients for the sauce (tahini, chili paste, garlic powder, dijon, cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper, salt, lemon juice and water). The sauce should be thick so that it will coat the lentils, not run off and make a soggy wrap. Mix the sauce into the drained, cooked lentils.
- Spread about ½ cup of lentil mixture onto the wrap. Top with ½ cup kale and 4-5 cucumber slices, and pickled onions to taste and roll up, placing seam side down to hold it together until ready to eat.
- Store any leftover lentils separately in an airtight container and assemble wraps when ready to eat.
Recipe inspired by Plant-Based RD.
