A true weeknight meal, these spiced cauliflower and smashed chickpea tacos pair perfectly with a creamy cilantro lime sauce and come together in less than 25 minutes!
I’m pretty sure that whoever invented Taco Tuesday was just looking for a way to make Tuesdays better. Well, it worked and Taco Tuesdays are now my favorite days. I mean, who can say no to tacos?? Definitely not me.
As much as I enjoy eating tacos when I go out to eat, I have to admit that sometimes I prefer making them at home even more. Why? Because they tend to be delicious, healthy, and I have more control over the toppings to make them just the way I like them.
Also, have you ever ordered vegetarian tacos and noticed there’s no protein source in them? These cauliflower and chickpea tacos solve that problem with the protein-packed action of chickpeas. Combine that with the spiced sauteed cauliflower and the creamy cilantro lime sauce, and you’ve got delicious, healthy, and filling vegetarian tacos!
Chickpeas Nutrition and Health Benefits
Chickpeas are a great vegetarian and plant-based protein source. One cup of chickpeas has over 14 grams of protein! This makes chickpeas a good food to add in your diet, especially if you’re following a vegetarian or vegan diet.
On top of that, just like other legumes, chickpeas are high in fiber. There are over 12 grams of fiber in 1 cup of cooked chickpeas. Most men and women are recommended to consume at least 25-34 grams of fiber per day, so you can get almost 50% of your daily fiber needs just from one cup of chickpeas!
Chickpeas are also a good source of folate, iron, and manganese. Folate is a B vitamin that is instrumental in assisting your body in making DNA and RNA.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Sauce
In a medium bowl, mix together Greek yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, water, and salt. Add more water to thin the sauce, as you prefer.
How to Make Chickpea Tacos
- Saute cauliflower. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped shallot and cook for 30 seconds. Add cauliflower florets, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Saute for 6-8 minutes or until florets start to soften. Scoop out the cauliflower and place in a medium bowl while you prepare the chickpeas.
- Smash chickpeas. In the same pan, heat olive oil and add chickpeas, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Using the back of your spatula, mash the chickpeas. Add water to the mixture and mix together until it forms somewhat of a paste. Cook for an additional 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Char the tortillas. Use tongs to heat the tortillas on the stovetop for a nice char. Make sure to only heat them for a few seconds per side.
- Assemble the tacos. Spread the smashed chickpea mixture in the middle of each tortilla. Top with the sauteed cauliflower and chopped romaine lettuce. Drizzle the cilantro lime sauce over the toppings. Garnish with cilantro and serve!
Chickpea Tacos Variations
- Make it vegan: replace the Greek yogurt in the creamy cilantro lime sauce with 1/2 avocado. Use a food processor to blend the ingredients in the sauce.
- Make it gluten-free: use corn tortillas or gluten-free tortillas in place of the flour or whole wheat tortillas.
- Add more toppings: feel free to add any additional toppings that sound good to you. Sliced avocado or pico de gallo would be especially good in these tacos!
These chickpea tacos are great for a healthy but delicious weeknight dinner! Looking for more weeknight dinner inspiration? These are some of my favorites:
Cauliflower Chickpea Tacos with Cilantro Lime Sauce
Ingredients
Cilantro Lime Sauce
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt 2% or full-fat
- 1 medium lime juiced
- 2 tbsp cilantro stems removed and chopped
- 2 tbsp water
- ¼ tsp salt
Tacos
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 oz cauliflower florets
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- ¼ cup water
- 4 romaine lettuce leaves stem removed and chopped
- 4 6-inch whole wheat or flour tortillas
- cilantro chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add shallot and cook for 30 seconds. Add cauliflower, ½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin, and ¼ tsp salt. Heat for 6-8 minutes until florets start to soften. Scoop out cauliflower and place in a medium bowl.
- In the same pan, add ½ tbsp olive oil, chickpeas, ½ tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin, and ¼ tsp salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Mash the chickpeas with the back of a spatula. Add water to the mixture and mix together until it forms a paste. Heat for 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat.
- Cilantro Lime Sauce: While the cauliflower and chickpeas are cooking, prepare the cilantro lime cream. Mix together Greek yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, water, and salt. Add more water to thin the sauce, if needed.
- Char tortillas on the stovetop for a few seconds per side.
- Assemble the tacos. Spread the chickpea mixture in the middle of each tortilla. Top with the cauliflower and lettuce. Drizzle the cilantro lime sauce over the taco toppings. Garnish with cilantro.
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Chase Mazur says
That cilantro-lime sauce is fire!