My hugely popular very veggie lentil bake, adapted to be cooked in the Instant Pot! Even easier than the original.
Food blogging is a funny thing - sometimes I'll publish a recipe that I think is incredible, but you guys don't really seem that blown away by it. Other times, I'll publish something that you go unexpectedly crazy for! My very veggie lentil bake was definitely one of those recipes. It's been viewed over 400,000 times, and literally every day I get an email, a message or a comment from someone telling me how much they enjoyed it - it makes me so, so happy! I knew it was a yummy recipe, but I didn't know lentils could get people so excited.
Anyway, a few weeks ago I gave in and bought myself an Instant Pot - and I decided my very veggie lentil bake should be the first thing I use it for. A few little tweaks, and the recipe is good to go!
What is an Instant Pot?
The Instant Pot has been a must-have gadget for the past couple of years, but just in case you've missed all the hype, I'll give you a quick run down.
It's basically an automatic electric pressure cooker. You add your ingredients, program it to cook for a set amount of time, and then just leave it to do its thing. It generally takes 10 minutes or so to reach pressure, but once that's happened, it cooks things super quickly - almost everything I've made in it has cooked in 10-20 minutes, even things that I would usually bake or simmer on the hob for a full hour. So it's not quite 'instant'... but it's pretty quick.
After your food is cooked, you just release the pressure, and it's ready!
I'm sure I'll be sharing more Instant Pot recipes over the coming months - if you want to get yourself one so you can cook along with me, you can get them on Amazon (UK* / US*)!
Very veggie lentil bake in the Instant Pot
My very veggie lentil bake is one of my favourite dinners - it's got a cheesy mixture of lentils, rice, and tons of veggies - all my favourites in one satisfying meal.
The original recipe requires the lentils and rice to be cooked up together in a pan, and you also need to fry off the veggies separately. Then you mix everything together, and transfer to a baking dish to stick in the oven. It's an awesome recipe, but it does require a bit of effort - there are a few different steps to it.
With this Instant Pot version, you don't need to do any of that. You obviously still need to chop a few veggies and grate some cheese, but that's 100% of the prep - just add some veggie stock to help it all cook together, and you can go and relax while it cooks everything for you.
How long does it take to cook?
The original recipe takes the best part of an hour to make, about half of which is hands-on prep time.
This Instant Pot version takes just ten minutes to prepare, then 20 minutes to cook (plus an extra ten minutes or so for the Instant Pot to come to pressure).
It may not seem like a huge time saving, but in terms of hands-on time, it's much quicker to use the Instant Pot.
My favourite thing about having an Instant Pot is that it encourages me to make healthy dinners from scratch more often. Usually, if I only have the energy to spend 10 minutes cooking dinner (i.e. almost every day of the week), I'll resort to opening packets of processed food, and will just throw something in the oven. But with the Instant Pot, you can spend just a few minutes chopping vegetables, and in no time you'll have a freshly cooked, healthy meal - no need to stand over the stove while it cooks.
Are there any disadvantages to using the Instant Pot?
The only disadvantage to this Instant Pot version of my lentil bake is that the cheesy topping doesn't crisp up. It does all melt down and gives a nice cheesy layer, but it's not a crispy one. In my opinion, this minor disadvantage is well worth the time and effort you save by using the Instant Pot - I'll definitely be making this version from now on! Crispy cheese is worth a lot... but it's not worth an extra half an hour in the kitchen.
What veggies can I use in my very veggie lentil bake?
I can never follow a recipe to the letter, even when it's my own, so when I adapted my lentil bake for the Instant Pot, I did make a few minor changes to the original recipe. I added some diced carrot, for example, as I knew a hard vegetable like carrot would hold up well to being pressure cooked. I also grated the courgette (zucchini) instead of dicing it, so it melts right into the lentils as it cooks, keeping everything nice and moist.
Feel free to switch up the veggies if you like, but remember that not all vegetables are going to be tasty when they're pressure cooked - I imagine broccoli, for example, would turn to mush, so you might want to avoid that one!
How should I serve my lentil bake?
I love to serve my very veggie lentil bake with garlic bread - the crunchy bread is amazing at scooping up the soft lentils, and who doesn't love a bit of extra garlic in their life? There are already plenty of veggies in the bake itself (it's kind of in the name...), but you can serve a bit of salad on the side too if you're feeling virtuous.
Then just dig in! I promise you'll love it.
Instant Pot very veggie lentil bake
If you've cooked this recipe, don't forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 250 g (~ 1 ⅛ cup) red lentils
- 100 g (~ ⅓ cup) white rice
- 1 medium courgette (zucchini), grated
- 1 small leek, or ½ large leek, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced fairly small
- 5 medium mushrooms, diced
- 200 g cheddar cheese, grated (~ 2 cups when grated)
- 2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon hot chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Black pepper
- 850 ml (~ 3 ½ cups) vegetable stock
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of the Instant Pot, just holding back about a third of the cheese. Mix thoroughly, and scrape down the sides so that everything is just submerged in the liquid. Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese on top.
- Place the bowl into the Instant Pot, and close the lid. Make sure the valve is set to 'sealing'. Set the Instant Pot to 'pressure cook' - high pressure, normal mode. Set the Instant Pot to cook for 20 minutes (it will also take an additional 10 minutes or so to come to pressure), and leave it to cook.
- When the Instant Pot has finished cooking, carefully perform a quick pressure release, and remove the lid. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on your exact ingredients. Please calculate your own nutritional values if you require accuracy for health reasons.
Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for ¼ of the recipe.
My cheesy bean bake is also super popular - give this one a try too!
* Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I will receive a tiny (tiny!) payment, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for the support!
Angie King says
I’d like to make this with brown rice instead of white, should I modify the cooking time?
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Hi Angie, I'm afraid I can't really advise on that, as Instant Pot recipes are so precise. If you were cooking it on the hob I'd just say give it a few extra minutes until the rice is fully cooked, but you can't just take the lid off an Instant Pot to check how it's coming along. I think it will need a bit of trial and error. Sorry I can't be more help!
Heather says
All this did was burn on the bottom so I could not complete the cooking process.
Julia says
I made this today in my Ninja Foodi and it was delicious. Thank you Becca. Will be definitely be making this one again!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Julia!
cheryl says
love this! We omitted the cheese as my partner is vegan, but tastes great without it too! I top mine with some cheese once cooked, and he adds some vegan cheese to his if he wants. Both love it and best bit it that is is so easy to make in the instant pot. happy days :-)
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Thanks Cheryl, that's so lovely to hear!
Lila Siejko says
Hi. I'm sorry but Kraft cheddar cheese is not vegetarian. It has animal rennet in it. I would suggest these vegetarian cheddar cheeses: 365 Whole Foods, AppleGate, Boarshead, Cabot, Crystal Farms, Dutch Farms, Happy Farms Aldi, Kerrygold, Kirkland Signature Costco, Kroger, Organic Valley, Sargento, Stella cheese, Taco Bell, Trader Joe's. I got the list off the internet.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Hi Lila, I didn't mention Kraft cheese anywhere so I'm not really sure what you're referring to?
Nikki says
I am another person that rarely if ever comments but felt I had to on this one. My daughter recently decided to eat vegetarian. I made this for her expecting her to not like it but she ate 3 plates! This is incredibly easy to prepare and I was thrilled to open the pot to a perfect dish. Thank you so much for optimizing this for the IP. I am certain this will get made many more times!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Amazing!! I'm so happy she enjoyed it - hopefully you'll find lots more on the site that will help her transition to vegetarianism! :) I don't know if the rest of your family eats meat, but if you do, this might be helpful! https://www.easycheesyvegetarian.com/vegetarians-and-meat-eaters/
Nettles says
Love, love, LOVE this recipe! Tonight was the 4th time I've made this and I'm going to have to double.. hmm maybe TRIPLE the recipe because everyone wants second helpings and there's always arguments over who gets to take the tiny amount of leftovers for their lunch the next day. It's gone to the top of the favourite meals list!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Wow amazing, thank you!! :)
Spencer says
Followed the recipe exactly and got a burn message. The bottom of the pot is now covered in scalded food and I have a half cooked bowl of mush and a hungry toddler with no dinner. Avoid this recipe unless modified.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Sorry this one didn't work for you! :(
Spencer says
Thanks for the reply, and sorry for the grumpy reply in the heat of the moment. I learned afterward that my wife actually finely diced the zucchini rather than grating it, so that could be a factor. We also put in the white rice without rinsing it, which likely caused excess starch which could have contributed to the burn error. Feel free to delete my 1 star review, I would like to try again with the above corrections.
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
Ahh thanks for the feedback! You could always try adding an extra splash of water too, just in case - I think that can sometimes be a reason for a burn error? Certainly won't hurt :)
Carley Miller says
So excited to see an Instant Pot recipe on your blog! I got one for Christmas and was so excited but then was a bit disappointed to have so much trouble finding vegetarian recipes for it. Hoping there are more to come!
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
I'll try to share another one soon!
Jess says
Hi, Becca! This sounds fantastic and something that both me and my 13 month old would eat.
Question- could I substitute quinoa for the rice?
Becca @ Easy Cheesy Vegetarian says
I'm sure you could! I have no idea how the texture would turn out - quinoa needs less cooking than rice, so it might end up a bit mushier if you cook it for the same amount of time. But I'd give it a try and maybe adjust the cooking time next time if needed :)