Very Veggie Lentil Bake
One of my most popular recipes ever, with almost entirely 5 star reviews! Its appearance doesn’t do it justice – this lentil bake is incredibly tasty, and so easy to adapt!
Note: In 2018 I made an Instant Pot version of this recipe! If you have an IP, you can check out that version here: Instant Pot very veggie lentil bake.
As a food blogger who needs to come up with new vegetarian recipes on an almost daily basis, I don’t often have a chance to revisit old favourites – I think you guys would have a riot if I just posted the same four recipes over and over (…do any of you actually care that much?). But occasionally I just think stuff it, I’m going to repost something I’ve made before. Because sometimes I just want to. You’ll cope.
This very veggie lentil bake is basically a revamped version of a really old lentil bake recipe I posted way back in February 2012 (who even remembers that far back anyway? Back when our biggest problem was the impending end of the world… ah, those were the days).
The recipe was so unbelievably good and the old photos were so unbelievably not good that I thought it deserved a revival. With a new, but equally silly, name. Back then, it was pretty much my favourite recipe in the world, and not much has changed.
A lovely reader recently reminded me of this recipe, and I was inspired to make it again. They tweeted me a photo and called it ‘absolutely their favourite dish’ – colour me chuffed! So just in case you think my own raving about this recipe sounds insincere, rest assured that at least one person agrees with me.
Of course, since I can never follow a recipe to the letter, even if it’s my own recipe, I did make a few minor changes to this version. I made it bigger, for one (it’s that good, you’ll be happy to have extra), and used slightly different veggies, because I was too lazy to go shopping. It’s pretty adaptable – just use whatever veggies you have on hand (I do love a good fridge clearer!).
You can skip the cheese if you’d prefer a vegan lentil bake, but it does add a lovely flavour and gives that crispy topping, which is always a major plus. It’s not exactly an attractive dish, but crispy cheese goes a long way to making anything look enticing.
Whatever you put in it, this very veggie lentil bake is a brilliant way to enjoy some of the most simple store cupboard ingredients!
Very Veggie Lentil Bake
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Print Pin CommentIngredients
- 110 g red lentils (~ 1/2 cup)
- 75 g white rice (~ 1/4 cup)
- 650 ml vegetable stock (~ 2 1/2 cups), or 2 stock cubes made up in 650ml water
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 small leek or 1/2 large leek, sliced
- 1 bell pepper, diced fairly small (I used orange)
- 5 medium mushrooms, diced fairly small
- 1 small courgette (zucchini), or 1/2 large courgette, diced fairly small
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Black pepper
- 90 g grated cheddar cheese (~ 1 cup)
Instructions
- Boil the lentils and rice for 15-20 minutes in the vegetable stock, stirring occasionally. You’ll need to stir constantly during the last 5 minutes or so, to ensure they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Once they’re cooked, don’t drain the water, but instead continue stirring over the heat until enough water has boiled off for the mixture to resemble porridge.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a frying pan, and add the chopped leek, pepper, mushrooms and courgette. Cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft.
- Heat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).
- Combine the cooked lentils and vegetables in a large mixing bowl, and add the paprika, cayenne pepper, and plenty of black pepper. Mix well.
- Transfer half of the mixture to a baking dish, and sprinkle over half of the grated cheese. Add the remaining lentil mixture, smooth out the top, and finish with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for around 25-30 minutes, until the cheese topping is golden brown and crispy.
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.
Love lentils? There are loads more vegetarian lentil recipes to inspire you here:
This is such a tasty dish! Just love it. However as an FYI. When I go to change the number of servings, the grams change but the cup size doesn’t. So the rice and lentils cup quantity stays the same whether its 4 or 10 people as the grams increase. I go by cups, so thankfully I spotted this, otherwise there would have been a bit of a disaster in cooking the ingredients.
Ahh thanks Vera, I’ll look into that when I get a sec.
Love this dish – it is always a crowd pleaser! Have made it MANY times. Maybe I’m just used to the way it looks, or maybe I just like it so much, but I don’t agree that it appears unappetizing.
Haha thanks Bella, glad you like it! :)
Hi! Looks delicious. I was wondering though, I want to make this with brown rice, would you suggest cooking the brown rice most of the way and then adding it in? How would this alteration affect the liquid added?
Yes I would cook the brown rice for a while before adding the lentils. It will probably need a bit more water but I can’t really give specifics as I haven’t tried it myself – just add a splash more to begin with, then keep stirring and keep watching, and you can always add a little more later if needed.
I just made this last night and even though I forgot to mix the seasoning in (I just sprinkled it on top) it was delicious. It’s a great way to use up all those bits of veggies in the fridge. I did cover it with foil so that the cheese wouldn’t get overly cooked, and then took the foil off for the last 10 minutes or so.
Thanks Heather, glad you enjoyed it!
A complete protein and very tasty. It also freezes very well. A “ go to “ recipe in this house.one of my favourites.
Thanks Linda, that’s lovely to hear! :)
We really enjoyed this! Delicious and satisfying.
Thanks Diane!
Love this. Does not last long in my house. All the cutting, I call therapy! ❤️
Haha thanks Barbara, glad you like it! :)
Very tasty, the creator is correct, the appearance does not do it any justice
Haha sometimes the ugliest food is the tastiest :)
What can i use instead of rice? More lentils or cauliflower rice? I’m on a low carb diet, thanks!!!
Either one is worth a try! I’d probably add less water if you’re swapping for cauliflower rice though, since it won’t absorb the liquid as much as rice would.
Absolutely delicious. I made it last night and as my daughter is eating with us tonight I’m making it again. Used brown rice-started it slightly earlier and added lentils. No leeks so used onion, garlic and cauliflower instead and tonight adding a little butternut squash. It’s going to be a favourite meal from now on I’m thinking.
Awesome, thanks Julie! Glad you enjoyed it so much! :)