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.
💬 Recipe Reviews
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
If you’ve cooked this recipe, don’t forget to leave a star rating!
Print Pin Comment(if you suffer from allergies, please double check all ingredients before eating)
Ingredients
- 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:
Mine came out a little runny, I’m guessing I didn’t boil my lentils and rice long enough? The flavor was delicious though! I definitely plan to try it again. Maybe add a little yellow squash. Could even see some broccoli being good too. Thanks for the recipe!
Yeah I imagine you just didn’t cook quite enough water out of it before you put it into the oven – it should be like a thick porridge. But I’m glad it was tasty anyway :)
Love, love love this recipe! Ok, it’s not a looker, but it tastes fab, is healthy and a budget recipe too.
Thank you!
Thanks Rachel! Sometimes the ugliest recipes are the tastiest :)
Oh Wow ,
I have just cooked this for a colleague and myself to comfort us on a cold night on shift.
I was absolutely amazing . I just want to go home and cook it again and again.
I shall be looking at your website/blog on a regular basis
Thanks
Yay! So glad you both enjoyed it, thanks for the lovely comment Hayley. Hopefully you’ll find lots of other things you like here too :)
Has anyone ever freezed this? I’m hosting a freezer meal party and looking for a few vegetarian options.
I haven’t tried freezing it, sorry! It’s definitely worth a try though – let me know how you get on :)
I’ve frozen it – it is fine apart from reheating the cheese affects it a but otherwise no problems :)
(I have a batch in the oven as I type ready to go in the freezer…)
Good to know, thanks Kate! I love that this has become a regular for you! :)
I’ve been thinking I need to make something different with lentils, a bake will be great for these chilly evenings.
This looks so comforting and delicious!
I know what you mean by old recipes and not being able to revisit them because you are busy experimenting newer ones. I am sure nobody minds this modified old recipe. Looks great! Thanks for sharing :)
Definitely pinning this! My family loves lentils, and I’m always looking for new ways to use them. :) Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Your fave recipe IN THE WORLD? I absolutely must try it then, and right away!
Haha! Hope you like it!
So yummy Becca! This reminds me of the lentil bake that my mum used to bake, but much better looking :) So nice to have another vegetarian recipe in the repertoire. Don’t think I’ll be able to leave out the cheese though – I LOVE cheese. Thanks for sharing. x
The cheese is definitely worth keeping in :D