Simple, easy, and delicious, this lentil casserole is a vegetarian casserole recipe perfect for meatless dinners. It also has a lot of vegetables which make it even more nutritious and tasty. This comforting casserole will leave you feeling warm and satisfied.
On a cold winter night, what could be better than a hearty homemade dinner like this vegetarian lentil casserole which is also loaded with a lot of vegetables?
It's a simple one-pot recipe, perfect for an easy weeknight meal. To make it you just need to throw in all the ingredients in a casserole dish and bake. But, the final dish that comes out is incredibly delicious and satisfying.
It's a great recipe for easy meatless meal days that everyone enjoys.
Ingredients needed to make baked lentil casserole
To make this easy vegetarian casserole, you will need the ingredients shown below:
- Lentils: I have used dried green lentils but you can also use brown lentils to make lentil casserole.
- Vegetables: In this recipe, green peas, carrot, celery, and potatoes are used. You can use vegetables of your choice. Other vegetables that go well in this recipe are cauliflower, broccoli, beans, mushrooms, sweet potato, and zucchini. This dish can be made with fresh as well as frozen vegetables.
- Onion: Red, white, or brown onion, all are fine to be used.
- Fresh herbs: I have used fresh parsley, you can use fresh cilantro, dill, rosemary, or the fresh herbs you like.
- Seasoning: To flavor this casserole, I used fresh garlic, dried oregano, red chili flakes, ground black pepper, and salt. You can use other seasonings too like Italian seasoning, onion powder, rosemary, basil, thyme, etc. Feel free to flavor it the way you like.
- Diced tomatoes: I have used canned diced tomatoes but fresh chopped tomatoes are fine too.
- Cheese: Use any melting cheese that you prefer, I used shredded cheddar cheese. If you are a vegetarian, make sure to buy animal rennet-free cheese. Vegetarian cheeses are made with plant rennet.
Other ingredient details and nutritional information are shared in the recipe card.
How to make (step-by-step instructions)?
To make this lentil vegetable bake recipe, just follow the easy step-by-step instructions given below:
Step 1: Rinse green lentils and transfer them to a baking dish.
Step 2: Add chopped vegetables, minced garlic, all the seasonings, and diced tomatoes.
Step 3: Mix everything.
Step 4: Add vegetable stock.
Step 5: Cover the dish with an aluminum sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 200℃ ( or, 375℉) for around 1½ hours or until the lentils are cooked. Stir the dish once in between.
Step 6: Take out the casserole and remove the aluminum sheet.
Step 7: Spread shredded cheese on top.
Step 8: Put the dish back in the oven. Bake uncovered at 200℃ ( or 375℉) for around 15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Your hearty lentil casserole is ready to be served!
How to serve lentil bake?
Serve this lentil vegetable bake hot or warm.
It can be served with toasted bread, dinner rolls, crispy garlic bread, or any bread of choice.
You can also pair it up with a rice, quinoa, or pasta dish on the side.
Or, serve it with grilled vegetables or a salad.
Storing, freezing, and reheating tips
Transfer the leftover dish to an airtight container and refrigerate. It will be fine for 3-4 days.
You can also freeze it in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
To reheat, either microwave or put in the oven and bake covered with aluminum foil at 180℃(or 350℉) for around 12-15 minutes or until heated well.
Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
- You can also use brown lentils instead of green lentils in this recipe. Brown lentils will get cooked slightly faster.
- Feel free to add vegetables of your choice like broccoli, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, green beans, mushrooms, cauliflower, etc. You can also make lentil casserole without the vegetables.
- You can also add uncooked rice, pasta, or quinoa, to this lentil bake. If doing that, add more liquid and use a larger baking dish.
- Instead of using canned diced tomatoes, you can also use fresh chopped tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes and plum tomatoes can be added too.
- You can also mix some cheese with the lentils and vegetables instead of just spreading it on top.
- If you are vegetarian, make sure to use animal rennet-free cheese. These days you can easily find cheese with microbial rennet which can be consumed by vegetarians.
- For a faster version of this recipe, use precooked or canned lentils and saute the vegetables in a pan before mixing them with other ingredients in a baking dish. You will then need to bake the casserole for around 40 minutes only. Use less stock in this case, around 1 cup only.
- I have not used any oil in this lentil casserole recipe but if you want you can add some olive oil or butter and mix it with other ingredients before baking.
Vegan note: Vegans may use vegan cheese or just skip adding cheese. This dish tastes good without cheese too.
Frequently asked questions
No, these lentils look and taste quite similar but they are not the same. You can use either of them in this recipe. Brown lentils get cooked faster in comparison to green lentils.
Yes, you can use canned lentils to shorten the cooking time of this recipe. However, if doing that saute the vegetables in a pan before mixing them with other ingredients in the casserole. Also, use less vegetable stock as the lentils and vegetables are already cooked.
More vegetarian baked dinner recipes
If you enjoyed this lentil casserole and want to try recipes for more comforting baked vegetarian dinners then don't miss to check out the following recipes:
More easy lentil recipes
Looking for ideas to include lentils in your meals? The following easy lentil dishes are worth trying:
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Recipe
Easy vegetarian lentil casserole
Equipment
- 1 9x13 baking dish
- Oven
- Knife and chopping board
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups uncooked green lentils around 280 grams
- 1.5 cups peeled and chopped potatoes around 250 grams
- 1 medium carrot peeled and finely chopped
- ½ cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 1 stalk celery finely chopped
- 1 large red onion finely chopped
- 2-3 large cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley for garnishing
- 1 can diced tomatoes around 411 grams (14.5 oz)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Salt to taste
- 2 + ¾ cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups any melting cheese of choice
Instructions
- Rinse green lentils and transfer them to a baking dish.
- Add chopped vegetables, minced garlic, all the seasonings, diced tomatoes, and vegetable stock. Mix.
- Cover the dish with aluminum foil.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 200℃ ( or, 375℉) for 1½ hours. Stir once in between.
- Take out the dish. Remove the foil. Spread shredded cheese on top.
- Put the dish back in the oven. Bake uncovered at 200℃ ( or, 375℉) for around 15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
- Once done, take out the dish. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Video
Notes
- You can also use brown lentils instead of green lentils in this recipe. They will get cooked slightly faster.
- Feel free to add vegetables of your choice like broccoli, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, green beans, mushrooms, cauliflower, etc. You can also make lentil casserole without vegetables.
- You can also add uncooked rice, pasta, or quinoa, to this lentil bake.
- Instead of using canned diced tomatoes, you can also use fresh chopped tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes and plum tomatoes can be added too.
- You can also mix some cheese with the lentils and vegetables instead of just spreading it on top.
- If you are vegetarian, make sure to use animal rennet-free cheese. These days you can easily find cheese with microbial rennet which can be consumed by vegetarians.
- For a faster version of this recipe, use precooked or canned lentils and saute the vegetables in a pan before mixing them in a baking dish. You will then need to bake the casserole for around 40 minutes only. Use less stock in this case, around 1 cup only.
- I have not used any oil in this lentil casserole recipe but if you want you can add some olive oil and mix it with other ingredients before baking.
- More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.
I was just wondering if this recipe could be made ahead and then frozen for future use? Not sure because of the potatoes?
Hi Julia. Yes, you can freeze this casserole.
So delicious! I love that it only takes one dish! The next time though, I will add more veggie stock so that the lentils don't stick to the bottom of the dish.
Thanks Erin.
Absolutely delicious! I didn't realise that lentil can be so tasty
Thank you 🙂
Very easy and delicious casserole. I baked it in a cast iron pan and only put cheese over half of it. Served it with brown rice and corn muffins.
Thank you 🙂
Cook for 1 1/2 hour then another 15 minutes? Just double checking because the heading says cook time is 1hr 15min. Thanks!
Hi Priscilla. Sorry, that was a typing mistake. Thanks for pointing that out. I have corrected the time in the recipe card now. Hope you enjoy the dish.
great recipe just wondering if I add all the liquid from canned diced tomatoes ? Many Thanks,
Thanks Lisa. Yes, use all the liquid.
Sounds delicious and I plan on making it this week. I understand that soaking green lentils is not strictly necessary, but does reduce cooking time. Is the cooking time in your recipe based on soaked or unsoaked lentils?
Thank you for your comment. I didn't soak the lentils.
Thank you for answering my question. The cooking time worked perfectly with unsoaked green lentils - which means that the recipe can be made at the drop of a hat, no planning needed. It was absolutely delicious, filling and warming - and sure to be a regular in the chilly UK days to come. Thanks for a fantastic recipe that was simple enough even for me! 😹
Thank you so much for this lovely comment. I am so happy to know that you also enjoyed it :).
Nice recipes
Thank you Shraddha 🙂
Sounds delicious! Am I able to use red lentils ?
Red lentil is too delicate for a casserole so it's better that if you are using red lentil also add some rice or quinoa.
Made this tonight and loved it!!!!!!! Thanks for posting
Thank you Mary.