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Close up shot of cheesy lentil casserole garnished with chopped parsley.
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Easy vegetarian lentil casserole

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.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 55 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 406kcal
Author Vandana Chauhan

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

  1. You can also use brown lentils instead of green lentils in this recipe. They will get cooked slightly faster.
  2. 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.
  3. You can also add uncooked rice, pasta, or quinoa, to this lentil bake.
  4. Instead of using canned diced tomatoes, you can also use fresh chopped tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes and plum tomatoes can be added too.
  5. You can also mix some cheese with the lentils and vegetables instead of just spreading it on top.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 406kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 707mg | Potassium: 963mg | Fiber: 18g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2696IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 344mg | Iron: 5mg