This is a long time favorite at our house. It’s inexpensive, easy (although it does take a while to cook), healthy, and actually tastes really good. When I first got the recipe, about 25 years ago, I was skeptical. But it’s good!
Ingredients:
- 3 cups chicken broth (3 cups water with 3 tsp. chicken bouillon granules)
- ¾ cup lentils, uncooked
- ½ cup brown rice, uncooked
- ¾ cup chopped onion
- ½ teaspoon basil
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Directions: Blend in greased casserole dish. Bake uncovered 1-1/2 hours at 300 degrees. Serve with grated cheddar cheese.
NOTES:
- I usually double this recipe except I still just use ¾ cup chopped onion. Doubled, it’s 4 to 6 servings. However, I doubled it for just the two of us and it was more than we needed. Next time I’ll just make a single batch for the two of us.
- I normally bake this in the oven, as instructed, but I tried it in the crock pot. I put it in at2:00on low but switched it to high at3:00. I served it at6:00and it was done, but just barely. Cooking it on high wasn’t ideal because it made the rice a little bit mushy. If you want to do this in the crock pot, I would suggest cooking it on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- I used a 2.5 quart crock pot for the doubled amount and it was almost too small. If you double it, a 4 quart would be better. If you make a single batch, the 2.5 is probably perfect.
- I served the Lentil Casserole with roasted broccoli and Salt & Pepper Rolls.
Now, there’s a healthy recipe.
We would skip the cheese at our house and maybe put a dash of soy sauce or tamari if the dish was on the bland side. Some fresh minced garlic could be used to spice it up a bit too.
Definitely healthy.
The soy sauce wouldn’t hurt but you don’t really need it – even without the cheese. This dish surprisingly has really good flavor.
I don’t think I’ve ever eaten lentils. What do they taste similar to?
By the way, the mexican crockpot dish was a hit with Conor. It turned out more like a dip but he loved it even more like that.
David thought it seemed more like a dip, too. When he had it the next day, he served it over chips and lettuce and then added some chopped guacamole on top. He really liked it that way, too.
I’m thinking about how to describe how lentils taste but I’m coming up empty. They’re mild, kind of like beans but not quite. I’m going to ask David when he gets home tonight. Maybe he’ll have a better description.
I’m a really picky eater but I like this recipe.
greased casserole…? So like this dish in the picture. I know when baking surface area matters, so do you usually bake it in a larger, shallow dish or a smaller deeper dish like the picture (which I realize is your serving dish from the crockpot)?
Good question. I usually use a 2.5 qt casserole if I bake it in the oven.