Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake
Updated Nov 27, 2021, Published Aug 05, 2019
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Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake is cheesy, delicious, meatless comfort food even a carnivore will love! Packed with hearty lentils, wholesome brown rice, and a bold blend of southwestern spices, this dish delivers big flavor in every bite. Combine everything in a baking dish and let it bake away while you do other things. Perfect for busy weeknights or lazy weekends!
“LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! It’s easy and healthy!”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
It seems like forever that my hubby and I have been making this lentil bake! My husband and I began making this casserole back in my vegetarian days.
The recipe we initially followed is “Lively Lentil Bake” from Hot, Spicy and Meatless, Over 150 Delicious, Fiery and Healthful Recipes by Dave DeWitt, et. al., the folks behind Chile Pepper Magazine. This collection of spicy vegetarian fare was published in 1993, but we still use that cookbook a lot.
This Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake is one of our favorites when busy, and we don’t have much time to prep and cook. Quite often, we already have the ingredients on hand in the pantry.
The only fresh things you need is an onion, green bell pepper and cilantro for garnish if you like. It’s very easy to make minor substitutions as this is a versatile and forgiving recipe.
This lentil recipe is:
- So easy! Do a little chopping and combine everything in a baking dish.
- Versatile! Add beans such as pinto or black beans for extra protein!
- Freezer-friendly! Place in freezer containers for a meatless meal that’s ready and waiting!
- Instant Pot-adaptable!
How to Make Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this easy lentil recipe. The recipe card below has the exact quantities.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients, except the cheese, in a deep 2-3 quart glass or ceramic baking dish and mix well.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours, stirring once while the mixture is baking.
- Remove the foil, stir in half the cheese, and place the remaining cheese over the top.
- Return to oven (uncovered) and bake until cheese has melted, approximately 20 minutes.
- Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro if desired.
Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake for the win! Little to no effort, and you have a cheesy, vegetarian dish that even a carnivore would love!
Tips for inspecting lentils:
One thing you always want to do when working with lentils is to look them over well for stones, twigs, and odd-looking shriveled ones because those can be stone-like.
What I do is:
- Place a small amount–about 1/4 cup–on a plain white paper plate. A white surface makes debris easier to find.
- Look them over for any odd things and discard.
- Then, gently fold the plate to guide them into your pot or into a bowl.
- Repeat with the remaining lentils.
Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake for the win! Little to no effort and you have a cheesy, vegetarian dish even a carnivore would love!
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Combine all the ingredients except cheese and cilantro in the Instant Pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes, then release all the pressure.
- Stir in half of the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover.
- Allow everything to stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The instructions are in the recipe card and above.
Use plant-based vegan “cheese,” in place of conventional. Brewer’s yeast will also give it a “cheesy” flavor.
Absolutely! It freezes beautifully! Bake and thoroughly cool. Store in airtight containers and freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave.
For more great vegetarian casseroles, be sure to try my:
- Southwestern Squash, Corn and Poblano Casserole
- Summer Vegetable Parmigiana
- Brown Rice Cheddar Kale Casserole
- Healthier Turkish Eggplant Casserole (Imam Bayildi)
- Zucchini Corn Casserole
- Grains and Greens Casserole
- Brown Rice and Summer Vegetable Casserole with Feta and Black Olives
- Summer Squash Casserole
- Late Summer Vegetable Tian
Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake
Ingredients
- 1/2 large onion, (or 1 medium onion), finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3/4 cup brown lentils
- 3/4 cup long-grain brown rice
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 can (15-ounce) petite diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (4-ounce) diced green chiles, undrained
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning blend, or another Southwestern-style blend
- 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, leaf–not ground
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups shredded cheese, Monterey Jack, Pepperjack or white Cheddar, divided
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Combine all ingredients, except the cheese, in a deep 2-3 quart glass or ceramic baking dish and mix well. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 1 1/2 hours, stirring once while the mixture is baking.
- Remove the foil, stir in half the cheese and place the remaining cheese over the top.
- Return to oven (uncovered) and bake until cheese has melted, approximately 20 minutes.
- Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with chopped fresh cilantro.
Video
Notes
- Look the lentils over well for stones, twigs and odd-looking shriveled ones because those can be stone-like.
- Combine all the ingredients except cheese and cilantro in the Instant Pot.
- Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes then release all the pressure.
- Stir in half of the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover.
- Allow everything to stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro.
- Bake and thoroughly cool. Store in airtight containers and freeze for 1-2 months.
- Thaw in the refrigerator. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven, or microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Very good. Added a can of blackeyed peas and 20 oz of zucchini. Put in a 5-quart dish.
Thanks so much, Jean and happy you enjoyed!! Appreciate your trying the recipe and coming back to comment and rate.
Loved this!
Hi, Pam, Thanks so very much and happy you love this recipe! Appreciate your trying the recipe and taking the time to comment and rate.
Can I use canned lentils in this recipe?
Hi, Christine, Thanks for your question. You can, but you’d have to wait until much later to add them because they would get mushy. I haven’t tested this recipe with canned lentils, so I don’t know how much liquid you’d actually need; you’d need to reduce it. I would suggest altering how you make this recipe and use cooked brown rice instead of uncooked and cook the vegetables. It would be like making a standard casserole where you cook everything, combine and then bake to heat through. Thanks again and hope you can make it work.
Delightfully flavorful dish and easy to put together. Nice treat for my vegetarian family. I followed the recipe exactly and found that the lentils were very overcooked. I definitely plan to make this again, but will cut the time just a bit. Thanks much!
Thanks, Alana! Happy everyone enjoyed! Appreciate your trying the recipe and taking the time to comment and rate.
Has anyone tried this with jasmine rice? Any adjustments needed (water amount)? Thanks!
Hi, Kerry, I think someone has; sounds familiar. Have you read through the comments?
Really good! I did the Insta Pot version and used a small amount of salsa verde instead of the green chiles.
Hi, Jess, Thanks so much and happy you enjoyed! Love the idea of the salsa verde! Appreciate your trying the recipe and taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
Very tasty and filling. The brown rice gives it an almost meat-like texture. I made it per instructions with minor changes for what I had on hand: Chicken broth instead of vegetable and a poblano chili instead of bell pepper. Delicious!
Thanks so much and happy you enjoyed! Substitutions can definitely be made in this recipe. Appreciate your trying the recipe and taking the time to rate and leave such a nice comment!
Really nutritious, high fibre, no unnecessary oil and flexible. Love the walk away and bake in oven feature!
Hi, Karen, Thanks so much and happy you love this recipe. It’s one of the reasons we love it so much, too. Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
I make this all the time for my family and we love it! It really scratches the itch for a savory and filling casserole in the winter months, plus it’s so easy to put together.
Hi, Jordan, Thanks so very much and happy you love this recipe! I’ve been craving this casserole myself; it’s one of our favorties. Appreciate your taking the time to come back and comment and rate.
Hi
Was wondering how nutritional yeast would work instead cheese. I know it wouldn’t be creamy or have the cheesy crusty topping but would it give it the cheesy taste?
Hi, Jennifer, Thanks so much for your question. I haven’t tested it, but I think you can use nutritional yeast, it would just be a different kind of dish. Nutritional yeast definitely lends a “cheesy” taste without the cheese. If you give it a try, please let me know how it went. Thanks again!