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!
I made this casserole today. I was excited to try it as lentils and rice are a couple of my faves. I don’t know why, but all I could taste was an overpowering oregano flavor which was disappointing. Is 2 tsp of oregano the correct amount? If I made this again, I’d definitely omit half of the oregano or maybe all of it. Also, to me, it was a bit too salty. Might try it again (with modifications) as I love lentils!🙂
Hi, Karen, Thanks so much for the feedback. I don’t recall anyone mentioning the oregano thing before. Sometimes people are sensitive to certain flavors. I can handle cinnamon in baked goods, but put it in anything savory and I just can’t. Did you use Mexican oregano? You can get it through Penzeys. It’s a little different from traditional oregano which lends itself more to Mexican and Southwestern cuisine. Perhaps try low-sodium vegetable broth next time, too. Thanks again!
Morning!
I made this last night, also very excited to try my new found brown rice and lentil dish!!
Half way through it still looked like a minestrone soup, but when the time was up everything was nice and fluffy.
I agree, something (herb/ spice) I added is a bit overpowering, so I’ll half everything next time too.
Will definitely try it again. Thank you for the recipe!!
Thanks, Celeste! Wondering if you used powdered oregano? Two teaspoons of that WOULD be overpowering. Thanks again!
This is the first time I’ve been inspired to write a review about a recipe. This meal made ALL of the picky eaters I’m cooking for happy!! I thought that was impossible! This recipe is now a staple!!!
Hi, Lori, Thanks so very much! Wow, that makes me so happy! Glad you and everyone enjoyed. Thanks again!
Great flavour. I cook and freeze as my husband and I eat seperate meals and it’s never one I see in the freezer and don’t feel like eating.
I tried this today and it was delicious. Simple to make, basic ingredients that are easy to find and have on hand, and the result is hearty and tasty. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for such a winning recipe!
Hi, Marlene, Thanks so very much! So glad you enjoyed! This has been a favorite of ours for many, many years so I’m glad I’ve been able to pass it on and more people can enjoy it. Thanks again.
In addition to being over of my favorite dishes, this is my new go to meal for taking to new moms.
Great Vegetarian Recipe
We cooked this just over a week ago as experimenting with meatless meals now – it was so good it’s back on the list to make again! A new favorite for us! Thanks!
Thanks so much, Kat! So glad you all enjoyed it! This recipe has certainly stood the test of time with us, too. Still is and will always be one of our go-to meatless meals! Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other meatless meals.
I made this with green lentils and white basmati. It smelled delicious while baking, but I think 1.5 hours is too long for this combination: the texture of the rice and lentils were similar and both mushier than I’d prefer. I’ll try again and keep a closer eye on the cooking time!
Thanks so much, Julia! I’ve had green lentils take FOREVER to cook and then sometimes they cook very quickly–faster than brown lentils. The white basmati is definitely going to cook fast. If you wanted to use that combination again, you could always precook everything on the stovetop (including the vegetables) so its all the texture you want, combine in a baking dish and then just place in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until it’s heated through. You could also make a day or two ahead of time and then heat through later. Thanks again!
This is great to do as I have leftover cooked rice and leftover green cooked lentils. I’ll try the recipe tomorrow!!! Thanks for the great idea!!
Hi, Terri, If you’ve got already cooked rice and lentils, you’ll want to cook the vegetables in a skillet or saute pan first, then combine everything in a baking dish. You won’t need as much liquid, so just enough to moisten everything. Thanks so much and hope you enjoy!
I am excited to make this recipe. What capacity is your baking dish or what capacity would you recommend? Thank you!
Hi, Margot, Thanks so much for your great question! I would recommend at least a 2-quart baking dish. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
This was a delicious dish and so easy to bake in the oven! We were in a “light cheese” mood and skipped the cheese and it was still delicious. What a clever idea to bake rice with lentils in the oven like this, no sautéing, etc. It’s a keeper!
Thanks so very much, Margo! So glad you all enjoyed and this is now one of your go-to recipes as it’s been one of ours for over 20 years! Thanks again!
I make this for meal trains all the time now, I’ve recently started eating vegan… Even without the cheese it is phenomenal!
Thanks so much, Melissa! So glad you enjoy! Vegan cheese should work just fine. I’d love to know what a “meal train” is, however. Thanks again!
A meal train is a sign-up sheet, usually (maybe always?) online, for when someone has a baby or is ill. An organizer finds out food allergies, preferences etc. From the family receiving it, posts that information plus dates when meals will be needed online, then this is circulated by e-mail invitations to interested parties. My academic department does this whenever someone has a baby and will welcome cooked food for a few weeks. It’s a great system! Everyone helps out a little and the recipients get a lot of help without needing to ask anyone. Google “meal train” and you’ll get to a website that features the calendar system for free.
Hi, Kristine, Thanks so much! I had never heard it referred to as a “meal train” before but we’ve done it many times and have also been the recipient after breaking a kneecap. It’s a wonderful thing to do for people. Thanks again!
What is the nutritional value on this recipe? Or at least the sodium level?
Thank you!
Hi, Liz, Thanks so much for your question! I’m in the process of adding nutrition to all of my recipes and updated this one today for you. The nutrition information is computer-generated so it’s only an estimate. You can adjust the sodium level down by using no-salt-added tomatoes, lower-sodium or salt-free broth, etc. Thanks again!