Southwestern Lentil and Brown Rice Bake
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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:
- Summer 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
- Greek Vegetable Casserole
- 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
Nutritional values are automatically calculated using unbranded products and are estimates only. Actual results may vary based on ingredients used and portion sizes. Adjust as needed for dietary restrictions, allergies, or health concerns.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Hi i am currently making this recipe i couldn’t use brown rice so i have put jasmine rice in instead. Do you have any idea of how long i should bake this for? I have read a few comments and they said with white rice it will overcook. I bought 3 brown rice packs but when opened they all smelled rancid. (Husband not happy as he had to return to store each time lol) Any help would be appreciated.
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe! It’s easy and healthy! I find one cup of cheese works just fine!
Could you use Jasmine rice? if so, would the cooking time be altered?
Hi, Vanessa, Thanks so much for your question. You could use jasmine rice but there may be a slight difference in flavor as jasmine rice has somewhat of a floral taste. Someone used white basmati rice a while back and they said the cooking time was too long. I’ve cooked a lot of jasmine rice over the year as a personal chef and have found different brands cook up differently so it’s hard to tell you exactly how much time it will need. I’d cut back on the liquid a little bit if you’re not using brown rice. You can always add a little more later. Thanks again and hope it works for you!
This was amazing! The whole family loved it (including the kiddos 8 and 5). Best part is it comes together fast and you can get a bunch of other things done while its cooking. I didn’t have any brown/green lentils so I ended up using red lentils. I also increased most of the ingredients (this family lives on leftovers)! Thanks a million for a new crowd pleaser 🙂 Oh, I did fry up some corn on the side and added that when we plated it, its a great addition.
Hi, Andi, Thanks so very much! Glad you all enjoyed–especially those kiddos! They’re usually a tough crowd. Thanks again and hope you’ll try some of my other vegetarian entrees.
I tried this last night as we wanted to include more pulses and whole grain rice in our diet. It was lovely and simple to make. I did not have brown lentils so substituted split red lentils and also used whole grain basmati and wild rice. It turned out very well. Thank you.
Thank you sooooo much! I have been making the recipe from the very book you mentioned, since the cookbook was published. I am away from home (sans cookbook) and craving this dish so I cannot thank you enough! I love the addition of the taco seasoning. I might add chipotle peppers instead. Cheers and again thank you
Thank you for your feedback, Brenda. The reason for the ads is so that I can provide you with a FREE recipe. Perhaps there was something hung up with your internet connection or your computer was doing something in the background because I’ve loaded that post numerous times without any problems. I also had my tech guy check everything and there were no problems.
Loved it! I cooked mine in the Instant pot to save time and when it was done, I transferred it to a dish, added the cheese and cooked for 15 more minutes
I love this recipe. Like most casseroles it allows you to riff off of it. Have some zucchini, throw that in. Tonight I had chard from the garden and parsley. Threw that in. It has become a staple, easy dinner to use up what’s in the veggie drawer at the end of the week. Love it!
Hi, Liz, Thanks so very much! So glad you enjoy and make it your own. Yes, so easy to change it up and add extra veggies like the zucchini, yellow squash, more peppers, winter squash, etc. Thanks again!
I made this after a friend recommended the recipe. My partner and I loved it. I am lactose intolerant so I omitted the cheese and it was still fantastic. Such a simple but very flavorful recipe. I love that you can just put all the ingredients in the baking dish and pop it in the oven. It is not a labor intensive recipe. This is now a dish that will be made often in our home. I highly recommend it!