Life with Dee

Creating a beautiful life...

  • Start Here
    • Welcome!
    • Disclosure Statement
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
  • Home & Garden
    • Homemaking
      • Cleaning
      • Domestic Dee-va
      • The FlyLady Method
    • Gardening
    • Country Living
    • Frugal & Green
      • Green Living
    • Productivity and Time Management
    • Organization
  • Dee’s Kitchen
    • Menu Monday
    • Recipes
      • Instant Pot Recipes
      • Instant Pot
      • Vegetarian
      • Guest Posts
      • Pinterest Recipe Review
      • In My Kitchen
      • Tea
  • French Inspiration
  • LWD Book Club

Lentil Rice Casserole

September 18, 2019 By Deanna Piercy 7 Comments

I first encountered this lentil rice casserole recipe years ago when I was homeschooling my kids. Baking one’s own bread and cooking healthy, low-cost recipes were very much a part of the homeschooling community. One popular source of recipes were the Sue Gregg cookbooks. These were offered for sale in virtually every homeschool resource catalog and I bought the whole set which I still have.

Lentil Casserole - graphic

This post may contain affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more here.

Lentil Rice Casserole

The beauty of this recipe is that it is not only versatile but it’s made from ingredients which are easy to always have on hand.

lentil rice ingredients

I purchase lentils and rice in bulk from Azure Standard and I always have a good supply of spices (Penzeys Spices are my favorites).

You can use a chopped fresh onion or dried minced onion in this recipe. The nice thing about using dried is that you can mix up all the ingredients and store them in pre-measured packets. You then just add broth and cook. Or you can substitute powdered bouillon in mix and only have to add water. I use this organic chicken flavored broth powder from Azure Standard:

chicken flavored broth

It’s so handy to have this pre-mixed but even if you have to measure out everything it only takes a few minutes to throw this together and put it in the oven. It takes 2 to 2 1/2 hours to bake in a 300 degree oven so be sure to start it in plenty of time. I actually like that aspect of the recipe because I can get it in the oven early and then know that dinner is well underway. And it smells wonderful as it bakes!

lentil rice casserole - after baking

The original recipe calls for basil, oregano, thyme and garlic powder and is quite delicious. Serve it topped with additional grated cheese if desired, along with a tossed green salad and a cooked vegetable. Leftovers can be used in flour tortillas to make quick and tasty burritos – great for a quick lunch!

5 from 1 vote
Print

Lentil Rice Casserole

Easy and versatile!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup uncooked lentils
  • 1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
  • 1/4 cup minced dried onion or one small onion, diced
  • 3 cups hot water + chicken or vegetable bouillon or chicken broth, or vegetable broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon thyme
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

  2. Mix all ingredients in 2 to 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. I use a 9 inch square baking dish.

  3. Cover tightly.

  4. Bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until lentils are tender and rice is cooked.

  5. During last 20 minutes of baking, top with 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (optional).

  6. Stir in cheese just prior to serving.

Another option is to make lentil rice tacos with a simple switch of seasonings.

For taco flavor

Instead of the basil, oregano, thyme, garlic powder combination:

  • 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning (or pinch of cayenne and salt to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder/granules
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder

Fry up some corn tortillas, fill with the cooked lentil rice casserole and top with cheese, green onions, lettuce, tomato, hot sauce and sour cream (or your favorite taco toppings). These are a HUGE hit at my house.

lentil rice tacos

 

It’s also easy to make this recipe vegan. Substitute vegan broth (the “chicken” flavored powder I use is vegan and gluten free) and either skip the cheese or use a vegan cheese. This is a perfect dish to make when serving a group of people with different dietary needs. It is already vegetarian and gluten-free. And trust me – when served as tacos even avowed meat eaters will love it. We aren’t vegetarian (at least not right now – we have been in the past) but we like tacos made with this just as well as the usual ground beef tacos. And it’s a LOT less expensive.

Give this recipe a try for “Taco Tuesday”!


Lentil Rice Casserole

Original recipe adapted from Sue Gregg‘s Main Dishes cookbook.

 

This recipe is linked up at Miz Helen’s Full Plate Thursday. Check out the link of lots of great recipes!

Full Plate Thursday

Related Posts

  • Vegetarian Recipes ~ An Ongoing CollectionVegetarian Recipes ~ An Ongoing Collection
  • Indian TacosIndian Tacos
  • Soup Recipes For AutumnSoup Recipes For Autumn
  • Vegan Brazilian Black Beans ~ An Instant Pot RecipeVegan Brazilian Black Beans ~ An Instant Pot Recipe
  • Lentil TacosLentil Tacos
  • Vegetarian Paella…Vegetarian Paella…

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email

Filed Under: Recipes

« Menu Monday ~ September 16, 2019
Emergency Preparedness – The Basics »

Comments

  1. ellen says

    September 18, 2019 at 3:07 pm

    what size casserole dish are you using? looks delish!

    Reply
    • Deanna Piercy says

      September 19, 2019 at 9:40 am

      Oh, that’s a good question. I use a 9 inch square baking dish but as long as it holds 2 to 2 1/2 quarts, it doesn’t really matter. Thank you for asking. I’ll add that information to the post.

      Reply
  2. Dianna says

    September 18, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    This looks absolutely delicious, as well as wholesome. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Deanna Piercy says

      September 19, 2019 at 9:37 am

      You’re welcome! If you try it, I’d love to hear what you thought of it.

      Reply
  3. Tori says

    September 19, 2019 at 7:25 am

    Sounds tasty, and I was thinking even before you said it how easily it could be made vegan. 😉

    Reply
  4. Miz Helen says

    September 24, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with us at Full Plate Thursday,450. Hope you are having a great week and come back to see us soon!
    Miz Helen

    Reply
    • Deanna Piercy says

      September 25, 2019 at 2:19 pm

      Thank you, Miz Helen. Have a beautiful day!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome!
profile picture

I’m Dee, a Francophile with a hippie heart, trying to create a beautiful life in the country while dreaming of Paris.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

LWD Book Club ~ January 2023

LWD Book Club January 2023

FAVORITE POSTS

LWD Favorite!

Simple Abundance book cover

Goodreads Challenge

image

Copyright © 2023 · Life With Dee