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
Video
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.
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!
After adding the cheese, do you keep covered for the remaining 20 minutes or leave uncovered?
Hi, Jacklyn, Thanks for your question. Return it to the oven uncovered so the cheese melts. Aluminum foil tends to insulate and the cheese won’t melt. I made a clarification to the recipe. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Just wondering if I could use basmati rice for this recipe?
Hi, Kelsey, Thanks for your question. I think you could if the basmati rice was not terribly aromatic. Basmati rice has such a distinct flavor so you would want to keep that in mind. Perhaps it would be great. Please stay in touch and let me know how it worked.
I used Basmati brown rice and it was PERFECT.
Awesome! Thanks for the info!
I made this last night and it was delicious! I actually looked forward to my leftovers for lunch today 🙂 I followed the recipe and my casserole came out cooked perfectly.
Thanks, Trista! Glad you enjoyed and we have loved this dish like….forever! So happy to be able to share it with my readers and they enjoy it as much as we do! Please stay in touch!
Hello,
I’m testing out freezer meals I can easily dump in my crockpot or stick in the oven like casseroles. Would this recipe be something I can freeze as a casserole then stick in the oven or crockpot on a different day?
Hi, Patsy, Thanks for your question! You absolutely could. This casserole freezes and reheats GREAT. It would need to be cooked, of course, and cooled down thoroughly. We like to freeze it in smaller portions, which I think would work better for a slow-cooker, too. Thanks again and let me know how it works for you.
Will this be too spicy for a two year old?
Hi, Michele, Much depends on the two-year-old. I know some toddlers with pretty sophisticated tastes; others not so much. You might want to leave out the green chilies and use mild taco seasoning. Thanks so much and please stay in touch!
Made this recipe last night- I used red lentils (didn’t have any brown) and half the amount of cheese.. it was delicious! Didn’t have any problems with the liquid absorbing. Love how simple yet healthy this recipe is!
Glad to hear that Victoria and glad you enjoyed! Please stay in touch!
This didn’t work well for me in the oven, so I make it in a pot on the stove instead. Cooks in about an hour. Mix the cheese in at the end, after taking it off the heat.
edited to add: mix the cheese in at the end, after taking it off the heat.
Thanks for your feedback, Jane! I plan to retest this dish in the near future. These issues just shouldn’t be.
Even better and faster in a pressure cooker. 15 min under pressure, natural release, stir in cheese, and dinner is ready! I make this about three times a month.
Thanks, Jane! That’s great to know. I love to use my electric pressure cooker. Love that you love it so much you make it so often!
I am making the recipe right now and am at the 90 minute mark in the oven. Virtually none of the liquid is being absorbed by the lentils or the brown rice. I am very frustrated.
Hi, Nicole, Well, I’d be more than frustrated! I just checked my recipe against the one in the cookbook that we’ve been making for years. The recipe in the cookbook says 1 1/2 hours at 350. I upped the oven temperature to 375 just to ensure everything got done for my readers. I’ve also made this several times for us and for clients since posting it. The issue has got to be different brands of lentils and rice cook at different rates. We use cheapo Kroger store-brand brown lentils and Riceland brown rice. I’ve cooked green lentils for clients and they can take a very long time to cook. I know well from experience that Whole Foods brown rice takes longer to cook than Riceland rice. I will note that on the recipe. Thank you and with how many times we’ve made this recipe, this just shouldn’t be!
Thank you so much for your quick reply. In the end, the recipe turned out delicious. My husband went back for second helpings. I just had to bake this dish for longer than 1 1/2 hours in my oven in order to get the lentils and brown rice to soften. I plan on making this recipe again because it was good.
YAY! So happy to hear that! I work in a lot of different homes with a lot of different appliances and I know that ovens can also vary. Thanks so much for reading and please stay in touch!
I think the lid you use must be the biggest difference? I made two different batches (one to freeze) and they cooked so differentlyin the same oven. One was in my cast iron enamel coated cuisinart dutch with heavy lid over and it turned out great following the recipe. The other batch I cooked in a white casserole baking dish with loose fitting glass lid. I covered it with tin foil as well but after 90 minutes it was still a soupy mess and I had to cook it for much longer. In the future I’ll just use the cast iron dish.
Thanks, Natalie! That’s very interesting and great to know! It’s one of the reasons I LOVE cooking in my cast iron Dutch oven.
We made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! I was surprised, actually! It didn’t have the earthy brown rice and lentil taste that I was expecting. It was moist and flavourful and perfect with fresh tortillas. My husband ate his wrapped up like a burrito. I borrowed another commenter’s idea and I cooked it with one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, but removed the pepper before adding the cheese at the end. I think it gave it a nice flavour without adding too much heat that way. My husband likes to make skeptical cracks about being hungry when I choose meatless meals, but he really liked this, found it filling, and said I should make it again. I don’t see a place to give this five stars, but five stars!!!
Thank you, Laura! You made my day! You definitely always should change things to suit your taste. My husband and I love things crazy over-the-top HOT, so I tend to hold back on recipes. Please stay in touch!
Can you use minute brown rice??? It looks so delicious I can’t wait to make this!!!
Hi, Cindy,
I would add it toward the end and just heat it through since Minute brown rice doesn’t take long at all. Thanks for your question and please stay in touch!