Vegetarian Dump & Bake Casseroles

If you're looking for an easy, low-prep dinner you're sure to find one among this collection of vegetarian dump & bake casseroles! I also include my top tips for modifying recipes to make them your own.

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This is your complete guide to vegetarian (and vegan) dump and bake casseroles. I created this guide because I receive a lot of questions for how to adjust these casseroles, whether it be using different grains or adjusting portion sizes.

While not all recipes can easily be converted or adjusted, most can. All of these sections are based on questions that readers have asked on my existing dump and bake recipes.

Or jump to the bottom of the page to see a roundup of all of my dump & bake casserole recipes.

Have a question I didn't answer? Leave a comment below and I'll add the answer here.

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• Swapping grains and beans
• Oven and liquid temps
• Cook time
• Cooking equipment
• Adjusting portion size
• Other tips
• Add-ins like veggies and protein
• Storage and freezing
• Recipe roundup
• Comments

Swapping grains and beans

• White rice and quinoa can be substituted for each other without any other changes. See my baked white rice recipe for how to bake rice on its own in the oven.
• White rice and brown rice cannot be directly swapped. If using brown rice in place of white rice, I recommend increasing liquids by 50% and covered cook time by at least 50%.
• Red lentils cannot be substituted for brown lentils, and vise versa.
• Dry lentils cannot be substituted for canned because the amount of liquid required to cook them is included in the recipe.

Oven and liquid temps

I pretty much bake all of my no-boil recipes at 375F. This is because it's a great temperature for melting cheese and gently bringing the liquids to a simmer.

I highly recommend using an oven thermometer. You might be surprised by the actual temperature of your oven! For example, mine actually takes 10 more minutes to fully come to temperature after the oven says it's preheated.

Another oven I used to use in a rental was 150 degrees hotter than the set temp (yes, we got it fixed immediately!).

You can speed up the cooking process slightly (around 5-10 minutes) by simmering the liquids on the stove before adding them to the casserole dish. I typically simmer all of the ingredients except for vegetables and beans.

Cook time

From my experience, white rice and quinoa are typically 95% cooked through at 30 minutes.

If the rice and quinoa aren't cooked through, I recommend stirring everything and then covering it again. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes.

Farro and other grains vary from recipe to recipe. Again, if the grain isn't fully cooked through, just cover it again and continue baking.

If the grains look dry and they aren't fully cooked through, it might be that your lid isn't fitting tightly enough. That's fine, just add an extra ½ cup of liquid, cover, and continue baking.

Cooking equipment

I get a lot of questions about the pan that I use in videos. It's a Magnolia Home 9x13-inch enamel baking dish from Target. I love it! Purchasing a baking dish that has a tightly fitting lid is 100% worth it.

In the past, I have also used this 9x13-inch glass Pyrex baking dish with foil.

Choosing a lid

• Tightly fitting oven safe lid (best)
• Foil (good)
• Sheet pan (okay) - steam tends to escape more here, requiring additional liquid and baking time

Adjusting portion size

• Most recipes can be cut in half and baked in an 8x8-inch baking dish. If the recipe uses a can of tomatoes or enchilada sauce, it cannot be easily cut in half because the liquid amounts in those ingredients matter.
• If the recipe uses a can of beans, you can just add the full can of beans to the half portion of the recipe. It will just be a higher protein dish.
• The half portion casserole will take the same amount of time to cook as the full portion casserole.
• Another option is to divide the ingredients into two 8x8-inch dishes and freeze one casserole for later.

Other tips

• Want a sliceable casserole? You need a binding ingredient! Stir cheese into the casserole and onto the top of the casserole.
• Always rinse rice well for the best texture.

Add-ins like veggies and protein

• Fresh veggies: Most veggies will still have some bite to them after baking because they aren't boiled/simmered for a super long time.
• Frozen veggies: I recommend adding these during the latter half of cooking. Thaw the veggies completely before adding to avoid making the casserole too liquidy.
• While my casseroles are vegetarian, you are welcome to make them your own by adding your favorite protein. I don't have much experience cooking with meat so I can't give exact recommendations, but I know vegetarian sausages and ground "beef" can be swapped with their non-veg analogues as long as they are fully cooked through.
• You can always swap one variety of beans for another or double the amount of beans in the recipe for additional protein.

Vegetable timing

• Vegetables to add at the beginning of cooking include heartier veggies like onions, peppers, cauliflower, carrots, and hearty greens like kale.
• Vegetables to add at the end of cooking (at the same time as the cheese) include spinach, cooked frozen vegetables, or steamed vegetables.
• The point of dump & bake recipes is their low-prep time, but you can always saute the veggies before adding them to the casserole. This, of course, makes them taste better and softens them further.

Storage and freezing

I typically recommend keeping leftover casseroles for up to 4 days. Let them cool before covering tightly and refrigerating.

Freezing

Grain-based (rice, quinoa, farro) casseroles freeze well.

If freezing an entire casserole for meal prep, I recommend first cooking it per recipe instructions, including adding the cheese.

Let cool before covering tightly with plastic wrap and foil or transfer to an airtight freezer container.

Reheating

Reheat frozen or refrigerated casseroles at 325F. Cover tightly with foil or a lid to keep the casserole from drying out. It will take 20-30 minutes to reheat the casserole completely.

Add a splash of broth or water if the casserole is drying out.

Make-ahead

To make ahead, I recommend adding everything to the baking dish except for the liquids (broth, tomatoes, enchilada sauce) and rinsed grains.

While this only cuts down on prep by a few minutes, some readers still find it helpful to have the main components stirred together for quicker prep.

Recipe roundup