Lentil Mushroom Bake (Dump & Bake Casserole)
Inspired by shepherd's pie, this lentil casserole is a dump & bake recipe where the lentils cook completely in the oven.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 689kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dry brown lentils
- 3 ½ cups vegetable broth or water + 1 heaping tablespoon vegetable bouillon
- 2 medium russet potatoes roughly 1 pound potatoes
- 8 ounces sliced cremini (baby bella) mushrooms I buy pre-sliced for this recipe
- 12 ounces frozen mixed vegetables doesn't need to thaw first
- ⅓ cup roughly chopped walnuts optional
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari to make gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon dry rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt adjust to taste
- 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Gruyere, Swiss, or mozzarella cheese see note #3
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Rinse the lentils well in a fine-mesh sieve. Remove any debris.
- Bring 3 ½ cups water or vegetable broth to a boil in a kettle or on the stove top. Meanwhile, dice the potatoes into ½-inch cubes. The potatoes can be peeled first, if desired.
- Lightly oil a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add the lentils, cubed potatoes, sliced mushrooms, frozen mixed vegetables, walnuts, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, rosemary, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Carefully stir in the boiling vegetable broth.
- Cover tightly with an oven-safe lid, foil, or an upside-down sheet pan. Bake at 400F for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and check lentils and potatoes; if either aren't cooked through, return to the oven and cook, covered, for an additional 5-10 minutes.
- Stir the casserole. Top with shredded cheese. Return to the oven for 5 minutes and bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted.
- Remove from the oven and let sit 5 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Vegetable broth: I typically use Better than Bouillon vegetable base (1 teaspoon per cup water) and stir it into the casserole dish. If you're using vegetable broth instead of water + bouillon, simply heat it in a pot on the stovetop instead of in a kettle.
- Mushrooms: I buy pre-sliced mushrooms for this recipe to keep prep time short. Feel free to roughly or finely chop the mushrooms if you want them to "disappear" into the casserole more.
- Cheese: I use a blend of Gruyere and Swiss that's labeled as "Alpine Blend". Gruyere is a pricier cheese, so an equal amount of shredded mozzarella can be used instead, as needed.
- This recipe can be cut in half to make a smaller batch. Cut all ingredients, including broth, in half. Bake in an 8x8-inch baking dish instead of 9x13-inch.
Nutrition
Calories: 689kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 945mg | Potassium: 1489mg | Fiber: 23g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 4286IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 564mg | Iron: 7mg
