Red Lentil Casserole
This vegetarian dump and bake recipe features basmati rice, red lentils, coconut milk, and a few curry spices. This is a nutritious, warming, and budget-friendly dish.
Servings: 5 servings
Calories: 573kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice see note #1
- 1 cup red lentils see note #2
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil canola oil etc.
- 1 ½ tablespoons curry powder
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk
- 1 medium sweet potato diced small (¼ to ½ inch cubes)
- 1 medium orange bell pepper diced
- chopped cilantro and lime wedges for serving
- ⅓ cup raw unsalted cashews optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a fine mesh sieve, rinse the rice well until the water runs clear. Rinse and sort the lentils, removing any stones or broken lentils as needed.
- Drizzle oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the curry powder, garam masala, cumin, coriander, ginger, and cinnamon. Toast, stirring frequently, for just 30 seconds to bloom the spices.
- Add the salt, vegetable broth, and coconut milk. Whisk to combine. Bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat.
- Meanwhile, to a 9x13-inch baking dish add the rinsed lentils and rice, along with diced sweet potato and bell pepper.
- Carefully pour the simmering broth into the baking dish. Stir to combine with the rice and lentils.
- Cover tightly with foil or an upside-down sheet pan and transfer to the middle oven rack. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, checking the rice and lentils for doneness. If the lentils aren't done at 25 minutes (they should be almost completely dissolved), return the lid and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and sprinkle with cashews, if using. Return to the oven to toast the cashews and evaporate any extra liquid, about 5 minutes. If the liquid is fully evaporated at this point and you aren't adding cashews, skip this step. Remove from the oven and serve garnished with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.
Video
Notes
- Rice: An equal amount of long-grain white rice can be used in place of basmati. I don't recommend brown rice, as it requires additional liquid and cook time.
- Lentils: Use red/orange lentils, which cook much more quickly than brown lentils and cook down into a mush. If the lentils aren't fully broken down at 25 minutes, simply add extra time and continue cooking.
- Sweet potato: Make sure to dice the sweet potato small so that it cooks completely. I recommend leaving the skin on, as the sweet potato breaks down and becomes mushier when the skin is removed.
- Choose a 9x13 or similarly sized dish. A smaller dish works but make sure that it's deep enough, as the lentils and rice expand a bit while cooking.
- Leftovers are best within 3 to 4 days. Let cool before refrigerating in an airtight container. I have not tried freezing this recipe, but I imagine that it would work.
- Feel free to add other vegetables like cauliflower florets, diced onion, green beans, etc.
Nutrition
Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 508mg | Potassium: 854mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 7195IU | Vitamin C: 34mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 7mg
