This savory lentil bake is the ultimate comfort food with healthy, vegan and vegetarian ingredients! Mushrooms, potatoes, onion, garlic, rosemary, and thyme provide a flavorful base for a stew-like casserole. Since it’s all baked in one pot in the oven, it’s an easy way to enjoy protein-packed lentils! Serve this recipe as a main dish with crunchy bread or as a side.
It’s absolutely frigid here in Minnesota, and I’m on the hunt for recipes that warm us up from the inside out! During comfort food season in the Veg World, we do things a little differently.
This veggie-packed lentil bake is creamy, cozy, and savory, just like most comfort foods, but it’s remarkably nutritious and full of whole plant foods that are rich in both fiber and protein. As a result, you’ll feel satisfied after eating it instead of sluggish and overly full like you might after some casseroles.
It’s also really easy, especially since it’s all made in one pot that you can pop in the oven and forget about until it’s time to eat. May I suggest enjoying it on one of these chaotic holiday season evenings?! Enjoy!
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Lentils: Brown or green work best when making a lentil bake. You can try to substitute red lentils if that’s what you have, but keep in mind that they may need a shorter cooking time. Please also note: you add the lentils to the recipe dry! No need to cook them beforehand.
- Potatoes: I like to use yellow/Yukon gold potatoes, but any kind works.
- Mushrooms: Baby bella (cremini), white button, or shiitake are great choices.
- Onion: Yellow, white, red, or even shallots all work.
- Garlic: I like to use fresh garlic for the most potent flavor. You can use garlic powder or dried minced garlic (about a teaspoon of either) if needed.
- Rosemary and thyme: I’m partial to fresh for these too, but dried works totally fine! Use 2 teaspoons each of dried rosemary and thyme if you don’t have fresh. Feel free to add other fresh herbs if you prefer.
- Soy sauce: If you need your lentil casserole to be gluten-free, sub tamari. You can also try balsamic vinegar.
- Vegetable broth: Use chicken broth if that’s what you have/don’t care if it’s vegan.
- Soy milk: This ingredient is optional, but I think it adds some good creaminess. Use unsweetened soy milk with few ingredients, preferably just soybeans and water, like the EdenSoy brand. Sub another kind of milk if desired or just use an extra cup of broth if you don’t have or want milk.
Equipment
Make your lentil bake in a Dutch oven or oven-safe, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid for best results. I use an enameled cast iron Dutch oven. The one I have is from a local shop and not readily available online, but Lodge makes a comparable option that’s also pretty affordable.
Instructions
The full recipe for this easy lentil casserole is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you.
Cook the mushrooms, onion, and salt in olive oil until the mushrooms have released their water and it has evaporated.
Add the fresh herbs and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
Add the potatoes, dried lentils, soy sauce, broth, and soy milk to the pot. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then cover and pop in the oven.
Bake for about an hour until the lentils are tender.
Storage and Reheating
Keep leftover lentil bake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. Reheat in a saucepan or Dutch oven on the stove top over medium heat, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes until warmed through. Add a little broth to prevent scorching if needed. You can also reheat in the microwave.
Similar Recipes
If you love these cozy lentils, check out these similar recipes while you’re here:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Lentil Bake
Equipment
- Dutch oven (or similar heavy-bottomed pot with lid that's oven-safe)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion - diced, about 2 cups
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms - chopped, about 2 cups
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves - or 2 teaspoons dried thyme; plus more for garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary - or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary; plus more for garnish
- 1 cup dried brown lentils
- 2 medium yellow potatoes - diced, about 2 cups
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce - sub tamari to make gluten-free
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup unsweetened soy milk - optional, sub more broth if omitting
- Crunchy bread - for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉/180℃. Prep and gather all of your ingredients. It's helpful to have the veggies chopped and everything readily available to make the recipe easier and faster.
- Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot with lid (must be oven-safe) over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their water and it evaporates, about 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic and fresh herbs. Stir and cook for about a minute until fragrant.
- Add the dried lentils, potatoes, soy sauce, broth, and soy milk to the pot. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Cover and remove from heat.
- Put the covered pot on the center rack of the oven. You may need to rearrange your racks for it to fit. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the lentils are tender and potatoes are creamy.
- Stir, taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve warm garnished with more herbs and crunchy bread on the side!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!
Notes
- Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan or pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, for a few minutes until warmed through. Add a splash of broth to prevent scorching if needed. You can also reheat in the microwave.
- Use low sodium broth to cut back on sodium content if needed/desired.
Jane
Hi there!
This recipe looks amazing! I was wondering if you could offer some guidance on how to adapt it for a slow cooker or stovetop since I don’t have a Dutch oven. Also, I’d love to make a larger batch for 6 servings—any tips on doubling the recipe?
It would be great if you could also include freezer storage instructions and how long it would keep in the freezer.
One more thing—how much fresh rosemary and thyme should I expect to get from a 0.5 oz container from the store? A photo of the chopped herbs would be super helpful for reference!
Thanks so much for this recipe, I can’t wait to try it!
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Jane, thanks for your questions and comments! It would probably be easiest to try the recipe on the stovetop versus the slow cooker. To try a stovetop version, I recommend using a large pot with a lid and following the recipe as written through step 4. Then, instead of removing the pot from heat, keep it covered on the stove and reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for probably 25 to 35 minutes until the lentils have absorbed the liquid and are cooked through. This should work well, but I have not personally tried it so I can’t say for sure. Let me know if you try it and how it works for you! You can double the recipe using this method as long as your pot is big enough to fit everything.
To freeze the dish, let it cool completely. Transfer to freezer-safe container(s), seal tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in a covered pot on the stove over medium heat, stirring frequently to prevent scorching. You can also try to reheat it straight from frozen, but just remember to check it often and stir frequently to promote even heating and prevent scorching.
For the herbs, you can see the chopped herbs in the picture of the ingredients I included in the body of this post. I don’t have a photo of them on their own. You can typically get somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup of chopped herbs from those containers from the store. You can use dried herbs in place of fresh (1 teaspoon dried equals 1 tablespoon fresh) if you want.
Medhika
Can you use canned lentils?
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Unfortunately, I don’t think canned lentils would work well in the recipe, since the lentils need to be dried to absorb the liquid as they bake. Otherwise, I think the dish would end up just being mushy and liquidy.
Jan
Can you sub the soy milk for another non-dairy milk like oat milk? I would like to try this recipe.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Yep, that will work! I hope you enjoy it, Jan!