This recipe is healthy, easy, quick, and super economical. Based on Sue Gregg’s Taste & Tell Recipes, a free whole foods recipe sampler (available online here), this is one of my favorite Sunday lunch dishes. It cooks while we’re at church, so I have very little prep when I get home. Also great for those mornings when you realize you have no supper planned; throw it together to soak after breakfast, and put it in the oven during naptime. We like it best in burritos.
(NOTE: I like this better than Hillbilly Housewife’s Taco Style Lentils and Rice. It’s easier, and turns out better.)
Lentil Rice Casserole
YIELD: About 3 Cups (4 – 6 Servings)
1. Blend together in a casserole dish and let stand overnight or 7 hours for improved nutrition:
- 3 cups water
- ³⁄₄ cup uncooked lentils, washed as needed
- ¹⁄₂ cup uncooked brown rice, washed as needed
- juice of ¹⁄₂ lemon (about 1 tbsp.; acid improves release of nutrients)
2. Add just before baking:
- 3 – 4 tablespoons soy sauce, to taste
- 1 small onion, chopped
- seasonings of your choice; see note below
3. Bake covered at 300° for 2 – 2¹⁄₂ hours or until tender and the water is absorbed.
4. Just before serving, fold in cheese, top with parsley (for burritos serve the cheese separately).
- ³⁄₄ cup grated cheddar cheese, optional
- chopped fresh parsley, optional
5. To serve in burritos, prepare your favorite toppings and put them in bowls, buffet-style. We use whole wheat tortillas. Here are some ideas:
- lettuce/spinach
- tomatoes
- salsa/enchilada sauce
- peppers
- sour cream!
- cheddar cheese, or Mexican cheese blend
SEASONING NOTES: For the seasonings, you can cater them to whatever you’re serving that day. If this is a side dish for beef or chicken, or example, consider using the spices recommended in the original recipe:
- ¹⁄₂ teaspoon basil leaves
- ¹⁄₄ teaspoon oregano leaves
- ¹⁄₄ teaspoon thyme leaves
- ¹⁄₄ teaspoon garlic powder
For tacos or burritos, I kind of wing the amounts of the following:
- cumin (lots!)
- chili powder
- crushed or minced garlic (or garlic powder)
- oregano
- paprika
If you need more specific measurements and don’t like my “wing it” method, try 1/4 tsp of each (1/2 of cumin) and increase or decrease as you figure out your tastes.
simply serina 
Lentils are truly a miracle food. I love that they only take 15 minutes to cook. Thanks for the recipe.
A common salad here has sliced boiled egg and lentils on top. I like using butter lettuce. To save time, I cook lentils the day before with some veggie broth, refrigerate so the juice mingles, and then throw them on a fast salad when I don’t feel like cooking. Also, you can eat them on crackers.
Cheers!
I think the sentence I like best in this post is “great for those mornings when you realize you have no supper planned”….um…what if you’re more of a “great for those evenings when you realize you have no supper planned” person?? 🙂
I made it today. Yummy! And I don’t even really like lentils! But the biggest surprise of all was that all 3 girls ate it and…had seconds!!! We put it in tacos. And we had another 8 year old over for dinner and she ate it (though I don’t know if she liked it). And it was so easy to make! Just remember to start early enough.
So glad you liked it, Theresa. I surprised me, too, when both my girls gobbled it the first time we ate it in burritos.
I think sour cream can cover a multitude of lentils (for those of you who thought you didn’t like them).
Hey Serina, i googled rice and lentil casserole and your blog came up as the 4th hit–guess I’ll have to make it! miss you at the haven–hope the beebs are good!