Friday, January 28, 2011

Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole

For Nancy, at Life in the Second Half, who is trying to eat more meatless meals.  Sorry it took me a few days to get this posted......

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Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole:


(My family loves this - it's a good comfort food best served with crusty bread
for dipping, and a salad!)

1/2 cup dry red or white wine
1 & 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup dried lentils, washed (I use red lentils)
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice (do NOT use white rice-the casserole turns to mush)
1 cup mashed canned tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
pinch pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup (approx) shredded cheese. (The recipe suggests Swiss cheese but I use
whatever I like...)

Mix everything but the cheese into a 6 cup casserole. Cover tightly with lid or
foil.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 & 1/2 hours (that's one and a half hours) or
slightly longer until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed,
stirring 2 - 3 times during baking.

Remove lid, remove bay leaf, and sprinkle cheese on top. Return to oven for 5
minutes or until cheese melts.
Serves 4 as a main dish, or 6-8 as a side dish.
(Note: I always double this recipe because he-who-will-not-be-named will eat 3 helpings and then
have more for breakfast the next day....)
Enjoy!

Kathryn : )

10 comments:

Deborah said...

Kath, do you use the brown rice variety that normally takes about 50 minutes to cook in the normal way? I have some fast brown rice but I'm thinking it would turn to mush too.
Can hardly wait to see the look on MFB's face when I tell him what's for dinner.

Christine said...

Does "he who shall not be named" have to sleep in the spare room after 3 portions of that? Sounds like it might cause some fairly dramatic intestinal pyrotechnics!
I do a similar recipe in a pan on the hob, but using mixed dried beans instead of lentils. Always leads the the same joke at the table.
"Whats this"
"It's bean stew"
"I don't care what its been, what is it now?"
If you try it remeber to soak the beans overnight and boil them rapidly for 15-20 mins before you addthem to the rest of the stew.

DJan said...

This looks wonderful! Hubby just bought some red lentils yesterday. And it's nice to see you posting, I've missed you!

Heidi-"Heidi in Real Life" said...

This sounds wonderful! Thanks for posting! Now I just have to get rid of all the junk in the house first! ;-)

Kathryn said...

Deb,
Yes, I use the long-cooking form. I suspect the quick-cook stuff might go mushy. Blech! It's tempting to throw the whole can of tomatoes in, rather than stopping at one cup, but DON'T. You'll end up with a stew-soup hybrid that will have an identity crisis. Very sad. Be scrupulous in your measuring of the grains/legumes and liquids. Play with spices if you're feeling rebellious!

Christine,
He-who-shall-not-be-named: can play a surprisingly good rendition of 'Flight of the Bumblebee' with his bum. I shall make your bean stew, and then he shall try for the 'William Tell Overature'!

DJan,
Thank-you for your kind words! I hope to get back to posting more often, but in the meantime am enjoying so many others' blogs (including yours)immensely.

Bonnie said...

Kathryn, This has been a great fall back recipe ever since you gave it to me years ago. Sometimes I will only use 1/4 cup of either the lentils or the brown rice and add 1/4 cup of quinoa. Bonnie

Susan said...

Kathryn, thanks for posting this recipe! I just made my favorite lentil soup yesterday with some cornbread, another perfect "comfort food" for a cold winter evening meal. I'll probably have that for lunch for days. :)

sheri said...

MMMmmm! Sounds delicious, thanks for posting!

Unknown said...

I used to make a lentil casserole before we had kids (and they refused to eat it) that we loved...lentils, carrots, onions, tomatoes, beef stock, shredded cheese...I've been longing to make it again but like a dimwit I gave away the cookbook I found it in. You have inspired me to try and re-create it now! Thanks!

Nancy said...

I'm back to get this recipe again. Where are you btw??