I’ve been making Lentil and Brown Rice casserole for quite some time now. We love it! Incredibly frugal, filling, and well, tasty.
But, I’ve also been toying with the idea of adding vegetables, of some sort, to the mix. Tonight was that night.
My only regret, was that I didn’t try it sooner!
The original recipe comes from RecipeZaar. But this is how I did it:
Lentil Brown Rice Casserole
Just over 3 cups broth, just use whatever you have on hand. (I used chicken from this dish.)
3/4 cup lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
3/4 cup chopped onion (I used these)
1 cup of chopped green pepper (I used these)
1/2 grated carrot
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Dash pepper
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
Mix everything together in 9×13 dish except for cheese. Cover in aluminum foil and bake at 300 degrees for about 1 hour. Remove foil and add cheese. Throw back in oven until cheese is melted.
I already have this dish pegged at around $1, following the original recipe. With my additions, I probably added around .20 or so. That brings the total cost of this dish to $1.25.
I served this meal with a salad, from lettuce that I got from a manager special a while back. Our total meal cost me no more than $1.75, and there is enough for 8 servings.
Total Cost of Meal: $1.75 Price Per Serving: .22 cents
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I have been waiting for this recipe! Thank you so much for posting it. Since you tweeted about it last week, I have been dying to try it. I have never eaten lentils before, so this will be a first for my entire family. Thank you so much.
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Okay, is it seriously good? I can’t imagine my family eating it.
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N.-
Yes, honestly it is good. The original version is good, but I liked the added flavor of the veggies so much better! We were skeptics at first..big time, but I figured that as cheap as it was to fix I had to try it! We’ve not looked back!
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Ooohh.. that looks yummy! I’m game for anything meatless! I wonder if I could get my husband to eat it though??
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I just penciled this in for next week’s menu. Next week’s menu is now DONE! Woo-hoo!
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wow that is cheap! I wish I could get my husband to go meatless every one and a while…just isn’t going to happen. Oh maybe i could make it cheap by giving him a leftover meat and this dish and the rest of us could just eat this dish.
Faith
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Sounds and looks delicious!
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I made this last night. I used the recipe you linked , but added a teaspoon of taco seasoning. I also cooked it in my crockpot on low 6 hours to not have to heat the oven .My family loved it ! I was shocked. My husband said he wished he had tortillas, so I feel I got 2 meals out of this recipe I will serve it as the casserole and next time as tacos with all the trimmimgs ! I love the frugal bean recipes you are putting on your blog !
Jenell
http://www.jenellsjourneys.blogspot.com
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Mom's Many Projects Reply:
August 16th, 2010 at 10:14 am
@jenelljm, I love the idea of making this in the crockpot. Did you have to change the amount of broth? If not, did it come out too soupy or did the lentils and brown rice soak it up alright? Also, did you put the shredded cheese on top at a certain time at the end or just top it when it was done? Thanks!
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Not sure how I missed this post! I will be adding carrots to mine next time
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this might be a silly question; but do you use Dry lentils?
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Raquel-
I don’t think that is a silly question at all. As a matter of fact, it has realy got me to thinking–I think they are dry lentils. I buy the bags of them at the grocery store. Are those dry!?
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Hi Phoebe! This recipe has been chosen to appear in this week's Homemaker Barbi Take & Make Menu Plan. Thanks for such a great frugal recipe!
Danelle Ice from Homemaker Barbi
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This sounds fantastic! I’m intrigued… I need to get some lentils!
thanks for letting me know, it looks wonderful.
xoxo
steph
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hi from italy!! sorry but i don’t know very well your system about cups: when you say f.e “3/4 cup lentils”..you mean 3 or 4 or 3/4 (less than 1) ?? thanks
Maria vittoria
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Can I reprint this recipe in our free newsletter for Mothers of Preschoolers?
Susan
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Susan-
Sure–I don’t mind a bit! Do you mind including my blog address with it?
Thank you so much for asking and for wanting to include my recipe. I truly appreciate it!
Phoebe
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No problem!
Susan
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Hi! I just made this and stuck it in the fridge to bake for dinner later. My hubby and I love lentils so I’m hoping this one is a keeper for us. Thanks for the recipe! Cheers
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Yay! Lentils and Brown rice are both on my “use more of” b/c they’re healthy list and my “use up soon” b/c I have too many bags right now.
To increase the nutrition of dry lentils (and make them stretch even farther b/c they increase in size) you can sprout them. Just soak overnight in water, then let them hang out in a colander for a few days, rinsing them twice a day (morning and night, usually). They’ll start to get little sprouts, and then you cook them up just like you normally would.
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Made this tonight, and it took over 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees to get the rice finished. Is 300 degrees a typo? I also added an 8 oz can of tomato sauce and some shredded chicken, and the meal really was divine. Next time I think I'd cook the rice and lentils first or do the crockpot thing so I would be more certain about when dinner would be ready.
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Yumm-o. How did I miss this recipe earlier? Thanks for linking it again.
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One of my fav slow cooker meals. It was planned for tomorrow until fish went on sale! Thank you for joining the first October Fest Carnival of Super Foods! Next week’s theme is Super Foods (which include basic things like garlic, onions, and apples). Hope to see you back!
Katie
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Yum! I love both lentils and brown rice. This looks kind of similar to a dish called mujadarrah (spelled variously), which is just lentils, brown rice and caramelized onions. Bookmarking this for sure. Thanks.
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Have you tried soaking the rice and lentils first? I usually do that before cooking them. Would I need to cut down on the stock?
Kind Regards,
Jana
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GettingFreedom Reply:
March 9th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
@Jana-I’ve never tried soaking them before cooking. However, I would assume that you would need less broth that way, as they do soak up some of it while cooking. As for how much to cut–I’m clueless because I’ve never done it. Sorry!
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Amanda Reply:
June 3rd, 2010 at 12:43 pm
@GettingFreedom, If you have a Whole Foods, you can purchase canned lentils (which defeats the purpose of saving money with this meal)… they are NOT dry.
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This looks like a wonderful meal! I’ve had a bag of lentils for a while, but could never figure out what to make with them as we’re not big bean eaters. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for! Thanks for posting this recipe!
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