Are you ready for an amazingly delicious dinner recipe? I had about a 1/4 bag of lentils in my cupboard that I wanted to use up and found this recipe, which I tweaked a little. This Mexican Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole serves 4, and that’s a HUGE serving. It was incredibly flavorful and filling, and a must-have frugal vegetarian dish!
Rinse the rice and lentils, making sure the lentils don’t have any hidden rocks. Place it in an 8×8 casserole dish with some chopped green bell peppers.
Add a can of diced tomatoes, a can of green chiles, chopped garlic, spices, and chicken or vegetable broth. I always keep chicken bouillon cubes on hand, so I put in 3 and added 3 cups of water. Mix it all together very carefully; my dish was filled to the very top.
Place in a 375 degree oven and bake for 90 minutes, stirring twice during the cooking time. The liquid gets all soaked up as it cooks. When you stir the second time, add a cup of cheese and stir it in.
When it’s done, place another half cup of cheese over top and let it melt! Mine looks a little soupy; I think I just put a little too much liquid in because the rice and lentils were cooked perfectly.
It makes a huge bowl, and it was so amazing! You can serve with tortilla chips or taco shells, or just eat with a fork like we did!

Mexican Lentil and Brown Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup green lentils
- 3/4 cup brown rice
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
- 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth (or 3 bouillon cubes with 3 cups of water)
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 4-ounce can green chiles
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Rinse the rice and lentils, and place in an 8x8 casserole dish with all other ingredients except cheese.
- Bake for 90 minutes, stirring twice during the cooking time. Add one cup of cheese while stirring the second time.
- When finished, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese on top and let it melt.
jennifer
Sunday 8th of January 2017
Great recipe, made it today. I doubled it but used only 4 cups broth. I think 5 cups would have been perfect... Loved it!
Jaime
Sunday 8th of January 2017
Thanks, Jennifer! I need to make this again actually, it's been awhile. =)