Recipe--Baked Lentils with Cheese

Most of you may remember me posting a recipe for lentils and rice awhile back. Well, we recently tried a new recipe and all I can say is “Wow!” This recipe is a knockout. For someone who isn’t a huge fan of lentils, I REALLY enjoyed this. I had it for lunch two or three days in a row. It is more time consuming to make, but it is delicious!

Baked Lentils with Cheese

1 3/4 cups dry lentils, rinsed

2 cups water or stock

1 whole bay leaf

2 t salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp herbs (marjoram, sage, thyme, etc)

1 large onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pint canned tomatoes, undrained

4 large carrots

1/2 cup diced celery

1 sweet pepper, diced

4 oz frozen spinach (we used fresh, slightly cooked)

1 T parsley flakes

2–3 cups shredded cheese

In a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish, combine the lentils, water, bay leaf, salt, pepper, herbs, onion, garlic, and tomatoes. Cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Stir in the carrots, celery, sweet pepper, spinach and parsley. Cover again and bake another 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Put back in oven for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted.