Brown Lentil Quinoa Casserole Recipe

Nourishing, satisfying one dish meal, mild but well seasoned

Bake quinoa lentil casserole in the oven or steam it on the stove. It's a great take-along dish to eat warm or cold.

This lentil quinoa recipe has 5 main ingredients, and a long list of umami ingredients, which make it extremely tasty. Mess with them if you must, but don't omit entirely!

Brown Lentil Quinoa Casserole featured on SV Blog, one of 10 High Protein Vegan Recipes!

Total Prep & Cook Time: 40 min

Yield: 4 Large Servings

Nutrition Data, 328g Serving: 349 cal , 16 g protein, 8 g total fat, 6 g saturated fat, 49 g carb , 15 g fiber, 234 mg sodium, 5 g sugars, low Cholesterol, good source Vitamin A, C, K, Folate, Iron, Manganese. Estimated glycemic load 20

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium carrots, sliced in half lengthwise, then slice thin crosswise
• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and sliced thin
• 1/4 head green cabbage, halved lengthwise, then 1/4 inch slices
• 1 medium zucchini, cut in 1 inch cubes
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp gr. coriander seed

• 1/2 tsp gr. fennel seed
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf
• 1/2 tsp rubbed sage leaf
• 1 tsp dried marjoram leaf
• 1 cup dry quinoa
• 2 cups unsalted vegetable broth or water
• 1 Tbsp Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 - 3 cups cooked lentils, drained
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 can coconut milk
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Optional: Dairy or non-dairy cheese shreds or thin slices
• Optional: Juice of 1 lime

Directions:

1. Wash and place the quinoa in a wire mesh strainer to drain
2. Heat the oil on medium low in a large saucepan or dutch oven
3. Add the carrots and celery, turn the heat up to medium, and stir fry until they start to soften
4. Add the zucchini and cabbage and stir fry two minutes
5. Add the herbs and spices, and stir fry 1 minute
6. Add the quinoa and stir until dry
7. Stir in the broth or water, Braggs and liquid smoke
8. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 10 - 12 minutes, until all water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy
9. Stir in the coconut milk and cooked lentils
10. Cover and simmer on the stove top for 5 minutes
11. Optional: layer with cheese and bake uncovered in the oven at 400 degrees F. until the cheese browns and bubbles. Watch carefully!
12. Serve garnished with chopped parsley or cilantro and sprinkled with lime juice if desired

Recipe Tips:

I came up with this recipe for my husband who is on an invalid diet, so this recipe doesn't have onions and garlic, or nightshades like tomato & potato.

There are so many other seasonings, you won't miss them in this recipe. But add them if you like, and stir fry with the carrots and celery.

Herbs and spices not only add umami, but in traditional medicine, e.g. Ayurveda, they're food as medicine. We include them in the nutrition data for our recipes.

Change out the veggies to your taste, or use frozen vegetables. But keep the fresh carrot and celery, and add the frozen veg in the last five minutes of cooking.

We used Suisse Melty Cheese from the World Vegan Feast cookbook. Vegan cheese shreds would also work.