This lentil casserole with mushrooms combines lots of wholesome vegetables with hearty lentils and flavorful mushrooms, a creamy ‘gravy’ sauce, and a cheesy topping – a delicious meat-free meal!
This vegetarian dinner dish is just one of a few I love right now including Instant Pot vegetarian chili, Cauliflower risotto, and spinach artichoke quinoa casserole!
When I first made this recipe I ‘liked’ lentils but has no special ‘love’ for them. In fact, I pretty much dedicated them towards making soup; Spinach lentil soup, slow cooker veggie lentil soup, Instant Pot lentil soup, lentil chicken soup, and red lentil vegetable soup, for example.
Since then I’ve come to appreciate them a little bit more with Instant Pot dal, green lentil curry, a chicken and lentil casserole, and this meat-free Lentil Casserole with Mushrooms!
Originally I only cooked lentils because of their health benefits, not because I wanted to. Now I’m starting to appreciate how versatile they are – especially combined with lots of flavorful veggies and a cheesy topping! A little cheese makes everything better!
And this lentil casserole has ticked off all of the above points.
How to Make Lentil Casserole with Mushrooms
- Get ingredients ready. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray large (9×13) baking dish with cooking spray.
- Preheat large non-stick ceramic skillet on medium heat and swirl 2 tbsp oil to coat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add celery and carrots, sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to previously prepared baking dish (everything gets mixed here).
- Return skillet to high heat and add mushrooms. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until a bit browned, draining liquid into the baking dish as necessary (flavourful broth for baking) and stirring occasionally. Transfer mushrooms to the baking dish.
- Return skillet to low heat and add remaining 1 tbsp of oil, along with thyme and garlic powder. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add lentils and cook for 2 minutes. Add water, bring to boil and transfer to the baking dish scraping the bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- Add mushroom soup, salt and ground black. Stir well, cover and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Then sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, cover and let stand for about 20 minutes (very important – casserole is just tastier this way). Serve hot on its own or over spinach, greens, brown rice or whole grain pasta.
You can also enjoy it with more roasted veggies like roasted asparagus, cauliflower, green beans, or sauteed Brussel sprouts!
More Healthy Casserole Recipes
- Cabbage Roll Casserole
- Black bean quinoa casserole
- Healthy Mexican Casserole
- Spaghetti squash casserole
- Chicken zucchini casserole
You can also browse through my entire collection of casseroles and one-pot dishes, for more dinner inspiration!
Lentil Casserole with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 3 large celery stalks finely chopped
- 2 large carrots coarsely grated
- 3 tbsp coconut or avocado oil
- 1 lb brown mushrooms sliced
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 1/2 cups green lentils dry & rinsed
- 10-12 oz can/pack organic cream of mushroom soup like Pacific Foods or Simple Truth
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 2 cups water boiled
- 1 cup 4 oz any hard cheese, shredded (I used Mozzarella)
- Cooking spray I use Misto
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and spray large (9x13) baking dish with cooking spray.
- Preheat large non-stick ceramic skillet on medium heat and swirl 2 tbsp oil to coat. Add onion and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add celery and carrots, sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to previously prepared baking dish (everything gets mixed here).
- Return skillet to high heat and add mushrooms. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until a bit browned, draining liquid into the baking dish as necessary (flavourful broth for baking) and stirring occasionally. Transfer mushrooms to the baking dish.
- Return skillet to low heat and add remaining 1 tbsp of oil, along with thyme and garlic powder. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add lentils and cook for 2 minutes. Add water, bring to boil and transfer to the baking dish scraping the bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- Add mushroom soup, salt and ground black. Stir well, cover and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes. Then sprinkle with cheese and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove from the oven, cover and let stand for about 20 minutes (very important - casserole is just tastier this way). Serve hot on its own or over spinach, greens, brown rice or whole grain pasta.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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Hello and welcome to iFOODreal.
My name is Olena Osipov. I'm a mom to 2 boys, a wife to Alex and we reside on magical Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. This is our healthy family recipes blog. Originally from Ukraine, I grew up on real food. As an adult, I struggled with diets for years because none worked long-term. Now for over 10 years, I cook easy healthy meals for my family. I can help you with “What’s for dinner?” too.