Lentil Cheddar Bake - a cheesy lentil bake with peppers that is great as it is with a salad or as a side to soup or chilli.
Lentil Bake
This lentil cheddar bake is a recipe I've been making for many years now and it's made on a regular basis in the summer months, purely because it's a great portable high protein recipe.
It is actually really versatile recipe too, that can be easily adapted with different vegetables of your choosing. Although I tend to stick to it just as it is nowadays, as the flavours are perfect.
Cooking Red Lentils
Cooking red lentils is really easy, usually the are add into curries or soups as a great thickening ingredient so we don't need to pay too much attention to the right ratio of liquid.
In this recipe however, we are using the lentils as the main ingredient for this bake, so we don't want too much liquid that the lentils are too wet once cooked. I find the perfect ratio for is a 2:1. So for 1 cup of lentils (192g) we want 2 cups of stock (480ml).
Vegetable or Chicken stock are my prefered stocks to use for this and the great thing about cooking in stock is it will also flavour the lentils. Make sure however if you use stock cubes that the check the packaging so you know how much to sue for the right amount of mls.
Different Varieties of Lentils
This recipe uses red lentils, and they are the ones you want for this recipe, as when cooked they break down and are almost paste like.
Other varieties of lentils like green and brown hold their shape when cooked and won't work as well in this recipe, the texture would be different and it won't hold together as well.
Cooking the Lentil Bake
I like to cook it in a 7 inch springform pan. It gives the Lentil Cheddar Bake a decent height and is easier to remove and slice once cooked. I use my springform pans regularly for things like Quiches or Cheesecake. I have various different sizes and they are a great cookware item to have. How many times have you cooked something and then struggled to remove it from the pan without make a mess? The springform pans solve all of that.
However you can use any dish you want, just ensure if you don't use a spring form pan that you grease it well with some spray oil, so it's easy to remove once cooked.
You could even bake it as individual sized muffins (but be aware these do not have a cake/bread like texture). That way it is all portioned out perfectly for you. Just be aware if you do bake it like this you will need to reduce the cooking time as it won't take as long to cook this way.
Type of Cheese for Lentil Bake
Here in Canada, most of our cheddar is a deep orange/yellow colour due to added annatto. My favourite is Balderson's Canadian Extra Old Cheddar which I get at Costco Canada.
If you want to get the deeper yellow/orange colour to the bake, Red Leicester is a good substitute to use to achieve the same colour, slightly different taste, but still works really well.
How to Serve Lentil Cheddar Bake
A slice of this Lentil Cheddar Bake makes a great lunch time meal, perfect on it's own with a salad, or on the side of your favourite soup. My favourite way to enjoy this is with one of my many chilli recipes instead of rice. The cheese flavour with peppers, cilantro and jalapenos is a great pairing.
Here are some of the amazing chilli recipes on Slimming Eats:
- TURKEY CHILLI (STOVE TOP AND INSTANT POT)
- BEST EVER CHILLI CON CARNE
- CHICKPEA VEGETABLE CHILLI (STOVE TOP AND INSTANT POT)
- BEEF AND SIX BEAN CHILLI (STOVE TOP, INSTANT POT AND SLOW COOKER)
- INSTANT POT CHOCOLATE CHILLI
- BEEF AND ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH CHILLI
- SWEET POTATO, VEGETABLE AND LENTIL CHILLI
You can enjoy this hot or cold, so it is perfect for packed lunches or meals on the go and for taking in picnics during the summer months.
I also really like a slice of it with this Tomato and Onion Relish on the side.
Perfect Lentil Recipe for Vegetarians
This Lentil Cheddar Bake is perfect for vegetarians too if you use vegetable stock to cook the lentils instead of chicken and then pair it with one of my vegetarian Chilli recipes above.
It is a also a great budget friendly dish because lentils are usually pretty cheap. You can normally grab a big bag of red lentils for a couple of $ here in Canada, and no doubt less than a couple of pounds in the UK.
I tend to buy dried pulses and beans where possible instead of canned as not only are they cheaper, but I find they taste better too when you cook them yourself. If money is tight. Lentils are a great substitute for ground meat too in dishes like bolognese and shepherd's pie.
More Lentil Recipes
Looking for some other lentil recipes? Check out these:
- VEGAN CREAMY COCONUT MUSHROOM LENTILS (STOVE TOP AND INSTANT POT)
- SPICY SWEET POTATO AND LENTILS
- SPICY LENTILS AND SPINACH (STOVE TOP AND INSTANT POT)
- COCONUT CHICKEN AND LENTIL CURRY
- TACO LENTIL SOUP (INSTANT POT OR STOVE TOP)
- LENTIL BOLOGNESE
- LENTIL CURRY (INSTANT POT AND STOVE TOP RECIPE)
or head on over to my Full Recipe Index with over 900 delicious Slimming Eats and Weight Watchers friendly recipes all fully searchable by meal type, ingredients, value and smart points etc
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Recipe Card
Lentil Cheddar Bake
Lentil Cheddar Bake - a cheesy lentil bake with peppers that is great as it is with a salad or as a side to soup or chilli.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (192g) of dry red lentils
- 2 cups (480ml) or chicken or vegetable stock
- 120g of cheddar, grated
- ½ red pepper, finely diced
- ½ green pepper, finely diced
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded and finely diced (optional)
- handful of coriander, finely chopped
- black pepper and to season
- 3 eggs
- cooking oil spray (I used avocado)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180c or 350f
- Rinse in red lentils in a sieve until running water
- Place red lentils in saucepan over a medium high heat cover with the stock and cook until stock is almost absorbed, turn off heat, add lid and leave for 10-15 mins to soak up any remaining liquid. (the lentils shouldn't be wet)
- In the meantime, spray a frying pan with spray oil and cook the onion, peppers and garlic for approx 4 mins until softened, add the jalapeno in for the last couple of minutes.
- Once lentils are ready add them to a bowl.
- Add the onion, red pepper, green pepper and garlic, plus some freshly chopped coriander, stir in the grated cheddar until all combined.
- Taste the mix and season with salt and black pepper to your desired taste.
- Add the eggs and mix thoroughly.
- Spray a round 7 inch springform tin with some spray oil, add the mixture and bake in the oven till it is golden and set. Approx 30-40.mins.
- Serve with your choice of sides. I love a slice of this with a bowl of chilli.
Notes
Please see below for full nutritional info and additional details about recipe:
- Calories - scroll down to nutritional info box
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Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1 SERVINGAmount Per Serving Calories 370Total Fat 14.2gSaturated Fat 7.6gCholesterol 171mgSodium 569mgCarbohydrates 33.8gFiber 6.5gSugar 3.4gProtein 27.3g
Mother Rimmy says
I'm always looking for new lentil recipes. I like the use of fresh coriander.
sammie86 says
As it is a meat loaf use a silicon based mould then no need to use any frylight 🙂
Marian Hughes says
Totally missed this one - definitely going to try it! Do you think I could cook this in a 12-hole loaf tin, making individual loaves? Can't thanks you enough for all your incredible recipes! 🙂
Vivienne Pennington says
Just made this. Didn't have red so used green and it got stuck in the pans.
But tastes good. Even if it not so good to look at.
Nikki says
I have just made this and its delicious, i added some spinach green beans and kale, beautiful!!
Caz says
Just made this and it is scrummy! I didn't have fresh coriander in so I added dried thyme, chervil and oregano to the lentil whilst cooking and I also added diced cherry tomatoes to the pepper and onions and a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce to the mix.. It has come out lovely and moist and flavourful. Will be making again!
Michelle says
Would love to try this but hate cheese! Any suggestions what i could add instead of the cheddar?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Michelle, it would be hard to get it to hold together without the cheese, you could try upping the eggs to get it to bind, but I recommend adding a lot more seasoning if you do.
June says
Hi can you tell me how long this would keep for? I assume keep in fridge as it has cheese in, could it be frozen?
I have made this and it's delicious
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi June, It will keep about 4 days in the fridge. I don't recommend freezing. Hope that helps.
Michelle says
Just made this for my husband. It smells and looks delicious. Hope he likes it. I had to use yellow pepper as I didn’t have a red one. I put chilli powder in it instead of the herbs, as he likes spicy food.
Jane Maclean says
Made this recipe for a SW taster and everyone loved it
As usual another great enjoyable recipe
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Thank you Jane xx
Ruchama says
Do you think I could substitute rice for the red lentils?
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
I haven’t personally tried, so not sure how it would turn out.
Dawn says
I made this today exactly to the recipe and it was lovely, my husband even enjoyed it. Turned out exactly as the picture and I ate mine with soup for lunch. Plenty more left for tomorrow too.
Claire says
Is this suitable for freezing? Not sure I would get though a whole one in a few days
Shevy (Slimming Eats) says
Hi Claire, personally I don't like to freeze this, but all ingredients are suitable for freezing.
Abby Driscoll says
This is amazing!! I am not a fan of lentils but something made me try making it. Everyone in the office has now tried my creation & demanded the recipe too so I directed them to the website. Love, love LOVE it!!!!
Brenda Keeley says
I LOVE THIS! This is the ultimate comfort food! Ticks all the boxes. My OH loved it too. Thanks again for another brilliant recipe Siobhan
Jacquetta Miner says
I have made this twice already. I used 6 small loaf tins and the results were lovely. I froze a couple of them and they thawed out perfectly. Ideal for packed lunches. Definitely one to make regularly. Thank you.
Jackie says
Really looking forward to this with a nice crisp salad for my take-to-work lunch tomorrow. Chucked in a chilli for a bit of extra bite.
Shevonna says
Mine's just in the oven - green lentils were all I had, and as I don't like coriander I used parsley.
I put it in a springform tin and it started leaking all over the place LOL so have put something underneath to catch the egg mix... maybe a bit wet as my lentils were from a tin!
Shevonna says
Tastes amazing!
Helen says
Cooked this yesterday but after preparing veg and cooking lentils realised I had no cheddar cheese left in the fridge only Parmesan. Used this instead and it was absolutely fantastic. Seasoned perfectly without needing additional salt. A keeper.
Marva Carty says
I put these in muffin tins and used them for packed lunch- great with some salad or soup.
Linda Spencer says
This recipe has become a firm family favourute. We always have on a meat free day and we don't miss meat at all. I substitute coriander for some chilli flakes /chilli powder ( as we're not keen on coriander). Go on give it a go....you'll love it .!
Ruth says
ive made this a few times along with numerous other slimmingeats recipes and have to say as a family we have enjoyed every one . I always get "mum can you make this again " and all relatively easy to make .
Cheryl says
Hi could you use pasta
Norma says
I have just made this ready for lunch. It looks and smells delicious. Roll on lunch time.
Chris says
OMG!!!! just made this and it is my favourite dish ever!! So easy, so tasty and gluten free. Thank you for sharing this, going to check out all your other recipes now
Lynn says
This has become a favourite, tried it as a side dish with my burnt aubergine veggie chilli and it was a big hit. I am now making it for the third time as it so good cold with a salad. Also liked it the sweet corn version