Heather Dodge Martin

Stories of women making a place for themselves,
in the complex world of the 1970s

 

Warm and satisfying

Recipes: Fresh, light, and straight from California

Back-to-the-land households in the 1970s, like the ones in my stories, were often looking for inexpensive, meatless main dishes. It’s a timeless trend!

This dish is flexible enough to use whatever veggies are plentiful in the garden, stocked up in the root cellar, or on sale at the farmer’s market.

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blue sky with wispy clouds, tops of oak trees

Time: 50 minutes Yield: 6 servings

Cheesy Lentil Bake

All your tasty favorites in one scoop.

A wedge of lentil and vegetable casserole topped with melted and browned cheese, accompanied by a beet and greens salad and a slice of bread

Ingredients

    • 1 c. dried lentils (any color)
    • 3 c. vegetable stock (homemade or Better Than Bouillon brand taste the best)
    • ⅓ c. dried mushrooms or 1 c. fresh sliced mushrooms
    • 2 T olive oil
    • 1 c. diced onion
    • ½ c. sliced celery
    • 3 t chopped garlic
    • 1 c. sliced carrots
    • 1T tomato paste
    • 1 ½ t Italian seasoning OR chili powder (optional)
    • 1 c. chopped fresh spinach or other green
    • 2 T garlic flavored nutritional yeast* (or substitute 2 T bread crumbs)
    • 1 egg, beaten
    • 1 c. shredded cheese (any good melting type)

      Notes:

      You can add or substitute any vegetables you like— fresh, dried, frozen, or leftover (great for using up those odds and ends). Zucchini, green pepper, corn, green beans, tomatoes, etc. I suggest always starting with onion. The total volume of vegetables should be about 3 ½ c.

      *Nutritional yeast, available at any large grocery store or health food store, adds a nice, subtle, savory, sort of cheesy taste and a healthy amount of B vitamins. You can substitute bread crumbs for a similar texture, but you’ll lose hippie points.

Instructions

  1. Sort the lentils on a baking sheet to remove any debris, and rinse in a wire mesh strainer.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine lentils with the vegetable broth and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until lentils are soft, approximately 30 minutes.
  3. If you are using dried mushrooms, add to the pot and cook along with the lentils. (Fresh mushrooms can be cooked with the sautéed vegetables below.)
  4. While the lentils are cooking, heat olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  5. Add onion and celery and cook until softened and onion becomes translucent, about 5 minutes.
  6. Add garlic and continue to cook 30 seconds or until fragrant (do not burn).
  7. Add remaining vegetables (carrots and fresh mushrooms if using, or your substitutes.)
  8. Sautée until tender, then add tomato paste and optional dry seasonings (Italian seasoning or chili powder) and cook for one more minute.
  9. Add spinach to pan and let it wilt over the heat, stirring. (Add any precooked leftover veggies at this point.)
  10. When all veggies are cooked, remove the pan from the heat.
  11. When lentils are finished cooking, add them to the skillet.
  12. Stir in nutritional yeast or bread crumbs. The mixture should be quite dry, not soupy.
  13. Stir in the beaten egg. (If you’ve added a lot of vegetables, you may need a second egg to bind all the ingredients.)
  14. Spread the cheese over the top and place in the oven.
  15. Bake until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, about 10-15 minutes.

Serve with optional tomato sauce if you used Italian seasoning, or salsa if you used chili powder.

Serves 6 as a full meal with salad and bread.

Leftovers freeze well.