Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake

Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake makes use of economical, everyday ingredients in a savoury dish that’s so much more than the sum of its parts.

Enjoy as part of a vegetarian dinner that you don’t have to be a vegetarian to find satisfying. Leftovers can even be used as a sandwich filling or to top crackers.

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Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake is one of those recipes I started making when I was a vegetarian. That means it must have been over thirty years ago. 😲

I first came across a version of it in what was then my bible: Rose Elliot’s The Bean Book. I used the book loads due to its mainly simple and cheap recipes. My copy’s from 1985 and, as you can see, it’s rather worn now.

These days, does anyone produce cookery books without pictures?

I love the only two images in the book. The front and back inside covers have pleasingly uncomplicated photos of various pulses and a guide to their relative sizes.

But, to my tastes today, lots of the recipes seem quite dull and a little bland.

So, what started off as Rose’s Lentil and Mushroom Slice has morphed over the years into my Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake.

I think my version’s got much more appeal. And it includes a jarred ingredient you might be surprised to find on Moorlands Eater.

Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake

For this savoury bake, I cook split red lentils in a small amount of low salt vegetable stock until they’re very soft. If you don’t have low salt stock then just use water as too much salt inhibits the cooking of the lentils.

While that’s going on, I brown chopped onions, garlic and mushrooms in a mixture of butter and olive oil flavoured with a little dried sage.

All those vegetables are then mixed into the cooked lentils along with well-flavoured grated cheese and some parsley.

But I also like to add a little Marmite. Yes. Marmite.

Yeast Extract: makes the cheesy even cheesier

Now, for almost all purposes I’m a Marmite hater. There’s not a chance in hell you’ll ever find me spreading it on a piece of toast.

But I do think it’s useful as an ingredient in some dishes that include cheese. This bake for one, but also cheesy mash.

That’s because it’s basically yeast extract. This means it’s intensely savoury with the ability to make cheesy things seem somehow cheesier. In fact, you might have noticed in the last few years the more common appearance of nutritional yeast on sale and in recipes. That’s partly because some vegans use it precisely to mimic the taste of cheese.

If you don’t like yeast extract, then of course don’t bother to buy any just for this recipe. Its inclusion is entirely optional.

COOKING & SERVING THE BAKE

A couple of eggs in the mixture will set the Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake as it cooks. I like a bit of parsley in there for colour too.

I use a baking dish that’s 25 x 16 x 6 cm. But you could bake it in a larger, shallower dish or baking tray if you prefer.

Insert a skewer to check that it’s cooked all the way through. I find it takes around 35 minutes. You’ll probably find it cooks faster in a dish with a larger base.

I like to eat the bake with other simple things like jacket potatoes and lots of vegetables, or salad in the warmer months.

To make the potato a little more interesting, microwave it until only just done then cut a cross on top. Push down so that it opens up, season with salt and pepper. Put a knob of butter on top, a drizzle of olive oil and put it high up in the oven until crispy.

The Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake freezes well, so it’s good to portion up any leftovers for another day. Ping in the microwave to reheat, or cover with foil in a low-medium oven.

But I also like cold leftovers in a sandwich on seedy, homemade bread. Just include something crunchy with it like grated carrot, celery or onion. You can even spread it like a vegetarian pate on crackers!

However you eat your Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake I think, despite its simplicity, you’ll find it pretty tasty.

If you’ve made this recipe, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it.

5 from 4 votes

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Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake

Lentil, Mushroom & Cheese Bake makes use of economical, everyday ingredients in a savoury dish that you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy.

Course Main Course

Cuisine British, Vegetarian

Keyword pulses

Servings 4

Author Moorlands Eater

Ingredients

• 180 g split red lentils
• 350 ml low salt vegetable stock or water
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 20 g butter plus extra for greasing
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• salt & pepper
• 200 g mushrooms sliced
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 tsp dried sage optional
• 1 tsp yeast extract optional
• 120 g grated cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 2 eggs beaten lightly

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

   Butter an ovenproof dish approximately 25 x 16 x 6 cm (use a larger, shallower tray if you prefer)

2. Put the lentils in a sieve and rinse under a cold tap.

   Tip the lentils into a medium saucepan and add the stock or water. Bring to the boil then turn down the heat and simmer very gently until all the liquid has been absorbed (20-30 min).

   Take off the heat and set aside.

3. While the lentils are cooking: take a medium frying pan and add the oil and butter.

   Over a low-medium heat cook the onions, seasoned with a little salt & pepper, until softening and a little brown (10-15 min).

   Add the mushrooms, garlic, dried sage plus a little more salt & pepper, and continue cooking until the mushrooms are browned too (8-10 min). Take off the heat.

4. Add the contents of the frying pan to the cooked lentils. Stir in the yeast extract if using along with the grated cheese and parsley.

5. Stir in the beaten eggs then pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

6. Put in the oven and bake until risen and cooked all the way through. A skewer or cocktail stick should come out clean. (Approx 35 min, less if you used a baking dish with a larger base).

7. Cut into 4 and serve with green vegetables or salad and baked potatoes if liked.

   Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days or frozen once cold.

   Reheat in a microwave or low-medium oven covered in foil.

Recipe Notes

Recipe adapted from The Bean Book by Rose Elliot.

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