Cheesy Lentil Vegetable Pie
If you’re looking for a delicious vegetarian meal, you’ve come to the right place. This is a recipe I found on Instagram and knew I had to try. This absolutely reminds me of my mom’s Greek Fakes Soup Recipe – but so much better! I’m also getting the same vibes from my Healthy Mediterranean Bread – a must try!
The process of this recipe is very simple and straightforward. Start with prepping the veggies. I squeezed out the liquid from my zucchini shreds. Pro tip, make sure you slow saute the veggies so they don’t burn. To do that, turn the heat down on the burner.
Another important aspect of this recipe is treating the lentils like risotto. You need to add the broth in half a cup at a time. While the mixture simmers on low heat, you wait for the liquid to be absorbed by the lentils. Try the lentils at the end to make sure they are cooked through. If you like this recipe you will love my One Pot Carrot Lentil Soup.
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Cheesy Lentil Vegetable Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 1 carrot, shredded
- 1 ½ cups zucchini, shredded + squeezed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup red lentils
- 2½ cups low sodium chicken broth (or vegetable)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs (or almond flour)
- salt + pepper to taste
Topping:
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 tbs grated parmesan cheese
- chili pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉ (or 180℃). Line a 9 inch pie dish with parchment paper (or spray with oil).
- In a large skillet, add in 1 tbs of olive oil. Saute onion, carrot shreds, zucchini shreds and garlic for 5-7 minutes, on medium low heat. Stir in lentils for 1 minute. Add in the broth, 1/2 a cup at a time, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer. Add broth until all is absorbed (about 15-20 minutes total time). Make sure you stir occasionally so the mixture does not stick to the pan.
- Next add in the 1 cup shredded cheese, panko, salt, pepper and mix to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Transfer mixture to the pie dish and firmly press down to spread out and pack down evenly. Sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan and chili pepper flakes. Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven. Allow pie to set in the baking dish, for 15-20 minutes, before slicing.
Notes
- Use almond flour instead of the panko breadcrumbs to make this Gluten Free.
- You can also bake this in an 8×8 inch square baking dish.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in your fridge up to 4 days.
- Make this VEGAN by subbing in Vegan mozzarella and Nutritional Yeast for the grated parmesan.
Nutrition
Looking for more?
Would this work with green lentils? I imagine the cook time would vary?
This is very tasty. I wasn’t too excited about it while I was cooking the veggies and lentils, but once I added the cheese, it was just magic! I forgot to squeeze out the zucchini, so mine turned out a bit more wet than I’d like. Next time I will make sure the veggies are cooked until they’re a bit more dry, and maybe add a bit of extra bread crumbs.
I think those are great ideas and i’m so glad the recipe was a success for you! Have a great weekend!
I’d probably turn this into a Quiche and grind the Lentils.
Looks like a great recipe!
Also a great idea!
This is delicious, thank you. I will make it again but want to know if the lentils are supposed to be pre-cooked. I pre cooked mine but wonder if it would be better if I didn’t.
HI Sandra, i think that’s a great idea too. However, here they cook in the broth and adapt the flavor of the broth – which makes them tastier!!
I hate to sound ignorant, but are the lentils cooked when you add them or raw? Love your recipes Stella!!
Hi Harriet, no worries! The lentils are uncooked. Just rinsed. They cook in the pan with the broth! Enjoy!!
Absolutely delicious and healthy recipe thank you share it with me ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Hello Charikleia! Thank you for trying the recipe! I’m so glad you liked it! Filakia!
My husband can’t eat lentils. Do you think this would work with farro or some other grain? It looks delicious! Can’t wait to try.
HI Susan, I haven’t tried it with farro, but it sounds like a winning ideas to me!
I made this for dinner tonight for my husband and I. We both thought it was delicious! This will definitely be added to my menu rotation. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Melissa, I’m so happy you both enjoyed the dish! Thanks for the kind rating too!
Hi, looking forward to try this. Can it be prepared a day in advance? Thank you.
Hi Ollie, yes it can!
I made this recipe, super tasty. I didn’t have parsley at home but I still thought it was delicious. Thank you
Thank you so much for trying it out! I’m glad it was a winner!
I just made this and it was really good. Admittedly, I was concerned about the lack of seasoning so I added some fresh time and the served it with tzatziki and Trader Joe’s sofritas mix. It was delicious. Both my husband and I had seconds. And I really dont like lentils but thought this would be tasty. Good choice. We will definitely have this again. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Katherine, thank you for trying the recipe and I’m glad you ended up liking it with your additions! I also appreciate your feedback to help others visiting the site!
I didn’t make this dish, but I DO plan to make the “easy carrot lentil soup” that is referenced on this page! yummm!
Thats awesome too! You will love the soup!!!
as written, this recipe is flavorless. salt and pepper? come on! how about some cumin, garlic powder, curry, masala, chili powder, tumeric…..etc. all the spices in the world and only this? it’s a hard no for me
HI Megan, You can absolutely go in with any additional flavors you prefer in your food! For me, the cheese, chicken broth and salt and pepper were plenty of flavor.
This didn’t set for me…. has like oatmeal. Taste was good, but did not set. I left it longer in over too.
Hi Paula, I’m sorry the recipe didnt work out for you. Maybe the breadcrumbs weren’t as dense as mine. Try adding more next time-if you want to try it again!
hi, your calorie info is really useful…but is it per portion or per 100g or other?
many thanks,
kathy
HI kathy thank you! At the top of the recipe box, there is a serving amount fore each recipe… I hope this helps!
I love your recipes. How would I make this with cooked lentils.
HI Debbie, thank you so much for trying out my recipes!
Yes, you can totally make this with cooked lentils. please account for not cooking them in the broth, and add in some spices/salt to compensate for it. Just add the cooked lentils into the mixture along with the shredded cheese at the end.Enjoy!!