Baked Lentils with Cheese

My mom used to make me these cheesy lentils when I was a teenage vegetarian. It's still one of my favorite dishes!

• Preparation Time: 25 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins
• Calories: 383 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups water
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 large bay leaf
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 2 large carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 0.25 teaspoon dried sage
• 0.25 teaspoon dried thyme
• 0.25 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 0.25 teaspoon pepper
• 1.5 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1.6666666269302 cups dry lentils

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Step 2

Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Step 3

Mix water, lentils, stewed tomatoes, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, marjoram, sage, thyme, and bay leaf together in a 3-quart casserole dish.

Step 4

Stir in carrots and celery; cover and continue to bake until lentils and vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.

Step 5

Stir in bell pepper, then sprinkle Cheddar over top. Bake, uncovered, until cheese has melted, about 5 more minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.