Vegetarian casserole

Vegetarian casserole

A Mediterranean one-pot stew with peppers, courgettes, lentils, sweet smoked paprika and thyme

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4
 stars 14 ratings 4

Recipe by Caroline Hire

Tested

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 40 mins

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian, Vegan

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based pan. Add the onions and cook gently for 5 - 10 mins until softened.
  2. Add the garlic, spices, dried thyme, carrots, celery and peppers and cook for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the tomatoes, stock, courgettes and fresh thyme and cook for 20 - 25 minutes.
  4. Take out the thyme sprigs. Stir in the lentils and bring back to a simmer. Serve with wild and white basmati rice, mash or quinoa.
Try

FLAVOUR TIP

This casserole is best if made the day before to allow the flavours to develop.

PER SERVING

216 kcalories, protein 12.3g, carbohydrate 31g, fat 5.1 g, saturated fat 0.7g, fibre 9.8g, sugar 16.1g, salt 1.6 g

Recipe from bbcgoodfood.com, February 2012.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • 13 March 2012

    Babka the Brave rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This is right up my alley with all the veggies, and the paprika and cumin take this beyond boring-old-minestrone. I added some uncooked red lentils because I had them, but next time I'll go for a firmer pre-cooked variety so that they show up better.

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  • 27 April 2012

    Mitch commented on this recipe

    I'd add the garlic at step 3 because garlic can taste quite bitter if overcooked. I'd also add a teaspoon of sugar and a teaspoon of tomato paste at step 3 to give a nice contrast to the dish.

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  • 23 May 2012

    Keen kookie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I thought this dish was dead simple and very tasty. There was lots left over and we had it the next day, and it tasted even better. I didn't change much, only added some mushrooms as I had some that had to be used up. I forwarded this recipe to my daughter-in -law as they like to have meat free days.

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  • 02 August 2012

    cathy rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Freezing courgettes made them go soggy, but over all a delicious recipe though. Going to try with sweet potatoes next time and see if it freezes better.

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  • 10 August 2012

    Sara rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I loved this recipe. Wickedly hot and healthy. I managed to find the cooked lentils in my local co op, and was well worth it. Recommend this

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  • 22 August 2012

    ukbirdmj commented on this recipe

    Made this for myself and a non-vegetarian friend. Very nice, keeps well in the fridge, and as stated, it does mature nicely overnight. Serves 4 quite easily with rice (Microwave Packet of Long Grain is perfect).

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  • 04 October 2012

    PanClanger rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    This is a nice veggie dish, but I wouldn't rave about it. It's got some good punchy flavours, with the thyme and smoked paprika, and feels very healthy, but benefits from being accompanied by something creamy or buttery in my opinion (so there goes the health kick!). I served it with cheesy mashed potato, which helped mop up the sauce (which was a bit on the thin side for my liking) and also counteracted the acidity of the dish due to the tomatoes. I think maybe the tinned tomatoes I'd chosen to use weren't sufficiently good quality to work here. I was surprised that my partner liked it (large readily-identifiable chunks of stewed veg are always treated with suspicion) so I will probably make it again, as it's good to have such a veg-packed recipe in the repertoire. Oh, and don't waste money on 'ready-to-eat' packs of lentils - buy them dried and cook them yourself. Simples!

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  • 12 November 2012

    busybee rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is delicious. So easy to make and was even better the following day. I served the left overs the following day with grilled chicken breasts. One I will make often. Buy good quality tinned toms - it makes a difference I feel. Well done Caroline Hire.

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  • 10 January 2013

    Persephone rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Really enjoyed this, lots of flavour and I served it with garlic toast. I substituted a tin of drained cannelini beans for the lentils as my husband doen't like them and it worked perfectly.

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  • 12 January 2013

    MarieB rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    A good healthy, veggie option. Will use a little less thyme next time, the flavour really came through. Easily serves 4 ... have frozen half for another day.

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  • 15 January 2013

    Fiona rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Nice healthy dish, just right for January, after all the rich Xmas food, had some rice with it, an easy way for people to have a meat free day, even if not vegetarian. It fills you up as well.

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  • 23 January 2013

    Jillybean commented on this recipe

    A very easy dish to prepare I put all the ingredients into a slow cooker for a couple of hours and left for the next day fab My husband is not a veggie so I put some meat into it you could try chicken or sausages but he said it was really tasty and would have it again

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  • 28 January 2013

    easy recipes fan rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I basically agree with what PanClanger says. A little too soup-y for my liking and maybe even a bit too tomato-y..I served it with garlic dough balls and added chives but don't think the latter added much at all. Very straightforward to make though so would be tempted to make it again with a few tweaks.

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  • 06 February 2013

    waldry rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Lovely...Even my meat eating son liked it.

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  • 06 March 2013

    Love it rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    I used organic tinned tomatoes without citric acid; they don't have the bitter flavour of so many tinned varieties. Great recipe for a vegetarian who came to dinner. The rest of us enjoyed it too.

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  • 24 March 2013

    emilyhounsome rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Very simple to make, but deliciously earthy flavour. Be generous with the herbs, and creative with the vegetables, as you can substitute for pretty much any winter veg in season - enjoy local sourcing!

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  • 04 June 2013

    Mrs P commented on this recipe

    Personally I find this a little bit bland!! I keep having to add more seasoning to it as its just not tasty enough. I have cooked in advance, so am hoping that by leaving it for a few hours the flavours will come through more. Heres hoping!

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  • 07 June 2013

    BkelAries commented on this recipe

    Much better SEVERAL days later and by itself! I was really quite disappointed by this recipe, I tried tweaking the spices but it was just bland all the time. I ended up adding some chorizo which made it a bit better.I think the veggies just don't gel together into a satisfying meal. After 3 days it was better but not by much.

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  • 10 June 2013

    A-Woodward rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Delicious though I used sweet potato and butter beans instead of lentils. I also put some dumplings with it, it was such a tasty dish.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Cook time

Cook 40 mins

Vegetarian Freezable

Vegetarian, Vegan

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
  • 1 onion , finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves , sliced
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp dried thyme
  • 3 medium carrots , sliced (about 200g)
  • 2 medium sticks celery , finely sliced (about 120g)
  • 1 red pepper , chopped
  • 1 yellow pepper , chopped
  • 2 x 400g tins tomatoes or peeled cherry tomatoes
  • 250ml vegetable stock cube (we used 1 Knorr vegetable stock pot)
  • 2 courgettes , sliced thickly (about 300g)
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 250g cooked lentils (we used Merchant Gourmet ready-to-eat Puy lentils)
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PER SERVING

216 kcalories, protein 12.3g, carbohydrate 31g, fat 5.1 g, saturated fat 0.7g, fibre 9.8g, sugar 16.1g, salt 1.6 g

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