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    Home > Vegan Italian Recipes > Vegan Pasta Recipes

    Vegan Lentil Orzo Bake With a Cheesy Crust

    Posted: Mar 28, 2015 ยท Updated: Aug 18, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
    An easy Lentil Orzo Bake packed with healthy carrots and spices and with a cheesy vegan crust you will love.
    Photo of vegan lentil orzo bake with cheesy crust in a baking pan and served in an oval ceramic bowl.

    Here's a recipe for those of us who love pasta with a passion but would rather do something else with all the time that sometimes goes into making it: my vegan Lentil Orzo Bake. And,ย it has a cheesy crust to die for.

    This is an easy weeknight casserole that practically cooks itself. Really. No standing over a big pot of boiling water, no constant sauteing and stirring to get the sauce just right. All you need is a saucepan, a baking dish, and a little time to chop some veggies and you're pretty much on your way to pasta heaven. Even better, this is the perfect brown-bag lunch to make the next workday something to look forward to.

    Photo of vegan lentil orzo bake in a glass baking pan.

    I wanted to add some extra zip to my pasta bake, so I sprinkled into it some smoky garam masala and some cumin. This little trick amps up the pasta without giving it a strong Indian flavor profile -- which is exactly how I wanted it.  You could leave out the garam masala altogether and you'd still have a pretty great dish.

    Lentil-Orzo Bake in an oval ceramic dish with the baking pan with more behind.

    To top off the vegan lentil orzo bake, I created this savory, cheesy crust that kicks up the flavor into the stratosphere. And, icing on the cake, it makes this healthy dish rather kid-friendly.

    It's Saturday, all, the best day of the week. And I don't know about you, but I have big plans for the day, starting with making Desi, Jay, Opie and myself a huge vegan breakfast, and ending with snuggling on the couch with a movie and a glass of wine.

    What are your plans for the weekend?

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    Lentil-Orzo Bake served in an oval dish.
    Lentil-Orzo Bake

    Vegan Lentil Orzo Bake

    An easy Lentil Orzo Bake packed with healthy carrots and spices and with a cheesy vegan crust you will love.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Pasta
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Vegan Lentil Orzo Bake
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 1 hr
    Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
    Servings: 12 servings
    Calories: 190kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    • 8 ounces dry orzo pasta
    • 3 cups cooked brown lentils
    • 2 large carrots, finely diced
    • 2 large tomatoes, finely diced
    • 1 large onion, finely diced
    • 2 tablespoon garlic, use less if you'd rather-- I love lots of garlic in this, minced
    • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
    • 1 teaspoon garam masala
    • 2 teaspoon cumin powder
    • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    • For the cheesy breadcrumb topping:
    • 1 cup wholegrain breadcrumbs
    • ยผ cup coriander or parsley leaves
    • ยผ cup nutritional yeast
    • ยผ teaspoon cayenne
    • 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
    • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • In a large saucepan, heat the 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
    • Add the onions, carrots, and garlic. Add a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent.
    • Add the lentils, red pepper flakes, garam masala, and cumin. Stir well to mix. Add salt to taste. Let the lentils heat through, then mix in the tomatoes and dry orzo and stir well to mix.
    • Pour the mixture into a large 9 by 12 inch baking dish. Add 2 ยผ cups of boiling water. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 minutes.
    • While the pasta is baking, get the breadcrumb topping ready. Mix the breadcrumbs, yeast, coriander, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.
    • After the pasta has baked for 30 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and sprinkle on the topping evenly.
    • Return to the oven and bake another 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 190kcal | Protein: 9.7g | Fiber: 7.2g
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Janette Baez

      February 17, 2019 at 9:02 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic! I didn't have carrots so I substituted celery. Thanks for posting this recipe.

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        February 18, 2019 at 10:22 am

        Great substitution. Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    2. Ken

      January 28, 2018 at 5:10 pm

      1/4 cup ground coriander, is that correct?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        January 28, 2018 at 5:14 pm

        Coriander or parsley leaves, not coriander seed.

        Reply
    3. Aubree Dieckman

      December 20, 2017 at 5:36 pm

      Is it 3 cups of dry lentils, cooked? Or measure 3 cups after cooked?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        December 20, 2017 at 5:38 pm

        Cooked, as the recipe states! ๐Ÿ™‚

        Reply
    4. Miranda's Musings

      June 03, 2015 at 2:20 pm

      help! cheesy? there's no cheese in this topping - is that an error?

      Reply
      • Vaishali Honawar

        June 03, 2015 at 5:04 pm

        Hi Miranda, it's not real cheese-- this is a vegan blog. The yeast gives a cheesy flavor.

        Reply
        • Miranda's Musings

          June 04, 2015 at 8:20 am

          i can't believe i wrote that - i wasn't paying attention - i'm a nitwit! ๐Ÿ™

          Reply
          • Vaishali Honawar

            June 04, 2015 at 11:14 am

            No worries-- it happens! ๐Ÿ™‚

            Reply
    5. Jason

      May 01, 2015 at 9:18 pm

      5 stars
      This is incredibly delicious and easy to make. Thank you for sharing this.

      Reply
    6. Amy

      April 06, 2015 at 1:29 am

      5 stars
      I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! The recipe made a huge amount for 2 people, so we will happily be eating this over the rest of the week and were even able to put some in the freezer. I'm glad to have found out about whole wheat orzo -- I never would have thought to look for it.

      Reply
    7. Lauren

      April 04, 2015 at 10:55 pm

      I didn't have orzo so I used couscous instead. Really liked the texture of it in this dish. I had some heirloom carrots that I peeled instead of diced and they added a color flare that was fun. Maybe I haven't been vegan long enough but the bread crumb topping just didn't seem cheesy. There is so much flavor in the dish in addition to the cayenne in the topping that neither my husband or I thought it had a cheesy taste. The breadcrumbs just disappeared in all of the other tastes and textures. This was a fun recipe to try. I know I'll be making it again.

      Reply
    8. The Vegan Junction

      April 03, 2015 at 7:00 pm

      Oh my, this looks good! I especially like the bread crumb topping. You've gotta appreciate a good caserole recipe, I look forward to trying it!

      Reply
    9. Vaishali Honawar

      March 29, 2015 at 5:25 pm

      Sounds like a great plan for the weekend, Nupur. And aloo tikki chana chaat-- can I come over too. because my mouth's watering. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
    10. Nupur

      March 28, 2015 at 12:40 pm

      Looks good, Vaishali. My weekend plans are to meet up with my knitting buddies at a bar downtown and knit over a bloody mary ๐Ÿ™‚ And then other friends are coming over for dinner and I'm making aloo tikki chana chaat for them.

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

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