Fragrant, comforting, and easy to serve as a complete meal, Spiced Lentil Rice Casserole or Kitchari Casserole is a vegan, vegetarian Indian main course made with split red lentils (masoor dal) or a mix of split red lentils and petite yellow lentils, white basmati rice, and bay leaves in about 55 minutes. The recipe lays out the ingredients and each cooking step clearly, so you can adjust seasoning, texture, and serving size for your own kitchen.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 45 minutes
  • Total time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup split red lentils (masoor dal) or a mix of split red lentils and petite yellow lentils ((moong dal))
  • 1/2 cup white basmati rice
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1-2 cups chopped vegetables such as cauliflower, (carrots, peas, green beans, corn, bell peppers, zucchini, etc)
  • 1/2- 1 cup frozen spinach thawed
  • 1 large tomato chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1-2 tablespoons spices of choice, (see notes for the spices that I usually use)
  • 4 cups water (4 cups for porridgy khichdi, 3 cups for less moist like a rice dish)
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • cilantro and lemon juice for garnish

Method

  1. Wash and drain your lentils and rice and set aside.
  2. To a 9x11 inch or similar size baking dish, add the lentils and rice, the veggies, spinach, tomato, salt, spices, and water and mix well.
  3. Then put it in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (205 degrees Celsius). Cover with parchment and bake for 40-45 minutes.
  4. Check at the 35/37 minute mark to see if the lentils and rice are cooked through.
  5. Remove the dish from the oven, fluff a bit, and garnish with some cilantro and lemon juice and serve. You can add roasted veggies or toasted nuts for garnish as well.
  6. You can top the dish with some non dairy yogurt or serve it with some raita and papadums, chutneys or achar(Indian pickle) or as a side with a curry.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.