Splits peas and lentils are not just for soup! This split pea lentil casserole brings together some awesome pulses and shows you how to include them more in your diet.
Having worked with Canadian Lentils in the past, I am no noob to lentils, split peas, and other pulses. My vegetarian diet has consumed many pulses, but don't think they are just for non-meat-eaters. My husband and daughter love split peas and lentils, so this split pea lentil casserole made sense!
I love how everything comes together in this recipe. it is so hearty, and such a comforting dish during the colder months. I always tell everyone that my iron levels deplete big time during the winter because I cannot eat a salad over a comforting dish.
Then again, I should just include more greens in my meals 😉
As I begin to think more about where I want to take my blog, I've been learning along the way. I feel families don't have those big "serve yourself" type meals anymore. I love seeing photos where spaghetti is served in one big bowl, and is passed around the table for others to serve themselves.
With today's split pea lentil casserole, it totally brings back those days of sharing and eating together as a family. My parents never had that spaghetti bowl type meal, but us siblings did eat together all the time. Since my daughter is an only child, I want her to grow up with us eating family dinners around a table (as she has no siblings to keep her company!)
My husband said he loved the added texture from the split peas and lentils. Not crunchy, but no where close to mushy. Most of the time when lentils or split peas are brought into the equation, they are cooked until they are super soft (aka, soup recipes!)
Now, this recipe does include rice so it is not gluten-free, however, that can easily be changed by omitting the rice and adding more pulses, or using a gluten-free varietal like basmati. I do love me some basmati rice!
Just like yesterday's loaded vegetable pasta casserole recipe, I totally wish I made a vegetarian version for myself! Don't be surprised if a tofu or mushroom variety appears in the future 🙂
📖 Recipe
Split Pea Lentil Casserole
Simple, hearty, and a great family meal! Easily made gluten-free by using basmati rice!
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ lb sausages, casing removed and crumbled
- 1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 3 garlic, minced
- ½ cup uncooked brown rice
- ½ cup dry mix of red lentils, yellow and green split peas (I used a trio soup mix that had all three together already!)
- 1 ½ cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire
- Salt and pepper
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- ½ tsp. dried parsley
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. dried thyme
Instructions
- Place saute pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and sausage, cooking for a couple of minutes. Stir in onion and celery. Continue cooking until meat is browned. Drain excess grease.
- Return to stove and add garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
- Season with salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, paprika, and thyme. Pour in tomatoes, sugar, broth, and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil, add rice and split pea/lentil mixture.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes, or until rice and split peas are tender ( I stirred the meal a couple of times throughout cooking.) If a lot of liquid remains, remove lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and oregano if desired!
Notes
If you end up with too much liquid for your liking, you can always up the heat and leave the pot uncovered to boil off.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 618Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 153mgSodium: 721mgCarbohydrates: 23gFiber: 7gSugar: 5gProtein: 50g
Plus, 7 kids means you need a filling meal that doesn't break that bank (and still tastes delicious!)
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen
OK, I LOVE lentils so I have to try this. I've never made anything with split peas though, and had no idea they could be in anything other than soup. Thank you!
Kacey
Yay! Don't worry, I mainly use split peas in soup, but I thought a change was definitely needed 🙂
Alexis
Hi there, I know this recipe is coming on 2 years old, but it's new to me. 🙂 I needed a vegetarian main course for a potluck, and I had lentils and split peas, and I didn't want to make soup...and so I found this. Your comment that you might mushroom it up to make it vegetarian inspired me! So I used your recipe as a solid jumping-off point and played fast & loose with quantities and ingredients. First, I was scaling up approx 50%. Then I realized I had no rice, brown or otherwise, so I swapped out for pearled barley. And then I remembered I had a full container of (cooked) brown rice leftover from when we ordered in Thai a couple nights ago, so I stirred that in at the end since there was a LOT of liquid.
And after all that, it's so yummy I had to stop myself from sneaking bites out of the pot so I'd have enough for the potluck! In case you're interested (or in case anyone else needs vegetarian inspiration), here's what I did:
1.5-ish lbs mushrooms
2 28-oz cans of diced tomatoes (did not drain, wasn't sure if I should have)
[no onion, no celery]
1 Tbsp minced garlic
[no sugar]
3/4 c uncooked barley
1 c mix of lentils & split peas
2 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1 T Worcestershire
Salt and pepper (added LOTS of salt)
1/2 T dried oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. dried thyme
Kacey
This is AWESOME!! Thank you so much!! I will have to give it a try! We also tend to have some extra rice hanging around in the fridge, so I am happy that worked out for you 🙂
Lacey
Could you swap out the rice for pasta ?