Vegetarian casserole?

ooohhh, that sounds good! I LOVE casseroles, but all of mine are meat-based...

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hearty-Vegetable-Lasagna/Detail.aspx

This is the recipe I use when I want something vegetarian! I replace a few ingredients. Obviously instead of veggie oil I use evoo. I don't like bell peppers, so I use LOTS of mushrooms and LOTS of spinach!! I made this for a couple of my neighbors who happen to be vegetarians and they LOVED it! I was so proud of myself! For a non vegetarian recipe, I use this PLUS a lb of ground italian sausage. This recipe is AMAZING. I use the leftover sauce mixture on our spaghetti, too!

Check out myveggietable.com. There is a casserole category.

Speedy Lentil & Bean Casserole
Serves 5

Ingredients
1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup kidney beans, drained
1 cup lentils, drained
1 cup diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 tsp dried thyme
Dash pepper

Directions
1. In flameproof casserole dish, heat oil over medium heat; cook onion until softened.
2. Add beans, lentils, tomatoes, thyme and pepper. Stir and break up tomatoes with back of spoon. Bring to simmer. Serve over rice, couscous, quinoa, etc.

* This recipe also freezes well * If you eat cheese it tastes good with some cheese sprinkled on top of the casserole and then put under the broiler.

Nutritional Info (without cheese)
Calories - 162.8
Total Fat - 1.6 g
Saturated Fat - 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat - 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat - 0.7 g
Cholesterol - 0.0 mg
Sodium - 254.2 mg
Potassium - 2.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 27.2 g
Dietary Fiber - 6.7 g
Sugars - 3.6 g
Protein - 9.6 g
Vitamin A - 7.4%
Vitamin C - 9.0%
Calcium - 9.7%
Iron - 24.8%

Butternut Squash and Lentil Casserole

Ok, this is one of my absolute favourites. It has a great balance of protein to carbs, and is low in fat and - even better - low in calories. I should add that I lost weight through a combination of educating myself about nutrition and the phenomenon of calorie counting. The way our body works is far too complicated to ignorantly assume that even accurate calorie counting is a sure-fire method of ensuring that we lose weight, but it is a fantastic guideline to ensure you are eating at a defecit.

I found this recipe on CC and it sounded crazy! Butternut squash, garlic and cranberries!? But I was curious so I had to try it. Sure enough, with a little tweaking, it was a taste-bud sensation!

Butternut Squash and Lentil Casserole
Serves: 6
500g Butternut Squash
1 1/2 cups green lentils
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 cloves garlic
3g thyme
400g tomatoes, tinned
100g dried cranberries
1 tsp olive oil
1 onion
1 chicken stock cube
400 ml water

Boil the lentils in the chicken stock cube and water for 1 hour.
Roast the squash in chunks in the oven for 30 mins.
Warm the oil and add finely chopped garlic and coarsley chopped onion.
Add the squash and any fluids which may have come off during roasting.
Drain the lentils, reserving the stock and adding it to the pan.
When the squash begings to break up a little, add the lentils and tin of tomatoes.
Simmer for 20 mins then add cinnamon,nutmeg, thyme & cranberries.
Mix well and leave to simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until the squash has almost completely broken down and the sauce has thickened.

227 calories per serving, 0.2g F, 0.0g SF, 44.2g C, 6.9g S, 10.1g Fb, 11.9g P

This freezes well and refridgerates for up to 3 days. I know the combination of flavours sounds crazy, I was skeptical too, but it really tastes delicious! I eat it on its own, its quite a large portion. Would perhaps go well with a small green salad, and maybe some bulgur wheat or brown rice if you fancy some starchy carbs/grains.



my daughter makes this with the cranberries in i replace them with prunes , ( i find cranberries too sweet)

http://heavling.blogspot.com/search/label/Cranberry