Ranch Style Lentil Casserole

Submitted by Jo Ann L

"I'm not sure what these have to do with a ranch, (Don't you wonder where some dishes get their names?) but they're good. The ground beef is very optional. I leave it out, to cut down on both cost and calories."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 2 cups lentils
• 1 quart water
• 1 lb ground beef (optional)
• 1 cup catsup
• 1 (1 1/2 ounce) package onion soup mix
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup water

directions

1. Put lentils and 1 quart of water in a 3-quart pot; bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Brown ground beef, if using, and drain fat.
3. Stir all other ingredients into lentils (do not drain the lentils).
4. Pour into 2 1/2 quart casserole and bake uncovered at 400*F for 30 minutes.

Reviews

[Second_site]

Easy to make and tasted very good. Changed the catsup to tomato sauce and added 1/2 a medium onion and 2 jalapeno pepers for kick. Served with a sprinkle of mozarella cheese.

 

[PSU Lioness]

I really didn't care very much for this casserole. I don't use lentils very much and I think it's because of the texture. I followed the instructions exactly and it turned into a mushy, ketchup-flavored blob with ground beef thrown in the mix. It also dried out in the oven so maybe if I would have added tomato soup instead of ketchup, it would have gotten better. This taste wasn't terribly awful but we couldn't overlook the texture. Sorry for the bad review, but I will not be making this again.

 

[wazee]

This is one of my favorite all-time lentil recipes. I have been making it for many years. It is in my Farm Journal 'America's Best Vegetable Recipes' cookbook from 1970. Farm Journal was a magazine which mainly featured farming methods and machinery, but it also had a wonderful recipe section. I grew up on a ranch in the 50s and 60s and tried out many Farm Journal recipes. Later, Farm Journal compiled their recipes into several cookbooks. Anyway, this recipe is a great way to stretch a pound of hamburger. I usually make mine in the crockpot. If you are in a huge hurry, you can use bottled BBQ sauce instead of the ketchup/mustard/vinegar. Sometimes, I take the lid off for the last hour and let liquid evaporate, top it with a little cheese, and use it as a casserole. Other times, I add a little more liquid and serve it on a bun like Sloppy Joes. Any way you serve this, it is quick, cheap, easy, and good. That rates 5 stars in my book.