Mediterranean Lentil & Feta Bake
Nutrition per serving
Ingredients
- 250g red lentils, rinsed
- 400g canned diced tomatoes
- 1 large zucchini, diced
- 2 bell peppers (red and yellow), diced
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 250g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 80g pitted kalamata olives, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 500ml vegetable broth
- 150g feta cheese, crumbled
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Fresh parsley, chopped, to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Lightly oil a large baking dish. Toss the zucchini, bell peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes and olives with 2 tbsp olive oil, the oregano, paprika, salt and pepper right in the dish.
Stir in the rinsed lentils, canned tomatoes, garlic and vegetable broth; smooth the surface so the lentils sit mostly submerged.
Cover tightly with foil and bake 25 minutes, until the lentils are nearly tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Remove the foil, give everything a gentle stir, then crumble the feta evenly over the top and drizzle with the remaining olive oil.
Return to the oven uncovered for 10–12 minutes, until the feta turns golden at the edges and the bake is bubbling.
Rest 5 minutes, squeeze over the lemon juice, scatter the parsley and serve straight from the dish with a crisp side salad.
This is the kind of one-dish dinner that makes a busy week feel manageable. Red lentils bake right in the dish with zucchini, sweet bell peppers, cherry tomatoes and kalamata olives, soaking up a garlicky oregano-spiked tomato broth until everything turns tender and golden. You stir it once halfway through, crumble salty feta over the top for the final ten minutes, and pull out a bake that is bubbling, fragrant and somehow both hearty and light. Each serving delivers 22 grams of protein at 420 calories, with 45 grams of carbs, 16 grams of fat and 12 grams of fiber — real staying power for a weight-loss dinner. It is naturally vegetarian and gluten-free, the whole thing needs one baking dish, and the leftovers reheat beautifully for tomorrow's lunch. Serve with a crisp green salad and an extra squeeze of lemon.
