Quick casserole help - quick please!!

[reastie]

Help on this on as soon as poss would be great as I need to get it in the oven in the next hour or so!

Am going to try a casserole for dinner tonight. Usually I'd do it on the hob over about an hour (a veggie one - we are veggie). Today I thought I'd do an oven baked root veg one with potato slices on top over a slow heat. I'm thinking of giving it about 4 hours on 140 - does this sound right? Also, I'm putting red lentils in - should I cook the lentils first or just stick them in the casserole dish 'raw' ?

Timing sounds fine and I would cook the lentils first. I might even parboil the potato slices too and they can take forever to cook.

HTH :)

I often stick red lentils in my slow cooked casseroles and never cook them first. They'll be fine.

I really can't be bothered don't want to par boil potatoes - I'm having to do the dish in DDs nap, whch isn't that long - so need to be quick! I've got one of those fancy pants slicers which cuts really thin so I'll use that. I'll simmer lentils for maybe 20 mins in some stock first then.

Would you fry off the veg first too or stick it straight in the pot and in the oven?

xposted - thewicket you don't cook lentils first? hmmm.....wonder what I should do then.

OK, last question I hope the casserole dish I have has a lid as well - when it cooks in the oven should I have the lid on of off?

On. Then off to brown for the last 20 mins with the temp up.

And I know I'm late but I always fry off the veg first. At least the onions if nothing else. And I would prob cook the lentils a bit just in case. Or use tinned ones. Although i don't cook them first in soup so will prob be fine.

What time shall I come round for tea? I'll bring some dunking bread

Come on over alice . Lentils are cooking on the hob as I speak. I'm now debating whether to just cube the potatoes and put them in the casserole so I can make dumplings and put them in for the lat half hour - DH loves dumplings . Useful tip re: taking lid off and heat up for last 20 mins - I'll do that when I put the dumplings in I think. I'll fry the onions and leeks first but tbh probably nothing else. Think I might stick sliced quorn sausages in too

Lentils and sausages are good combo. I did think dumplings earlier. I'd go dumplings for sure. I think they need lid on for them to steam though. Not completely sure.

I've stuck it in the oven already and tbh the casserole dish was quite full - no room for dumplings I think in there! I'll do dumplings on the hob in some stock or some such just before dinner - I've done it that way before anyway so know what I'm doing . I put a few butter beans in also as I thought it'd go well with the leeks in there, fingers crossed it tastes good!

As it cooks it'll shrink down and make room for dumplings.

Now you've made me wonder what on earth I'm doing for tea with empty cupboards and rain....

Have found enough ingredients to copy you! Yum!

glad to be of assistance

Just finished mine. Carrots, onions, green beans, potatoes, quorn and dumplings. Was yum!

yum - I didn't get time for dumplings in the end. Mine had onions, leeks, sweet potato, carrots, parsnip, quorn sausages, lentils, and butter beans

When I make sausage and lentil casserole, I sometimes put a little bit of pasta in the bottom. Uncooked. It cooks all slowly and gloopy, really nice

excellent idea alice