Dinner for 8

Cheesy Lentil Bolognese Casserole

Name: Cheesy Lentil Bolognese Casserole
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 batch all-purpose cheese sauce; 14 oz fusilli or rotini pasta; 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1 sweet onion; 3 large garlic cloves; 1 package (8 oz) sliced cremini mushrooms; 1 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp dried basil; 1 tsp dried thyme; 3 cups chunky marinara sauce; 1 can (14 oz) lentils; 2 tbsp runny tahini; 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (optional); 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional); 1 1/2 cups stemmed and finely chopped kale (optional); paprika (optional); cashew-garlic parmesan (optional)

$6.88for 455 minServes 8

Pasta, lentils, mushrooms, and marinara bake under cheese sauce until hot, tender, and lightly browned.

Photo: ohsheglows.com

What it costs

Pick your city to see which ingredients are on sale

Ingredient	Amount	Cost
	Swiss, provolone, gouda$0.40/oz typical	1 oz	$0.40Typical price
	Pasta$0.10/oz typical	14 oz	$1.40Typical price
	Onions$1.29/lb typical	0.4 lb	$0.52Typical price
	Garlic$0.75 each typical	3	$2.25Typical price
	Mushrooms$0.40/oz typical	8 oz	$3.20Typical price
	Pasta sauce$0.10/oz typical	26 oz	$2.55Typical price
	Dried beans and lentils$0.11/oz typical	14 oz	$1.54Typical price
	Kale$2.49 each typical	0.25	$0.47Typical price
	Parmesan$0.55/oz typical	0.25 oz	$0.14Typical price
Total for the servings shown		$13.75

Pantry staples you likely have

Cooking spray, shortening, ghee, coconut and sesame oilDried herbs, spices and seasoning blendsAsian sauces and pastesSalt and pepperDried spices (cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano)

Not included in the cost.

Swaps

Swap Onions for Red onionsabout $0.20/lb more at typical prices
Swap Pasta for Egg noodlesabout $0.04/oz more at typical prices
Swap Dried beans and lentils for Canned beansabout $0.02/oz less at typical prices

55 minstart to table
Mediumdifficulty
8servings as written
$typical cost tier

American Vegetarian Budget Family Dinners Cold-weather comfort Winter

Typical price

$1.72 per serving$6.88 for 4

City Store

Typical price: Salefork's estimate of an everyday US shelf price for each ingredient. Pick your city to price it from this week's ad.

Ingredients

1 batch all-purpose cheese sauce
14 oz fusilli or rotini pasta
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion
3 large garlic cloves
1 package (8 oz) sliced cremini mushrooms
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried thyme
3 cups chunky marinara sauce
1 can (14 oz) lentils
2 tbsp runny tahini
1/2 tsp fine sea salt (optional)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1 1/2 cups stemmed and finely chopped kale (optional)
paprika (optional)
cashew-garlic parmesan (optional)

Steps

Heat the oven to 375 F and grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking oil.
Boil the pasta in salted water until just tender, then drain it.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, cook the onion for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and mushrooms for 6 minutes.
Stir in the oregano, basil, thyme, marinara, drained lentils, tahini, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and kale if using, then simmer for 5 minutes.
Mix the cooked pasta with the lentil sauce and spread it in the baking dish.
Pour the cheese sauce over the pasta, sprinkle with paprika or cashew-garlic Parmesan if using, and bake for 25 minutes.

Main ingredient on sale this week? See what to make with dried beans and lentils on sale.