Minced lentils! 1 pan hands free! A time-consuming minced meat curry with dinner rolls, an easy-to-make, one-pot meal! It all comes together in a single pan. Gluten-free options
Index
Keema is an Indian minced meat curry. There are many variations depending on the region, such as Madras Keema, Sabuj Keema, North Indian Keema Naan. This version is adapted from the famous Mumbai keema pav, a great tasting keema freshly toasted and served with buttered dinner rolls. I often use lentils as a meat substitute for ground meat in mince. Walnuts also add great texture.
Normally, you would cook lentils from dry on the stove, but in this recipe, we are cooking them in the oven. You’ll still start with dry lentils, but you’ll bake them in a baking pan with liquid and flavored ground spices.
They turn out delicious and tender! No need to stand around the kitchen to roast the spices and keep an eye on the lentils!
Then, instead of making pav — a soft, Indian bread — from scratch, we’re using hot dog buns or pillowy dinner rolls. The buns have a similar texture and we brush them with melted vegan butter and spices to give them an amazing flavor.
You can also make plain lentils and serve with roti, naan or rice. It’s delicious either way!
Why You’ll Love Mince Pav Casserole
- 1 One-pan dish made in a casserole dish
- Soyfree, easily made nutfree glutenfree
- Easy to make.
- Full of flavor.
- Topped with pillowy, buttery bread.
More vegan lentil recipes
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Lentil Mince Pav Casserole
Minced lentils! 1 pan hands free! A time-consuming minced meat curry with dinner rolls, an easy-to-make, one-pot meal! It all comes together in a single pan. Gluten-free alternatives to nutfree
Serving: 4
Calories: 368kcal
material
For Lentil Mince:
- 2 teaspoon the oil
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 Chinese stick
- 1 Black cardamom pods Partially opened (or use 2 green cardamoms partially opened)
For the fragrance:
- 1 (110 g) Medium red onion to cut
- 6 cloves of garlic
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 green chillies
- 1/4 the cup (4 g) Coriander stalks
For the ground spices:
- 1/4 teaspoon yellow
- 1 table spoon Coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon Bell pepper
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon dry fenugreek leaves, Kasuri Methi
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon dry sage
For lentils:
- 1 table spoon Tomato paste
- 3 the cup Vegetable stock or more if needed
- 3/4 the cup (144 g) Dry lentils Wash and soak for 15 minutes
- 1/4 the cup (35 g) Frozen pea and carrot mixture
- 1/4 the cup (29.25 g) Coarsely chopped walnuts
- 3 table spoon Non-dairy yogurt or cashew cream
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
On top of Minced Lentils:
- 4 Vegetarian Hot Dog Buns or 8 Dinner Rolls
- Melted vegan butter or oil as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon Paprika
- Coriander leaves and lemon juice For the garnish
instructions
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Cook the whole spices: Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place a 9×12” baking dish in the oven to heat while preheating the oven. Once hot, carefully remove the baking dish from the oven, add oil and whole spices, mix well and keep aside.
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Bake the fragrance: Add the onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies and coriander leaves to a food processor and process until everything is finely chopped. Then add this mixture to the whole spice mixture. Add the ground spices and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, mixing really well, to even them out. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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When the mixture is slightly golden, remove the baking dish from the oven and add the tomato paste, curd and veggie stock and mix really well.
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Roast the lentils: Add dried lentils, peas, carrots, walnuts and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and mix. Even take it out and cover it with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for 1 hour. Brown lentils take a while to cook.
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Check at the 50-minute mark to see if the lentils are cooked to your liking and if you need more liquid. add more warm Water or stock (about 1/2 -1 cup).
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When the lentils are cooked to your liking, remove the baking dish from the oven.
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Halve hot dog buns or dinner rolls and top with lentil mixture and brush with oil or melted vegan butter. Sprinkle with salt, paprika, and place the baking dish in the oven to bake until the bread is golden, 10-12 minutes.
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Remove from heat and add cilantro and lemon juice. Slice and serve immediately.
Comment
To further this, Make the lentil mixture and set the dinner rolls aside until ready to serve, and then place the dinner rolls on top of the lentil casserole, brush with oil and bake as needed. You can also make just the lentil mixture and keep the dinner rolls separate to serve separately as needed.
nutrition
nutrients
Lentil Mince Pav Casserole
No. per job
calories 368
99 calories from fat
% Daily Value*
thick 11 grams17%
1 gram of saturated fat6%
Trans fat 0.01 g
5 grams of polyunsaturated fat
Monounsaturated fat 3 g
Sodium 1455mg63%
potassium 625 mg18%
carbohydrates 55 grams18%
16 grams of fiber67%
8 grams of sugar9%
protein 17 grams34%
Vitamin A 1639IU33%
Vitamin C 11 mg13%
calcium 133 mg13%
iron 6 mg33%
* Percent Daily Value is based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Ingredients:
- Keema Masala – Indian Keema has an aromatic blend of spices including cumin and cardamom that lends lentil and incredible flavor! Here, you are using individual spices to make the mince mixture, so there is no worry about buying a special spice mix.
- Aromatics – Onion, garlic, ginger, chilies and coriander are the spices used in this vegetarian lentil casserole.
- Lentils – We are using dried lentils here and cooked them in veggie stock and tomato paste as a meat substitute.
- Non-dairy yogurt – This makes the sauce creamy. You can use cashew cream instead if needed.
- Walnuts – You bake walnuts with lentils to add texture, flavor and protein to the meat. Use sunflower seeds for nuts
- Hot dog buns or dinner rolls – this is your cheat sheet! Use gluten-free buns for a gf change.
Suggestion:
- To top it off, make the lentil mixture and set the dinner rolls aside until ready to serve, and then place the dinner rolls on top of the lentil casserole, brush with oil and bake as needed. You can also make just the lentil mixture and keep the dinner rolls separate to serve separately as needed.
- To make this nut free, omit the walnuts.
- To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free dinner rolls or some gluten-free tortillas or flatbread to serve it.
How to make Mince Pav Casserole:
Preheat the oven to 400ºF and place a 9×12” baking dish in the oven to heat while the oven preheats. Once the oven is hot, carefully remove the baking dish, add the oil and whole spices. Mix well, and set aside.
Add onion, garlic, ginger, green pepper and coriander leaves to a food processor and process until everything is finely chopped.
If you have a small food processor, like I do, process the onion, garlic, ginger, and chilies first, then add the cilantro.
Then, add this mixture to the whole spice mixture in the baking pan.
Add the ground spices and 1/2 teaspoon salt, mix really well, to even everything out.
Bake in the preheated oven for 15-18 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the mixture is slightly golden, remove the baking dish from the oven and add the tomato paste, curd and veggie stock and mix really well.
Add the drained lentils, peas, carrots, walnuts and remaining salt and mix. Even take it out and cover it with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for one hour.
Check at the 50-minute mark to see if the lentils are cooked to your liking and if you need more liquid. Add more warm water or stock (1/2 to 1 cup).
When the lentils are cooked to your liking, remove the baking dish from the oven.
Halve hot dog buns or dinner rolls and top with lentil mixture and brush with oil or melted vegan butter.
Sprinkle with salt, paprika and place the baking dish in the oven to bake the bread until golden. It should take about 10-12 minutes.
Remove from heat and add cilantro and lemon juice. Slice and serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just omit the walnuts. You can add some coarsely crushed sunflower seeds as an alternative.
To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free dinner rolls or some gluten-free tortillas or flatbread to serve it.