Tomato, mozzarella and lentil bake

Lentils and roasted tomatoes beneath a bubbling mozzarella topping.

By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes

What still needs a real kitchen

Confirm the bake is hot through in 20 to 25 minutes
Photograph the finished dish

Time: About 45 min; estimated
Serves: 2; see below
Energy: 460 kcal; per serving
Protein: 32 g; per serving

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Ingredients for 2 servings

2 servings

Check off ingredients as you go.

Contains gluten, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:

mozzarella. Some mozzarella is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
wholemeal bread. Bread often contains soya and can contain milk, egg or sesame; check the label.

Cooking steps

Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan).
Warm the oil in a pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and oregano and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, until saucy.
Stir in the lentils and tip everything into a baking dish.
Pat the mozzarella dry, tear it over the top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling and hot all the way through.
Cooked when: 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Serve with the bread, toasted if you like.

The useful detail

Drain fresh mozzarella before baking. The brine it sits in runs out in the oven and thins the sauce underneath into something watery.

Make it work for you

One serving is Half the dish with a slice of bread. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.

Tinned chopped tomatoes
Quicker and more acidic; simmer it a little longer.
Per serving: about 5 kcal less, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Cheddar instead of mozzarella
Sharper, and it browns rather than stretching.
Per serving: about 75 kcal more, about 1 g less protein, about 9 g more fat.
Sourdough instead of wholemeal
Chewier, and better for mopping the dish.
Per serving: about 10 kcal more, about 1 g less protein, about the same fat.

Estimated nutrition

Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.

A vegetarian bake where lentils and mozzarella share the protein, and the bread is counted as part of the meal rather than treated as an extra.

Nutrition per serving
Energy	460 kcal
Protein	32 g
Fat	13 g
of which saturates	6 g
Carbohydrate	57 g
of which sugars	10 g
Fibre	17 g
Sodium	500 mg

Show calculation notes

Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.

Calculation, whole recipe
Ingredient	Weight used	Source	Energy	Protein
olive oil	4.5 g	FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking	40 kcal	0.0 g
onion	60 g	FDC 170000Onions, raw	24 kcal	0.7 g
tomatoes	300 g	FDC 170457Tomatoes, red, ripe, raw, year round average	54 kcal	2.6 g
dried oregano	0.5 g	FDC 171328Spices, oregano, dried	1 kcal	0.0 g
cooked lentils	300 g	FDC 172421Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt	348 kcal	27.1 g
mozzarella	100 g	FDC 170847Cheese, mozzarella, part skim milk	254 kcal	24.3 g
wholemeal bread	80 g	FDC 172688Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared	202 kcal	10.0 g
Whole recipe		Divided by 2	923 kcal	64.6 g

Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.

Storage and reheating

In the fridge: Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days.
In the freezer: Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
Reheating: Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.

Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.

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