Lentil Veggie Burrito Casserole

Yikes I'm sorry for once again disappearing!! These past couple of weeks have been ridiculously busy. I just finished school on Thursday, not for the semester but forever. Wow finished school, it's still hard to believe. I still have my practicum to do and the certification exam, but classes are over!! Okay enough about me.

This may not look like much, but has fast become one of my favourite meals. Healthy, filling and tasty. The original recipe has you make chimichangas, filled with bell peppers, onions, zucchini, fennel seeds (looooooove this addition) and lentil tomato sauce. Frying the burritos isn't something I really want to do, and while I do love burritos, I've found it much simpler to make a sort of burrito casserole. (Though the photo shows when I attempted to fold them into burritos.) Much quicker and easier to make and it tastes the same. Oh and the lentil tomato sauce? I'm often not a fan of tomato sauces, but this one is really yummy. And I love that it's full of lentils and thus protein!

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Tracy's Lentil Loaf
Sweet Potato Badi
Black Bean and Zucchini Chilaquiles
Chayote and Corn Enchiladas

Lentil Veggie Burrito Casserole
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini, sliced into half moons
1 bell pepper, diced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1/8 tsp sea salt
4-6 whole wheat tortillas (depending on the size of the tortilla, when I have tiny ones I use 6 tortillas)
"Hide the lentils" tomato sauce, recipe below

Preheat oven to 425F. In a frying pan on medium heat, add 1/2 tbsp oil, zucchini, bell pepper, onion, fennel seeds, salt and pepper, and saute for 6-7 minutes, until veggies are slightly seared and onions soften.

In a 9x13 dish, place half of the tortillas, spread them out evenly and ripping them up if necessary to fill gaps. Spoon on the vegetable mixture and about half of the lentil tomato sauce. Place the remaining tortillas on top, spreading them out as you did with the bottom layer. Pour the remaining lentil tomato sauce on top. Bake for 12-15 minutes.

"Hide the Lentils" Tomato Sauce
Adapted slightly from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3/4 cup dry red lentils
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 cup water
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp agave nectar
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar

In a large pot on medium-low heat, add oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes (reduce heat and/or add a few drops of water if needed to prevent garlic from burning). Rinse lentils. Add lentils, tomatoes, water, rosemary, basil, agave nectar and bay leaf. Increase heat to high to bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook for 22-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lentils are fully softened. Uncover and simmer for 3 minutes to reduce liquid. Remove bay leaf.