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Cheesy Vegetarian

One Pot Baked Fajita Rice

As you may know, I adore all things Tex-Mex. It’s hard to go wrong with plenty of veggies, black beans (the GOAT of all legumes), rice, gooey cheese, and a bit of tasty spice to bring everything to life. And this baked fajita rice has all of the above!

Best of all, it’s super easy to make, because everything cooks at the same time in a big baking dish (got to love a one pot meal). Just mix everything together – including raw veggies and uncooked rice! – and come back half an hour later to find your dinner has cooked itself. If that isn’t appealing, I don’t know what is.

Cheesy fajita baked rice in a large baking dish with a spoon.

All of my favourite vegetarian Tex-Mex recipes are easy to adapt, because you can usually swap in different vegetables if you like, and adjust the spice level to your preferences. Plus, you can top your meal with whatever you like – I served my baked rice with a couple of good dollops of sour cream and guacamole.

A bowl of baked fajita rice with a cheesy topping.

⭐ What Makes it Fajita Rice?

I’ve called this baked rice ‘fajita rice’, because it’s reminiscent of my favourite vegetarian fajitas, and it uses my favourite fajita veggies – peppers and red onion. Some mushrooms would also be great in this!

I also added some black beans for extra vegetarian protein, and swapped the tortilla that you’d usually use to wrap up your fajitas for some rice instead. If you’re bored of your usual fajitas, this is a great way to mix things up a bit!

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🥗 Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for baked fajita rice laid out with text overlay.
  • rice – any long grain white rice will be fine. I used basmati rice.
  • black beans (canned)
  • fajita-style vegetables – I used peppers and red onion. Mushrooms would also work really well, or whatever else you usually like to serve in vegetarian fajitas.
  • canned tomatoes
  • vegetable stock – I used a stock cube (plus water), but you could use the equivalent amount of liquid stock if you prefer.
  • spices – I used smoked paprika, chilli powder and ground cumin, which is my favourite combination for Tex-Mex recipes (you can find all three in my homemade enchilada sauce recipe too!).
  • grated cheese – I used mozzarella as I find it melts really nicely.

Becca’s Top Tip

I love serving this baked rice with some extra toppings, like sour cream, guacamole, some chopped cilantro or spring onions, or sliced avocado. So remember to buy whatever toppings you’d like as well!

📹 Recipe Video





A portion of fajita baked rice with guacamole and sour cream.

🖨 Printable Instructions

A large spoon taking a scoop of cheesy baked fajita rice.

Print

One Pot Baked Fajita Rice

This vegetarian baked fajita rice all cooks in one pot, so it couldn’t be easier! It has plenty of vegetables and a tasty cheesy topping.
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican, Tex-Mex
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4 people
Calories 477kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 1 red onion, sliced or diced
  • 2 bell peppers, sliced or diced (I used red and orange)
  • 300 g (~ 10 1/2 oz / ~ 1 1/2 cups) long grain white rice (I used basmati rice)
  • 400 g tin black beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
  • 400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
  • 500 ml (~ 2 cups) vegetable stock (I used a crumbled stock cube and water)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon mild chilli powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 150 g (~ 1 1/2 cups) grated mozzarella cheese
  • To serve: sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, etc. (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 180°C (Gas Mark 4 / 350°F). Add the sliced red onion and peppers to a large baking dish – mine measured approximately 11 x 9 inches, and was quite deep. If you don’t have a large enough baking dish, you’ll need to spread the ingredients across two dishes.
    Chopped peppers and red onion in a large baking dish.
  • Add all the other ingredients, apart from the mozzarella cheese.
    Uncooked rice, beans, vegetables and tomatoes in a baking dish.
  • Mix well to combine, making sure the rice is submerged in liquid.
    Uncooked rice, beans, vegetables and tomatoes in a baking dish.
  • Bake for around 30 minutes, then mix well. The rice should be almost cooked.
    Baked rice with beans and vegetables in a large baking dish.
  • Top with grated mozzarella, and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the cheese has crisped up to your liking. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, or any other additional toppings, if you like.
    Cheesy baked rice with vegetables and black beans.

Video





Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 82.1g | Protein: 20.5g | Fat: 7.1g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 568mg | Fiber: 7.9g | Sugar: 6.3g | Calcium: 356mg | Iron: 3mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare this baked rice in advance?

If needed, you can mix all the ingredients in advance, store in the fridge, then bake just before serving.

How should I reheat leftover fajita rice?

This baked rice can easily be reheated in the microwave until piping hot. Be aware that rice must be stored in the fridge as soon as it has cooled, for up to 2 days, and reheated thoroughly to avoid food poisoning.

How should I serve baked fajita rice?

This recipe already contains protein, carbs and vegetables, so it’s a full meal on its own. However, I love to serve it with some guacamole and sour cream on the side, to add interest. A green salad would also be a great side dish for this recipe.

Can I make vegan baked rice?

Sure – just swap the mozzarella cheese for your favourite vegan cheese. The rest of the recipe is already vegan.

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Cheesy Vegetarian

Easy Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Don’t you just love it when a recipe is as simple as ‘mix + bake’? No pre-cooking, no unnecessary extra steps – just mix together all of the ingredients, and pop it in the oven. And that’s just the case for these vegetarian lentil meatballs (lentil balls? vegeballs? meatlessballs?). They couldn’t be easier.

Other easy ‘mix and bake’ recipes → easy nut roast; baked fajita rice; Boursin pasta.

Vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs served with spaghetti and tomato sauce.

I served my lentil balls with spaghetti and tomato sauce – spaghetti and meatballs is such a classic that’s hard to improve on. If you prefer, you could equally serve these vegetarian meatballs with couscous and tzatziki, stuffed into pitta bread, or even just eaten straight from the oven (no judgment here). They’re packed with Mediterranean-inspired flavours, and they’re super versatile.

Mediterranean lentil meatballs on a baking tray.

⭐ What’s in these Lentil Meatballs?

The basic recipe for these lentil meatballs is canned lentils + flour + egg (the same base I used for my cheesy lentil burgers). Once you’ve got that far, you can jazz things up however you like. I added:

  • black olives
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • parmesan-style cheese
  • fresh basil
  • garlic

If you like, you could easily switch things up to bring a different flavour profile to your meatballs – maybe you could make a Tex-Mex version, or use some Indian spices, for example.

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🥗 Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these vegetarian meatballs. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

Ingredients for Mediterranean lentil meatballs laid out with text overlay.
  • cooked lentils. I used lentils from a can, because they’re so convenient – just drain them well, and they’re ready to use. If you can’t get canned lentils, you can boil dried brown or green lentils until they’re soft, then continue with the recipe as written. I would not recommend using red lentils for this recipe, as they will not give quite the same end result.
  • eggs
  • plain flour (I used wholemeal for extra fibre)
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • black olives
  • parmesan-style cheese. ‘Real’ parmesan isn’t vegetarian, but there are plenty of vegetarian alternatives, which are very similar. Often, supermarkets sell a generic ‘Italian hard cheese’, which is usually vegetarian.
  • fresh basil
  • garlic granules
Spaghetti with tomato sauce and Mediterranean lentil meatballs.

🖨 Printable Instructions

Overhead shot of Mediterranean lentil meatballs with spaghetti.

Print

Mediterranean Lentil Meatballs

Easy vegetarian lentil meatballs, made extra tasty with Mediterranean-inspired ingredients. These are so simple – just mix and bake!
Course Main meal
Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean
Diet Vegetarian
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 25 meatballs
Calories 216kcal
Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

  • 2 x 390g tins green lentils, thoroughly drained (470g, or ~ 2 2/3 cups, in total when drained)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 Tablespoons sliced black olives, roughly chopped
  • 5 pieces sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 50 g (~ 1/2 cup) finely grated vegetarian parmesan-style cheese
  • 1 teaspoon garlic granules
  • Few sprigs fresh basil, roughly chopped
  • 85 g (~ 2/3 cup) plain flour (I used wholemeal)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F). Add all of the ingredients, except for the flour, to a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to mix the ingredients thoroughly. It’s fine if the lentils get a little mashed up.
    Ingredients for Mediterranean lentil meatballs mixed up in a mixing bowl.
  • Add the flour, and mix well to combine.
    Mediterranean lentil meatball mixture in a bowl.
  • Lightly grease a baking sheet. Use clean hands to form the mixture into ball shapes, and place them on the tray. The mixture will be quite sticky – they don’t have to be perfect balls. I managed to get 25 balls from the mixture.
    Uncooked vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs laid out on a baking sheet.
  • Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, until the lentil balls are slightly crispy and just firm.
    Crispy vegetarian Mediterranean lentil meatballs on a baking tray.
  • Serve with spaghetti and tomato sauce, if desired.
    A plate of spaghetti served with Mediterranean lentil meatballs.

Nutrition

Serving: 5balls | Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 27.6g | Protein: 14.9g | Fat: 5.6g | Saturated Fat: 2.2g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 201mg | Potassium: 325mg | Fiber: 8.3g | Sugar: 1.9g | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 3mg

💭 Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare these lentil balls in advance?

You could certainly mix together the ingredients in advance, and then store the mixture in a sealed container in the fridge for a day or so, until you’re ready to shape and bake the balls. The meatballs are tastiest when freshly baked, but if needed, you could even bake them in advance, and then reheat when you’re ready to eat them.

Can I freeze these lentil meatballs?

I didn’t experiment with freezing these balls, but it’s the sort of recipe I have had luck with freezing in the past, so I definitely think it’s worth a try.

How should I reheat leftover vegetarian meatballs?

The easiest way to reheat these lentil meatballs is in the microwave. They do dry out a little and lose their crispiness when reheated, but they’re still tasty. Alternatively, you could re-crisp them in the oven or air fryer.

How should I serve vegetarian lentil balls?

I served my meatballs with spaghetti and tomato sauce, which worked beautifully. You could alternatively serve them stuffed into pitta bread with some tzatziki, or alongside some mashed potato.

🍛 Other Lentil Recipes

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