Slow Cooker Lentil and Rice {4 Basic Ingredients}

Slow Cooker Lentil and Rice is a 4-ingredient, Dump and Forget, Lazy-Day dinner recipe where all you have to do is just add rice and lentils along with herbs and spices in your slow cooker and then get them cooked to perfection. Just like this Crockpot Lentil Coconut Curry and this Instant Pot Lentil Soup.

NOTE: I have not counted Olive oil, Salt and Pepper as ingredients since they are used in all recipes.

Jump to:

• Five Reasons to love this Recipe
• Ingredients
• Just two steps to make a difference....!
• Substitutions
• Can I Make this in the Instant Pot
• Storage
• Variations
• Do I have to Soak Lentils?
• Is this Kid-Friendly?
• How to make it Freezer Friendly?
• Slow Cooker Lentil and Rice {4 Basic Ingredients}

Egyptian Lentil and Rice is such a comforting recipe that you don't need a special occasion to make it. You can make it with your basic pantry ingredients and the result will be something super-good.

This 4-Ingredient recipe is inspired by other popular 4-ingredient recipes which are:

• Crockpot Chicken Thighs in Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce
• Easy Dark Chocolate Walnut Fudge
• Flourless Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
• Donuts in Air-Fryer Without Yeast
• Dark Chocolate Coconut Balls without Condensed Milk
• 4-ingredients Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Truffles

There is something so comforting about cooking food in the slow cooker right? I'll be honest with you. I love cooking. I love exploring flavors. But, standing on the counter for hours sautéing continuously is not my cup of tea. I'd rather just dump everything in the slow cooker and forget about it for the next 5-6 hours.

Moreover, slow cooked food is much much better than anything else. I am talking about recipes like:-

• Slow Cooker Baked Beans with Bacon & Maple
• Crockpot Tomato Basil Chicken
• Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo in Crockpot
• Crockpot Chicken Fajita
• Apple Butternut Squash Chicken in Crockpot
• Sweet Corn Casserole {5-ingredient} with Jiffy Mix in the Crockpot

Five Reasons to love this Recipe

1. 4 Basic Ingredients - This recipe uses just 4 basic ingredients but tastes gourmet.
2. Cozy and Comforting - It's absolutely cozy and comforting just like chicken and rice.
3. Tastes Best the Next Day - Pack it for lunch and it will stay absolutely fresh. This tastes even better on the next day.
4. Freeze Leftovers - You can freeze the leftovers for up to 3 months.
5. Cheap and Healthy - Red lentils are one of the MOST inexpensive items on earth. You can easily get a bag of red lentils and let's not forget how healthy they are. Packed with protein, fiber, iron and foliate this should be your ideal choice.

Ingredients

• Brown Rice
• Lentil - any lentil that you like Brown, Red or Green.
• Ground Cinnamon
• Thyme
• crushed garlic
• Salt and Pepper
• olive oil

See recipe card for quantities.

Just two steps to make a difference....!

Step 1: Add Everything in Slow Cooker

Add oil to the bottom of a slow cooker, followed by brown rice, lentil (of your choice), ground cinnamon, dried or fresh Thyme, crushed or finely minced garlic, salt and pepper. Stir lightly.

Step 2: Cover and Cook

Cover the lid and cook on low for 4 hours or on High for 2 hours.

Step 3: Garnish and Serve

Garnish with Freshly chopped Parsley or cilantro and serve with rice.

Hint: Your cooking time will depend on the kind of lentil you are using.

Green lentil and Brown Lentils - Green Lentils and Brown lentils takes around 3-4 hours on High and 6 to 8 hours on Low.

Red Lentils - Red Lentils cooks fast. So, you'd need about 2 hours on High and about 4 hours on Low. Don't overcook red lentils or else they will break apart and become mushy.

Substitutions

• Bay Leaf - One dried bay leaf can add so much flavor and fragrance to your lentil and rice.
• Ground Coriander - About 1/2 teaspoon of Ground Coriander would add more depth of flavor.
• Curry Powder - Although it is not necessary, but you can add 1/2 teaspoon of curry powder to make the flavors more amazing.
• Ground Cumin - A pinch of ground cumin adds an earthy tone to the recipe.

Can I Make this in the Instant Pot

Yes you can easily make this in the Instant Pot. To make this recipe in exact Instant Pot, just add everything in the same order. Do not Stir. Cover and set valve to sealing position. Pressure Cook/Manual for 25 minutes. Now do Quick Pressure Release by turning the valve to Venting. Serve hot with fresh cilantro.

Storage

Refrigerate: Allow it to cool down completely. Transfer it to an air-tight container and refrigerate for 5-6 days. Reheat by simmering with a splash of water or vegetable broth for at least 5-minutes.

Freeze: Allow it to cool down completely. Freeze it in an air tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or on the counter for 5 to 6 hours.

Variations

• Lentil and rice Pilaf - You can use Jasmine rice instead of brown rice along with caramelized onions to make Authentic Lebanese Lentil Rice Pilaf.
• Lentil and rice salad - If you are using cooked brown rice and canned cooked lentils then you can just combine all of that to make a salad.
• Lentil and rice casserole - You can simply combine all these ingredients in a baking dish and bake at 300 degrees F for about 1 hour 10-minutes. Add cheese and bake for another 20-minutes.
• Lentil and rice stuffed pepper - You can make stuffed pepper with lentil and rice. Or else you can also make Lentil and rice stuffed zucchini.
• Lentil and rice burger - Lentils and rice makes excellent burgers. See the recipe for Instant Pot Lentil Sloppy Joes Recipe {Vegan}