- Hearty & Grounding
- Mains
- Vegetarian
- Prep 25 min
- Cook 1 h
- Serves 6
All the comfort of the classic, and no meat needed. Green lentils give the filling a proper bite, and the mash gets crisp ridges in the oven. It feeds a crowd and reheats beautifully.
Ingredients
For the filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 250 g mushrooms, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 250 g dried green or brown lentils, rinsed
- 700 ml vegetable stock
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 150 g frozen peas
- Salt and black pepper
For the mash
- 1.2 kg floury potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 60 g butter
- 100 ml milk
- 60 g grated mature cheddar, optional
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the onion, carrots and celery for 10 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for 5 more minutes until the mushrooms have released their water and browned.
- Stir in the tomato purée, lentils, stock, thyme and soy sauce. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the lentils are tender and the sauce is thick. Stir in the peas, season and spoon into a large baking dish.
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes until very tender. Drain well, then mash with the butter and milk. Season.
- Heat the oven to 200°C. Spread the mash over the filling and rough up the top with a fork. Sprinkle with cheese if using.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden and bubbling at the edges. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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