Lentil Cottage Pie

In an effort to eat less meat and more vegetarian meals and
of course to be a supporter of Meatless
Mondays, I have been looking at how I can make
lentils and chickpeas taste good. Let’s be honest, they can
be rather bland, yes? BUT!! They are great protein additions
and there is hope for the little protein balls after
all! Take this Lentil Cottage Pie I made
this weekend for example, it was cheesy and tomatoey (I’m all
into making up my own words) and wholesome and filling and an
all round great recipe for making lentils taste way better
than they look. They actually tasted delicious which, I must
confess, surprised me and delighted me – The BLAH turned to
YAH!!!!

Vegans can adapt the dish by leaving the
cheese and mashed potato part out – I’ve made this dish without
the cheese and it still tastes good. Eat with pasta, cous cous,
quinoa or even a bowl of rice.

Some recipe notes!

• You will see at the bottom of the ingredient list, it says
  1/2 cup vegetable stock or red wine!! Either will work
  beautifully but wine always seems to go well with tomato bases.
  


• I have used tinned lentils as they are just simpler and
  more convenient to use. Use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs
  if they are available and omit the sugar if you feel the sauce
  is sweet enough. Sometimes the tinned tomatoes can be
  incredibly sweet but they can also be on the tart side, so use
  your discretion here to add more or less.
  


• I grated the carrots finely – that is just a personal
  preference although I do think it makes the sauce and end
  result more pleasant visually as well as to eat.
  


• If you don’t have spring onion, use one large celery stalk
  sliced finely.
  


• Lastly, do not be put off by the long list of ingredients –
  you’re making mashed potato too! Just reminding you.
  

Print

Lentil Cottage Pie

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• 
  Author:
  Louise
  


• 
  Prep
  Time: 15
  mins
  


• 
  Cook
  Time: 45
  mins
  


• 
  Total
  Time: 60
  mins
  


• 
  Yield:
  4-6
  

Description

A healthy vegetarian cottage pie made with lentils and a
rich tomato base, topped with grated cheese and mash
potato and more cheese, and then grilled to perfection.
Quick and easy to make and perfect for a Meatless Monday
meal.

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Ingredients

• 6 TBS butter – 3 tbs for the filling and 3 tbs
  for the mash potatoes
  


• 1 onion finely sliced
  


• 2 medium carrots, finely grated
  


• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
  


• 5 small garlic cloves, crushed
  


• 1 x 50g sachet tomato paste
  


• 1/2 cup tomato puree
  


• 1 can Italian tomatoes (diced)
  


• 1 tsp dried sweet basil
  


• 1 tsp dried thyme
  


• 1 tsp sugar
  


• salt and pepper, to taste
  


• 1 cup lentils (I used tinned lentils that were rinsed
  and drained)
  


• 1/2 cup vegetable stock or red wine
  


• 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
  


• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
  


• 3 tbs milk
  

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Instructions

1. Heat the butter in a medium-sized pan and sautée
   the onions until soft and translucent.
   


2. Add the garlic and cook for a minute – be careful not
   to burn the garlic
   


3. Add the carrots and spring onions and cook until
   softened – roughly 10 minutes
   


4. Stir in the herbs and tomato paste and cook for 1-2
   minutes
   


5. Add in the puree, canned tomatoes, sugar, lentils and
   stock (or wine!) and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes
   until the liquid has reduced into a beautiful tomato
   sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and then set aside.
   


6. In the meantime, prepare the mashed potato – boil the
   peeled potatoes until soft, drain the water, mash the
   potatoes and add 3 TBS butter and 3 TBS milk and mix
   well.
   


7. Pour the lentil filling into a medium-sized baking
   dish and sprinkle with 1 cup of grated cheese.
   


8. Now add the mashed potato and smooth it over to cover
   the lentil filling
   


9. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese
   


10. Grill until the cheese has melted and browned
    slightly, 5-10 minutes.