Lentil Cottage Pie

Posted By Kerri

lentil_cottage_pie_whole

I’m really pleased with the way this turned out, especially as it was a very last minute decision. Stephen and I had decided that we would have something meat-free tonight as our meat intake has been so high lately. We didn’t have anything specific in mind but, while browsing other food blogs this afternoon, I came across Rachel’s recipe for Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie which looked really good.

I followed the recipe almost exactly apart from adding some celery at the beginning, some rosemary a little later on and doubling the amount of tomatoes (this was by accident actually but it turned out well).

I’ve always maintained that I don’t like lentils very much because they tend towards the mushy side, that was exactly what was required for this dish though and I loved it. I think it would work really well layered with lasagne sheets and topped with bechamel too.

lentil_cottage_pie_spoon

Although this is Rachel’s recipe, I’m copying it below so that I can remember the (small) changes I made when it comes to making that lasagne.

1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 stick celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
100g red lentils
1 sprig rosemary, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
200ml red wine
1 can chopped tomatoes
500ml vegetable stock
Tablespoon tomato paste

Sautee onions, celery and carrots for around 10 minutes before adding the garlic
Stir in the lentils.
Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to the boil.
Simmer for 40 minutes.

Jan 29th, 2009

11 Comments to 'Lentil Cottage Pie'

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  1. Nate said,

    That looks perfect! No meat needed here. It sounds delicious.

    Nate’s last blog post..Cioppino Hot Pot Recipe

  2. Katie said,

    What a great idea! I’ll have to make this for my mum, she always feels left out living in a house full of meat eating boys!

    Katie xox

    Katie’s last blog post..Fudgy chocolate cupcakes

  3. Helen said,

    Well done on your meat-free pie! Love that cath kisdton stripe too.

  4. Jules said,

    This looks like a perfect recipe for our meat-free days.

    Jules’s last blog post..Cookery Club – the beginning

  5. c+j said,

    This looks nice. I have some red lentils I’ve been meaning to use up for ages but haven’t come across the right recipe yet. This one looks just right for winter!

    c+j’s last blog post..Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits

  6. Kerri said,

    This is definitely one of the tastiest meat-free dishes I’ve had for a while, am grateful to Rachel for posting it!

  7. Leslie said,

    Hi, If you use the little dark green French lentils (my food coop carries them) instead of the red or the larger browny-green ones, your lentils will not get mushy. They have a nice texture, and rich flavor, and are great in dishes such as these. They also work really well in cold salads in the summer time because they keep their shape.

  8. Kerri said,

    Thanks Leslie, we do use the puy lentils quite a lot in other dishes and we both really like them. The softness of the red lentils works well in this dish and I like these too.

  9. fee said,

    yummy scrummy ! This is the first meat free meal I have ever made but recenctly I have thinking i want a meat free night at least once a week and this is the perfcet dish .
    I did add chili to it and green beans

  10. fee said,

    could i use the lentil mixture with chicken if i wanted to add some meat ?

  11. Stephen said,

    You could try that – I can’t guarantee how well it would work but experimenting is usually worth doing at least once with a recipe 🙂

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