Cook Well for Less

Vegetarian Cottage Pie

A rich lentil and vegetable filling under buttery mashed potato, with half the filling deliberately reserved for Lentil & Vegetable Soup.

Prep
20 mins
Cook
60 mins
Total
80 mins
Difficulty
easy
Serves
2
Illustration: Lentil and vegetable filling under rough golden mashed potato
Cook Well for Less · AI-generated pencil and watercolour illustration

Get ready

Ingredients for 2 portions

  • 1 medium onionfinely chopped
  • 2 medium carrotsdiced
  • 2 celery sticksdiced
  • 150g mushroomsfinely chopped
  • 2 garlic clovescrushed
  • 1 × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 2 × 400 g tins green lentilsdrained
  • 500g white potatoespeeled and chopped
  • 20g butter
  • 50ml milk

Optional extras

  • 40 g mature Cheddargrated
Equipment
  • large frying pan or saucepan
  • saucepan
  • appropriately sized ovenproof dish
  • chopping board
  • knife
  • potato masher

Cook

Method

  1. Start the filling

    Heat the oil in a large frying pan or saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook gently for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

  2. Add the mushrooms

    Add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes, until they have softened and most of their liquid has cooked away.

  3. Add the flavourings

    Stir in the garlic, tomato purée and thyme and cook for about 1 minute.

  4. Simmer the filling

    Add the chopped tomatoes, drained green lentils, stock cube, soy sauce and the measured water. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the filling is rich and spoonable but not dry.

  5. Taste before seasoning

    Taste the filling and add black pepper if needed. The stock cube and soy sauce already contain salt, so do not add salt automatically.

  6. Reserve half the filling

    Set aside approximately half of the lentil and vegetable filling for Lentil & Vegetable Soup before assembling the cottage pie. Cool and refrigerate the reserved filling promptly in a covered container.

  7. Make the mash

    Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6. While the filling simmers, put the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer until tender, then drain and leave them to steam for a minute or two. Mash with the butter and milk.

  8. Assemble the pie

    Spoon the cottage-pie half of the filling into an appropriately sized ovenproof dish. Spread the mash over the top and rough the surface with a fork. Sprinkle over the Cheddar if using.

  9. Bake

    Bake at 200°C / 180°C fan / Gas 6 for 20–25 minutes, until hot throughout and browned on top.

Make it stretch

One filling, two meals

Make one generous batch of lentil and vegetable filling, then reserve approximately half before assembling the two-portion cottage pie.

The reserved filling becomes two portions of chunky Lentil & Vegetable Soup with one potato, a stock cube and water.

See how Make It Stretch works

  1. Illustration: Chunky lentil and vegetable soup with potato, carrots and mushrooms

    Next meal

    Lentil & Vegetable Soup

    Simmer the reserved filling with a diced potato, vegetable stock and water, then lightly crush some of the potato and lentils to thicken the soup.

    Cook Lentil & Vegetable Soup

For later

Storing and using leftovers

Ideas

Use the deliberately reserved half of the lentil and vegetable filling for Lentil & Vegetable Soup.

Community

Ratings and comments

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