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This Lentil Cottage Pie is a rich filling of lentils, carrots, peas and sweetcorn in a tomato and tamari gravy, topped with creamy potato mash and baked until golden. It takes 15 minutes of prep, 45 minutes in total and serves 4. For another cosy bake, try my Butterbean and Leek Pie.
Lentil Cottage Pie at a Glance
James's tipLet the lentil filling bubble for 5 minutes before it goes in the dish. It thickens, so the mash sits on top instead of sinking.
Key ingredients
- Tinned lentils
- Carrots, peas and sweetcorn
- Chopped tomatoes and tamari
- Potato mash
Why you'll love it
- Proper comfort food for winter
- About 22g protein and 22g fibre a portion
- Freezes for up to 3 months
Quick summary
Onion, garlic, carrots and herbs are fried, then simmered with lentils, peas, sweetcorn, tomatoes, tamari and gravy granules. It is topped with mash and baked at 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas 7) for 30 minutes. Serves 4 at about 508 kcal a portion.
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Why this recipe works
This is proper comfort food for cold winter evenings, and it beats any ready meal. Put it in the middle of the table and let everyone dig in.
Use whatever vegetables you have. The lentils give it a hearty, meaty texture that works for everyone at the table.
It was inspired by my Awesome Aubergine Bake, and it goes well with my Roasted Root Vegetables or a Three Bean Salad.
Ingredients to make Lentil Cottage Pie
For the potato mash
- Potatoes: Floury potatoes like Maris Piper make the fluffiest mash. No need to peel them.
- Dairy Free Butter: Makes the mash rich and creamy.
- Dairy Free Milk: An unsweetened soya or oat milk keeps the mash creamy.
- Salt and Pepper: To season the mash.
For the lentil filling
- Olive Oil: About 1 tbsp for frying the veg.
- Carrots: Finely diced, for sweetness and bite.
- Sweetcorn: A drained tin.
- Frozen Peas: Straight from the freezer. Spare peas? Make my Mashed Peas.
- Red Onion: Finely diced.
- Garlic: Two cloves, crushed.
- Dried Oregano: Adds an earthy flavour.
- Bay Leaves: A subtle background flavour. Take them out before you add the mash.
- Vegetable Gravy Granules: Many granules contain wheat, so choose a pack labelled gluten free and vegan. No granules where you live? Leave them out and add an extra splash of tamari.
- Tamari: A gluten free soy sauce for savoury depth.
- Chopped Tomatoes: One 400g tin makes the rich sauce.
- Cooked Lentils: Two 400g tins, drained and rinsed, give about 530g of cooked lentils. Green or brown lentils hold their shape best.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Potatoes: Sweet potato or parsnip mash both work well. This pie started out with a parsnip mash.
- Dairy Free Butter: A good glug of olive oil works instead.
- Vegetables: Use what you have. Broccoli, spinach, mushrooms or leeks all work.
- Tamari: Soy sauce or liquid aminos work, but soy sauce contains wheat. A gluten free Worcestershire style sauce works too.
Variations
- Spicy: Add some chilli powder and cumin with the herbs.
- Deluxe: Sprinkle dairy free cheese and fresh herbs on top and grill at the end until golden.
- Kid Friendly: Let kids pick the vegetables, and stir some dairy free cheese into the mash.
For a pastry topped version, try my Vegan Mushroom Pie.
How to make Lentil Cottage Pie
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas 7). Roughly chop the potatoes (no need to peel), add to a pan of boiling water and boil for 12 minutes until soft.
Step 2: Finely dice the onion and carrots and crush the garlic.
Step 3: Heat a glug of olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion, garlic, carrots, oregano and bay leaves for 5 minutes until the onion and carrots soften.
Step 4: Add the peas, sweetcorn, tamari, gravy granules, drained lentils and chopped tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes so it thickens, then take out the bay leaves.
Step 5: Drain the potatoes, put them back in the pan and mash with the dairy free butter, dairy free milk and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.
Step 6: Spoon the filling into a large baking dish, top with the mash and rough it up with a fork. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Serve with my Roasted Sprouts with Oranges & Walnuts or plenty of greens.
Leftovers
Cool leftovers quickly, keep them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat once until piping hot. To make ahead, assemble the pie, cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days, then bake for 40 minutes until piping hot. It freezes for up to 3 months before or after baking; defrost in the fridge overnight first. For another freezer friendly dinner, try my 20 Minute Lentil Bolognese.
Recipe FAQs
Minced beef and vegetables in gravy, topped with mashed potato. This version swaps the meat for lentils.
Yes, before or after baking, for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, then bake (or reheat once) until piping hot all the way through.
Traditionally cottage pie is made with beef and shepherd’s pie with lamb. With lentils the two are much the same; my Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is another take.
About 508 kcal a portion when it serves 4, with about 22g protein and 22g fibre.
Yes. Assemble it, cover and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days, then bake for about 40 minutes until piping hot. My Vegan Moussaka works the same way.
Tinned green or brown lentils are the quickest and hold their shape. Puy lentils work too. Red lentils turn soft and mushy.
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Lentil Cottage Pie
Ingredients
Mashed Potato
- 750 g white potatoes, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 50 ml milk, (I used vegan)
Lentil Pie
- 1 red onion, roughly diced
- 3 carrots , chopped
- 1 can sweetcorn
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp vegetable gravy granules
- 2 tbsp tamari
- 1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 2x 400g cans of cooked lentils, drained & rinsed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C fan (220°C conventional, gas 7). Roughly chop the potatoes (no need to peel them) and boil for 12 minutes until soft.
- Finely dice the onion and carrots and crush the garlic.
- Heat a glug of olive oil in a large pan and fry the onion, garlic, carrots, oregano and bay leaves for 5 minutes until the onion and carrots soften.
- Add the peas, sweetcorn, tamari, gravy granules, drained lentils and tinned tomatoes and mix. Simmer for 5 minutes to thicken, then remove the bay leaves.
- Drain the potatoes, put them back in the pan with the butter, milk and a generous pinch of salt and pepper and mash.
- Spoon the lentil filling into a large baking dish and top with the mash. Bake for 30 minutes until golden.
Notes
Nutrition
There’s no mention of parsnips in the ingredient’s ist or method… I imagine it’s just swapping the use of potatoes but it is a bit misleading. Please update as I’d love to make this! Thanks
Hey Nikki, you just came at the wrong time as the recipe is currently going through a few tweaks over the next few days. I have swapped the parsnips mash for potato mash. But you can still use parsnips if you wish just swap out the potatoes. Enjoy 🙂
Do steps 3,4 and 5 happen together or do you fry the onions for some time (the recipe doesn’t indicate). Thanks
Looks like a great concept
Sorry Phil, yes fry step 3 together for a few minutes then move onto step 4 and 5.
And I’ve just read your instructions at the end – that it can be kept in the fridge for 2 days and it can be frozen 🙂
I bought reduced parsnips this morning, looked online for ideas how to use them and came across this delicious looking recipe. This looks like you could prepare the mash and the lentil mixture ahead of time, leave in the fridge and then put in the oven when needed. Just wanted to check if this is correct? Also, I guess you could put it in the fridge and use the next day? Can you freeze the dish? Thanks again.
Welcome Fiona! Yes you could definitely prep the mash and the lentil mix before hand and then just bake when you’re ready! Enjoy 🙂
James, how much cooked Lentils do I substitute for canned Lentils?
Hey Patrick, the can of lentils has a drained cooked weight of 265g 🙂
Think you need to be more specific re the baking dish size – I used a large one but not that deep, and there wasn’t nearly enough parsnip mash to cover the top, plus I didn’t add as much extra veg to the filling!
Same here – it’s delicious but I ended up tripling the amount of parsnip. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Hi there, do you have a suggestion for a gravy granules substitute? I can’t get them where I live (in Austria). Thanks!
Hey Karen, I would just leave them out if that’s the case 🙂 enjoy!
This is a fantastic recipe. Thank you for the inspiration, very delicious. We used broccoli and spinach in the main part.
What an amazing recipe! We loved the parsnip mash, lentil pie. We had broccoli and spinach in the main part. Very impressed and would absolutely have this again. Thank you for the inspiration and this dish!
Thank you Steph 🙂 so pleased you enjoyed it!!
This was so good. Will definitely make again.
Loved this! I needed an easy meal to make that would be suitable for both vegan and gluten free diets and this was the perfect choice. We made it with sweet potato mash and it was really delicious. All the plates were cleared and that includes 3 kids too! Perfect family meal, thanks for the recipe
Thank you Ali 🙂 so pleased it went down well with everyone!