High carbVeg-heavyLow fat

Lentil Cottage Pie

The lentils need longer than you think to stop tasting raw.

60 min Serves 3 Stove, Frying pan, Saucepan, Oven

Per serving

496

kcal

21.7 g

protein

84.8 g

carbs

9.6 g

fat

4.4 g protein per 100 kcal · 12.8 g fibre. Calculated from the exact weights below using standard food composition data, so they are close estimates rather than lab values.

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Ingredients

For 3 servings.

  • Lentils, dry weight200 g
  • Potato450 g
  • Tinned chopped tomatoes200 g
  • Carrot120 g
  • Onion100 g
  • Butter30 g
  • Semi-skimmed milk50 g

Method

  1. 1Simmer the lentils with the diced vegetables and tomatoes for 30 minutes until thick.
  2. 2Boil and mash the potatoes with butter and milk.
  3. 3Top, fork it rough, bake at 200°C for 25 minutes.

New to cooking? Read this first

The techniques and safety points this recipe uses, explained from scratch.

How to chop (dice) an onionShow

The trick is to leave the root end on while you cut — it holds the layers together so the onion does not fall apart.

  1. Cut off the pointed top (not the hairy root end). Halve the onion from top to root.
  2. Peel off the papery skin and the first tough layer.
  3. Lay one half flat side down. Make a few cuts from top towards the root, stopping about 1 cm before it.
  4. Turn the knife flat and make one or two cuts parallel to the board, again stopping short of the root.
  5. Now slice across the first cuts with the claw grip. Small squares fall off. Bin the root end.

Ready when: Pieces about the size of a pea (finely chopped) or a fingernail (chopped).

Opening tinsShow

Ring-pull lids have razor-sharp edges once open.

  1. Pull the ring slowly and steadily towards you, keeping fingers away from the lid's edge.
  2. Don't press food down with your fingers inside an open tin — use a spoon.
Simmer vs boil — what the bubbles tell youShow

A boil is big bubbles rolling hard across the whole surface. A simmer is much gentler: small bubbles rising lazily, a few breaking the surface. Stews, sauces and soups simmer; boiling makes meat tough and sauces catch on the bottom.

  1. Bring it up to the boil on a higher heat, then turn the heat down until the bubbling calms to a gentle simmer.
  2. Check every few minutes and adjust — a lid on makes it hotter, a lid off lets it thicken.
  3. Stir now and then, scraping the bottom, so nothing sticks and burns.

Ready when: Small, steady bubbles — not a still surface, not a rolling boil.

Thickening a sauce by cooking it downShow

Letting a sauce bubble with the lid off lets water escape as steam, so it gets thicker and tastier.

  1. Take the lid off and keep it at a lively simmer.
  2. Stir every minute or two, scraping the bottom — it catches more easily as it thickens.
  3. Season at the END, because the salt concentrates as the liquid goes.

Ready when: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger stays clear.

MashingShow

Mash while the food is hot and well drained — cold or watery food turns gluey.

  1. Drain well and let it steam in the colander for a minute to dry off.
  2. Put it back in the warm pan and press down repeatedly with a masher or fork until smooth.
  3. Add butter or milk a little at a time and season to taste.

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A standard home version of a well-known dish, written for Solviro. Nutrition is estimated from ingredient weights and will vary with brands and portions.