Vegan cottage pie
Hearty lentil and vegetable filling topped with silky mashed potato — vegan comfort food that feeds four and freezes brilliantly.
This vegan cottage pie swaps minced meat for tinned brown lentils and a generous mix of veg — all the comfort of the original with less fuss and no animal products. It’s perfect for a midweek roast-style meal, feeding a crowd or batch-cooking and freezing.
What makes it sing is the contrasting textures: a rich, well-reduced lentil casserole beneath a silky, golden mashed potato top. It’s proper British comfort, but kinder to the planet.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg potatoes — Maris Piper or floury potatoes, peeled and cut into even chunks
- 30 ml olive oil
- 50 g vegan butter
- 100 ml unsweetened plant milk — soya or oat
- 2 tinned brown lentils — 400 g each, drained and rinsed
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — crushed
- 200 g carrots — peeled and diced
- 2 celery sticks — diced
- 200 g chestnut mushrooms — sliced
- 30 g tomato purée
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes — one tin
- 400 ml vegetable stock — hot
- 15 ml tamari
- 15 ml balsamic vinegar
- 5 ml dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 15 ml cornflour — mixed with a little cold water to make a slurry
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — to taste
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped, to garnish
Equipment
- baking dish (about 25 x 20 cm)
- potato masher or ricer
- large frying pan
- colander
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional. Put a medium saucepan on the hob and fill with enough cold water to cover the potatoes.
Add the potatoes to the cold water with a pinch of sea salt, bring to the boil, then simmer until tender when pierced — about 20 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
While the potatoes cook, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion, carrots and celery and fry, stirring occasionally, until softened — about 8 minutes.
Increase the heat slightly, add the chestnut mushrooms and garlic cloves and cook until the mushrooms have released their moisture and started to brown, about 6 minutes.
Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, then add the tinned chopped tomatoes, tamari, balsamic vinegar, dried thyme, bay leaf, drained tinned brown lentils and hot vegetable stock. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered until slightly reduced, about 12 minutes.
Make a slurry by stirring the cornflour into a tablespoon of cold water, fold into the filling and simmer for 2 minutes until thickened and glossy.
Return the drained potatoes to the pan off the heat. Mash with the vegan butter and unsweetened plant milk until smooth and season with sea salt and black pepper.
Spoon the lentil filling into a 25 x 20 cm baking dish, level the surface. Dollop the mashed potato on top and spread to cover, creating rough peaks with a fork for crisp edges. Drizzle the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil over the top and bake for 20 minutes until bubbling and the top is golden.
Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes. Scatter over the fresh parsley, carve and serve.
Tips
- Start potatoes in cold water and drain thoroughly — that prevents a watery mash.
- If you prefer a firmer filling, reduce the stock by a few minutes more before thickening with cornflour.
- This freezes brilliantly: freeze whole or in portions for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 35–45 minutes, covered for the first 25 minutes.
- For a richer mash, fold through an extra tablespoon of vegan butter just before topping.
- If your oven browns unevenly, finish under a hot grill for 1–2 minutes — watch it closely to avoid burning.
Substitutions
tinned brown lentils → 200 g dried green/brown lentils, rinsed and simmered in 600 ml water for 20–25 minutes until tender (use the cooking water as part of the stock)
Stays closevegan butter → extra 1 tbsp olive oil
Stays closeunsweetened plant milk → extra vegetable stock or water
Noticeably differenttamari → soy sauce (not gluten-free)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 576
- Calories
- 17 g
- Protein
- 82 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
- Sugar
- 700 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes — use gluten-free tamari or omit it and add a pinch more sea salt. Ensure your vegetable stock is gluten-free.
Can I use dried lentils instead of tinned?
Yes. Rinse 200 g dried green/brown lentils and simmer in water for 20–25 minutes until tender, then drain and use — reduce the stock you add to the filling accordingly.
How long will leftovers keep?
Keep cooled leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional until piping hot, about 20–30 minutes.
Can I make the filling ahead?
Yes — make the filling up to two days ahead and chill. Reheat gently, adjust seasoning, assemble with freshly mashed potato and bake as instructed.
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