I can’t take the credit for this lentil and spinach pie, it’s a recipe from Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries II. Such a gorgeous book full of lovely simple recipes and one I often use. You can find the original recipe here on the Guardian website but I recommend you check out Nigel’s website too as its just fabulous.

Lentil and Spinach Pie, Nigel Slater, Gingey Bites

Here’s my slightly tweaked & halved version for 3 (or 2 greedy people).

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • Rapeseed oil – I use and love local suppliers Cotswold Gold. Find out more about them in this previous post.
  • Half a stick of celery
  • 175g mushrooms (I used chestnut)
  • 1 large clove of garlic
  • 1 bay leaf & 2 sprigs of thyme
  • 250g lentils (I used dried but Nigel suggests jarred)
  • Vegetable stock 250g
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 250g Spinach for pie & 50g for topping
  • 500g floury potatoes peeled for topping
  • 40g butter
  • A handful of grated mature cheddar.

Method:

  • Soften diced onion, carrot and celery in a heavy bottom pan (such as a cast iron casserole) for about 10 minutes or until they are almost tender. 
  • Finely dice the mushrooms and add to the pan. After 5 minutes, add crushed garlic, the bay leaf and thyme. 
  • If you’re using bottled lentils, add them now with their liquid, if you’re using dried lentils, boil and drain first, then add a couple of ladles of extra stock. Stir briefly, and add the stock. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer for around 15 minutes. 
  • Season with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar to taste.
  • Boil your peeled, chopped potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes until tender. Mash with the butter until light and fluffy.
  • Preheat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Wash the spinach and tear any large leaves. Whilst they are wet, steam around three quarters in a pan with a lid on, for a few minutes till they start to collapse.
  • Cool the spinach under a cold tap and wring as much of the liquid out as you can then stir into the lentils. (Don’t add the spinach raw to the lentils: the leaves will produce a lot of water and you’ll be left with lentil soup.) Mix the rest of the uncooked spinach into the mash.
  • Using an oven dish (like a lasagne or pie dish) put the lentils in and add the potato as a topping. Bake for 45 minutes then sprinkle with grated cheese and leave for 10 more mins until the top is nicely browned!
The finished cottage pie
I’m entering this into April’s Credit Crunch Muncha great blog link up which is hosted by Camilla at Fab Food 4 All and Helen at Fuss Free Flavours. They’ve been running the challenge for a while now and its all about sharing recipes that are cheap and tasty (like this one) so you’ll find lots of inspiration for great food which won’t break the bank! 
Credit Crunch Munch

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