Green lentil and bean mashed potato pie is inspired from a few recipes that were popular during the British wartime era where thriftiness and creatively in the kitchen was essential.
This mashed potato pie is the perfect family wholesome and tasty mid-week meal. Everyone will love the crispy mashed potatoes and bubbling paprika flavoured green lentil, carrot and haricot bean filling.
New to plant-based and vegan diets? This recipe is the ideal introduction to the flavourful and creative world that is all-plant diets! You definitely won’t feel like you are missing out with this tasty meal.
Green Lentil And Bean Mashed Potato Pie
Lentil pies and bean pies were popular meals during the second world war British wartime era (1939-1945). Beans and lentils were more freely available compared with other protein foods and so these were encouraged to ensure good nutrition was not compromised. Meat-free sausages, patties and burgers prepared with lentils, beans and veggies were created and enjoyed.
Marguerite Patton was a celebrity food chef and devised many meat-free recipes that she shared with the public through her wartime radio show. Lentil and bean pies were popular additions.
I was inspired to create this pie from the old-fashioned wartime recipes.
It is really simple and easy to prepare. Its perfect for tasty midweek family meals or for batch prepping.
I also had in mind those that are new to plant-based and vegan diets while creating the recipe, so wanted to only use easy to find every-day ingredients with simple yet tasty flavours.
This recipe is also great for batch prepping.
Prepare individual pies and freeze for speedy convenient future meals where you can simply pull out a few pies, defrost, and bake until thoroughly reheated.
This recipe is also ideal for those who need tomato or/and celery free meals.
Although if this preference is allergy based then do check the ingredients for any veggie stock or seasonings used for tomato and celery based ingredients.
Preparing the lentil and bean pie is really easy:
First the mashed potatoes are prepared by simply cooking the potatoes until soft before mashing with some plant milk and vegan butter. However, if you have a preferred way to make mashed potatoes then do use that method as this is your dinner!
The mashed potato topping can be replaced with a mashed sweet potato topping or even a mixed root vegetable topping. Do check out our recipe for wartime champ which would be especially tasty as a pie topping.
Next the pie filling is prepared. To start the onions and garlic are cooked in either a tablespoon of oil or 1/2 cup of veggie stock. Grated carrot and dried green lentils are next in with sweet paprika, bay leaf, salt and pepper providing the tasty simple seasonings.
Vegetable stock is poured into the lentil mix and brought to a simmer and left to cook for 25 minutes. Next a can of drained haricot beans is tipped into the lentil mix along with an extra 1/2 cup of veggie stock. The filling is simmered for 5-10 minutes just until the lentils are soft.
Individual pie dishes can be used or one larger casserole or pie dish depending on your preference. For this recipe I wanted to serve 6 so I selected 2 small individual pie dishes for my kids, as they like the novelty of having their own little dish, as well as 2 larger pie dishes that combined provide an extra 4 servings.
If your feeding 2-3 people then the extra servings can be frozen after cooking or chilled and enjoyed 2-3 days later.
Once the lentil and bean filling is in the pie dishes they can be topped with the mashed potatoes and baked for 25 minutes.
Dishing out the lentil and bean pie:
To garnish I like to add some paprika flakes or red pepper/chilli flakes as they compliment the sweet paprika within the pies. Alternatively a pinch of cayenne pepper or some hot sauce could be added if liked.
Tomato ketchup is particularly tasty with this bean pie but brown sauce, barbecue sauce, or a dollop of vegan mayonnaise would also be delicious.
I love cabbage so I steamed it and served it along with the pie for a tasty, satisfying meal.
If you prepare this recipe do pop a comment below and let us know how you got on.
We love receiving feedback. Thanks so much and hope you have a lovely dinner.
How To Prepare Green Lentil And Bean Mashed Potato Pie
Recipe Notes And FAQS
Store leftovers within the pie or casserole dish and place a cover over. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Or decant into a covered food container.
Yes!
Once baked, cool the pie as quickly as possible and wrap in freezer-proof coverings. The pie can be frozen within the pie dish or scooped out and placed in an airtight freezer-safe container.
Freeze for up to 5 months.
Absolutely!
Prepare and bake the lentil and bean pie either as individual pie servings or one larger casserole dish. Cool completely and wrap up well with freezer-safe wrap. Store in the freezer for up to 5 months.
To defrost remove from the freezer and discard the wrappings. Although if you used reusable food wrap then wash for later use. Sit the pie on the worktop and bring it to room temperature. Or defrost in the fridge but bring the pie to room temperature before reheating.
Once at room temperature either reheat or place in the fridge. It’s best to reheat soon after defrosting so don’t defrost too early before the pie is needed.
It’s important to not place a chilled pie or casserole dish directly into a hot oven as there is a risk the dish could crack with the sudden change in temperature which is the reason for bringing the pie to room temperature.
Bake at the cooking temperature (or slightly lower) stated on the recipe card on the bottom-middle shelf for about 20 minutes. The mashed potato topping and lentil filling should both be piping hot before serving.
Yes with a few considerations lentil and bean pie is suitable for gluten-free diets.
First ensure that the veggie stock used is gluten-free and check that the other packaged ingredients such as plant milk and vegan butter are also safe for gluten-free diets.
A few ideas:
* use potato flakes to prepare instant mash potatoes (check the ingredients are safe for vegan diets)
* use leftover mashed potatoes (mashed potatoes can be frozen for at least a few months)
* prepare the mashed potatoes in advance and store in a covered container in the fridge for 2-3 days
* prepare the lentil mix in advance and store in the fridge or freeze
* use 2 cans (400g/15oz) or drained green lentils instead of dried lentils (add the lentils at the same time as required in the recipe but reduce the veggie stock to 1-2 cups depending on how saucy you’d like the filling to be. And reduce cooking time to 10 minutes before adding in the haricot beans and proceeding with the recipe)
More Traditional Delicious Easy Family Vegan Meals To Discover:
Slow cooker Scottish vegan mince and tatties (potatoes) (can be prepared on stove-top also)
Vegan ‘beef’ and tomato Warwickshire stew (serve with some crusty bread or herby focaccia for a comforting delicious meal)
Vegan ‘chicken’ stew and dumplings (everyone will want extras!!!)
Traditional Chilli macaroni cheese (classic family favourite)
Traditional Lancashire hotpot (Coronation St favourite but veggie!)
Sage and onion veggie meatloaf (perfect for Sunday lunch with roast potatoes, lots of veggies and of course lashings of veggie gravy! Leftovers are amazing sliced thin as a sandwich filling especially with some apple or cranberry sauce).
Green Lentil and Bean Mashed Potato Pie
Equipment
- 6 small individual pie dishes or 1 larger casserole dish each small pie dish roughly measures 6 inch by 4 ½ inch and 2 inch deep (15cm x 11cm x 6cm) (or use a large casserole dish big enough to serve 6)
- Saucepan for cooking potatoes
- potato masher
- non-stick skillet/large saucepan for cooking lentil mix
Ingredients
Mashed potato topping:
- 900 grams potatoes chopped into even sized chunks
- 6 tablespoons plant milk or replace with veggie stock prepared with potato cooking liquid, use more or less liquid as required
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter or replace with hummus or nutritional yeast flakes,
Pie filling:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or your regular oil (can replace with ½ cup veggie stock or potato cooking water)
- 200 grams green lentils dried,
- 2 medium carrots grated
- 1 medium onion sliced and diced
- 4 cloves garlic sliced, use more if liked
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons sweet paprika powder or ordinary paprika
- 1 can haricot beans 400g/15oz can drained, or 240g (1 ½ cups) cooked beans (can replace with any type of bean)
- 1 litre vegetable stock plus about ½-1 cup extra, can use the potato cooking liquid to make up the stock with added vegan stock powder/cubes/bouillon paste
Optional garnish:
- 3 teaspoons paprika flakes or red pepper flakes/chilli flakes, use more as liked, or replace with your favourite seasoning such as Mrs Dash
Instructions
Prepare the mashed potato pie topping:
- Cook the potato chunks in simmering water until soft. Add a sprinkle of salt to the water if liked before cooking the potatoes.
- Drain the water but reserve it in a jug as it can be used to make up the veggie stock. Add the plant milk and vegan butter to the potatoes, along with salt and pepper. Mash until smooth adding extra liquid either milk, veggie stock or potato water as required to achieve the desired consistency.
Prepare the pie filling:
- Heat the oil or about ½ cup of veggie stock in a non-stick pan. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat for 5-8 minutes. Stir frequently. Add an extra few tablespoons of veggie stock if necessary to prevent sticking even if you added the oil.
- Scrape in the sliced garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring now and again.
- Add the grated carrot and stir to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes
- Tip in the green lentils, sweet paprika and bay leaf. Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Pour in 1 litre of vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes.
- Add the haricot beans along with ½-¾ cups of extra veggie stock depending on how saucy you prefer the filling.
- Simmer for 5-10 minutes just until the lentils are soft. Taste the seasoning and adjust with extra salt and pepper if liked, although I usually find no extra salt is required.Remove the bay leaf.
Preheat the oven to 190 Fan/ 210 C/ 410 Fahrenheit/ Gas 6.
- Divide the lentil mix between your pie cases or add to one larger casserole dish.
- Top with the mashed potatoes.
- Bake near the top of the oven for 25 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the topping has crispy golden bits.
- Sprinkle the top with paprika flakes before serving.
Notes
- Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary.
- Store leftovers within the pie or casserole dish and place a cover over. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Or decant into a covered food container.
- To freeze: once baked, cool the pie as quickly as possible and wrap in freezer-proof coverings. The pie can be frozen within the pie dish or scooped out and placed in an airtight freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 5 months.
- It’s important to not place a chilled pie or casserole dish directly into a hot oven as there is a risk the dish could crack with the sudden change in temperature.
- To reheat: Bake at the cooking temperature (or slightly lower) stated within the recipe card, on the bottom-middle shelf for about 20-25 minutes. The mashed potato topping and lentil filling should both be piping hot before serving.
- Serve with steamed greens such as cabbage or kale. Or your favourite green veggies.
