Vegan Traditional Lancashire Hotpot (The Perfect Comfort Meal)

Vegan Lancashire hotpot is adapted from the classic Lancashire hotpot that is one of Britain’s favourite meals. This vegan hotpot is pure comfort food and sure to be loved by all the family.

Perfect for batch prepping and can be easily prepared gluten-free. This dish will be a great contender for your favourite autumnal or winter meal.

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What is a Lancashire Hotpot?

Lancashire is located in the North West of England. Lancashire hotpot was a convenience meal for the hard working pre-industrial Lancashire population.

Many women worked at home spinning cotton so there was less time to cook meals.

Traditionally, Lancashire Hotpot is made with layers of mutton or lamb, whatever root vegetables were available, and thin sliced potatoes. These ingredients were layered up and baked in a warm oven.

The dish could stew away for hours and be ready when it was needed, with very little attention required to prepare a hearty, sustaining meal.

After industrialisation of the cotton industry many women and children were required to work in the factories along with the men. So the hot pot retained its popularity.

If the hotpot was prepared in a farmhouse then a bread-oven was commonly used. The hotpot could be placed in a low or cooling oven and left until the family’s evening meal.

The hotpot likely gets its name from the ceramic, heavy-based dish that the meal is cooked within. Generally, a lid would be added to traditional hotpots during the initial cooking stages as this would keep the heat in and the meat juices would be retained. The lid would be removed shortly before mealtime in order to brown and crisp the potatoes.

Today, the hotpot retains its popularity, with many pubs and inns up and down the British Isles serving up the delicious hotpot.

The TV soap Coronation St has long featured Betty’s Famous HotPot within the local Rovers Return pub.

Vegan Lancashire Hotpot

This vegan adaption of Lancashire hotpot features meat-free pieces, mushrooms, butterbeans, leeks, onions, peas, herbs and garlic cooked in a vegan gravy.

The gravy is a simple affair with just vegan stock thickened with either vegan gravy powder or flour. For the stock a vegan chicken, beef or mushroom flavour is especially good to use with this hotpot.

Any meat-free pieces can be used such as Quorn vegan pieces, seitan, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein (TVP), soya chunks, soya curls, sliced vegan sausages, or any fresh or frozen vegan pieces. Although ensure that any dried varieties are properly rehydrated before using with this recipe.

Alternatively replace the meat-free pieces with extra mushrooms.

I especially enjoy adding extra mushrooms but my kids are no too keen so I cook the hotpot with the mushrooms as they add so much flavour, and then when adding the filling to the pie dishes I remove the mushrooms from their dishes and replace with more of the veggies and beans.

The meat-free pieces can also be replaced with a mix of your favourite veggies. Frozen veggie mixes are perfect for this hotpot and are pretty convenient.

For the crispy potato topping, the potatoes are sliced as thin as you can achieve before being parboiled for a few minutes until just al dente but not fully cooked. The potatoes are drained, with the cooking liquid reserved as it is needed for the hotpot gravy.

Once the hotpot filling is ready it is scooped into your chosen casserole dish or individual pie dishes, and then topped with layers of potato.

Next the potatoes are seasoned with salt and pepper, and brushed with melted vegan margarine or butter.

Alternatively Aqua Faber, which is the drained liquid from a can of chickpeas, can replace the margarine. Simply brush the liquid over the potatoes and this can help crisp the potatoes in the oven without the need for adding extra calories.

Finally I sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes over and then stick the hotpot in the oven to bake for around 35-45 minutes or until crispy, golden and bubbling.

Not keen on nutritional yeast flakes?

Simply omit and if preferred the hotpot can be removed from the oven after 30 minutes and vegan shredded cheese sprinkled over. Return to the oven to finish crisping, browning and give the cheese time to melt.

This hotpot can be served alone as it is a filling complete meal but for hungrier appetites or if you need your hotpot to stretch to more portions serve a tasty accompaniment. Lots of ideas are included below in the recipe notes.

How To Prepare Vegan Hotpot

Recipe FAQS And Notes

Vegan Lancashire Hotpot

Print Recipe

Vegan Lancashire Hotpot is a delicious traditional dish that is perfect for family autumnal and winter meals.

Mushrooms, butterbeans and meat-free pieces cooked in a tasty gravy and topped with crispy golden potato slices with cheesy tasting nutritional yeast flakes.

Course Dinner

Cuisine British, English

Prep Time 45 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr 30 mins

Servings 4

Calories 357

Author Jacq

Equipment

• Sauté pan/skillet, for hotpot filling
• Saucepan, for parboiling sliced potatoes
• One medium-large casserole dish or four individual pie dishes.

Ingredients

Potato topping:

• 750 grams potatoes thin sliced
• 2 tablespoons vegan margarine alternatively brush the potatoes with Aqua-Faber (drained chickpea water from a can)
• 8 teaspoons nutritional yeast flakes alternatively use vegan grated cheese, enough to cover, or just add extra seasonings of your choice to the potatoes before baking, such as garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, or a blend such as Mrs Dash

Sauté:

• 250 ml vegetable stock or 1 tablespoon of oil
• 2 leeks thick sliced
• 130 grams onion 1 small-medium, rough chopped
• 4 cloves garlic sliced or minced

Filling:

• 200 grams mushrooms chopped into quarters. Any type of mushrooms are fine: white, button, chestnut etc.
• 160 grams meat-free pieces Especially vegan Quorn pieces or any fresh or frozen meat-free pieces. Or replace with extra mushrooms which is what I often do.
• 1 can butterbeans 400g/15 oz can, drained weight is around 240 grams
• 130 grams frozen peas
• 1 teaspoons dried sage
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme

Gravy:

• 450 mls vegan stock Plus extra if needed. Use a vegan beef, chicken or mushroom flavour if available, if using stock powder/cube/paste use the reserved potato cooking liquid to prepare the stock.
• 3 tablespoons vegan gravy powder alternatively use 3 tbsp of gluten-free plain flour/ all purpose flour/ plain flour/ wholemeal plain flour

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200 Fan/220 Celsius/425 Fahrenheit/Gas 7.

Prepare the potato slices:

• Bring a saucepan of water, with a little salt added, to the boil, lower the heat to a simmer.
• Parboil the sliced potatoes for 6-8 minutes.

  Thinner slices will become soft sooner. You don't want to parboil till the slices are mush. Just until a skewer can dent them a little.
• Drain the potato slices and reserve the cooking liquid. Leave to cool in the colander away from the stove.

While the potatoes are parboiling sauté the veggies:

• Use either one tbsp of oil or ¾ cup of vegan stock.

  Over a medium heat cook the onion, garlic, and leek for 8-10 minutes.

  (If using oil cook the onions and leeks for 5 minutes before adding the garlic for a further 2-3 minutes.)

Prepare the filling:

• Add the mushrooms along with the dried sage and thyme, and cook for 3 minutes, stir frequently.
• Mix through the meat-free pieces and butterbeans.

  If the pan is becoming dry then add a splash of the potato cooking liquid.

  Cook for 3 minutes.
• Mix through the gravy powder or flour.
• Add 450ml (2 cups) of vegetable stock a little at a time, and mix well each time to avoid lumps.
• Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the gravy is thickened.
• If the sauce is too thick just add a little extra potato water to loosen it up.
• Take off the heat and mix through the peas.
• Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Assemble the hotpot:

• Spoon the mix into a casserole dish or individual pie dishes.
• Melt the vegan margarine or butter.
• Layer the potatoes over the filling.
• Brush the melted margarine over the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes over.

Bake:

• Bake for 35-45 minutes until the potatoes are crispy and golden.

  Precise cooking times depend on your oven, fan ovens tend to cook quicker.

Notes

• Nutritional information is provided for guidance only and is not a strict calculation as ingredients vary. Data is run through computerized nutrition apps.
• Nutritional information includes nutritional yeast flakes and extra mushrooms replace the meat-free pieces, so 360g mushrooms were used within the calculation.
• Use a low sodium stock if needing a low salt dish.
• Leftover Lancashire hotpot can be stored in the fridge, covered, for 3 days. Or frozen, well wrapped, for 4-6 months. 
• Vegan Lancashire hotpot is perfect for meal prepping. Freeze either fully cooked hotpots or freeze before baking. Preparing individual pie dishes for freezing makes it so easy to pull out one or two servings when required.
• Chill or freeze within the baking dish.
• Allow chilled or frozen hotpots to come up to room temperature before baking or reheating.
• Reheat hotpots by placing on the middle shelf in the oven at the cooking temperature, pop a cover over to prevent the potatoes going too browned or overcooked. Reheat for 30 minutes and check the progress, reheat for more time if necessary until the hotpot is piping hot.
• Vegan Lancashire hotpot is delicious served with mashed root veggies. Such as parsnip, turnip (swede/rutabaga), carrot, celeriac. Try just one root vegetable mash or a combination.
• Steamed green veggies and vegan gravy is a tasty accompaniment.
• Pickled red cabbage or pickled beetroot is a traditional side dish for Lancashire hotpot.

Nutrition

Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 67g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 999mg | Potassium: 1497mg | Fiber: 12g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 4494IU | Vitamin C: 51mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 5mg