Lentil and Spinach Pie

This was a spur of the minute make with leftover spinach from a different recipe. It was a nice cosy pie, I made half the recipe and it only to 30 mins to cook, so I'd keep checking on it. It felt really healthy with all the veg as well. I used red pepper instead of celery in the original recipe.

Lentil and Spinach Pie (adapted from Kitchen Diaries II - Nigel Slater)

(Serves 6)

2 onions, diced

2 carrots, diced 

1 red pepper, diced

oil

350g mushrooms, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely sliced

2 bay leaves

3-4 short sprigs thyme

500g jar lentils

500ml vegetable stock

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

500g spinach

1kg floury potatoes

75g butter

 

Heat the oil in a casserole over a medium heat for 10 mins until the onions are golden and almost tender. Add the mushroom and the garlic and stir in to the veg. Add the bay and thyme and then the lentils, together with their bottling liquid, and stir briefly. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil then turn down the heat and leave the mixture to simmer for 20 mins, season with salt, pepper and the balsamic vinegar.

Peel the potatoes, cut them into pieces and boil until tender about 15-20 mins. Drain well, then mash with the butter. Beat hard with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy.

Preheat the oven to 200C. Wash the spinach and whilst still wet, pile 450g into a pan with a lid and let it steam, with an occasional stir over a high heat for a couple of mins until it starts to collapse. Cool under the cold tap, then wring them out and stir into the lentils. (Don't be tempted to add the spinach raw to the lentils, it will produce a lot of water as it cooks and make lentil soup). Fold the remaining spinach into the mash potato.

Spoon the lentils into a baking dish and top with the potato in large rough spoonfuls. Bake for an hour until the edger are bubbling.