Black Lentil & Beetroot Pie
This Black Lentil & Beetroot Pie is a fantastic vegetarian meal option that can be made in advance. It is full of nutritious ingredients and also supremely delicious.
Servings: 4 People
Ingredients
For the Black Lentil & Beetroot Filling
- ½ White onion
- 1 Celery stick
- 1 Garlic clove
- 250 g/ 9oz Beluga (black) lentils - precooked
- 350 g/ 12 ½ oz Raw beetroot
- 180 ml/ ⅔ cup Vegetable stock
- 100 g/ 4 oz Feta cheese
- 1 tablespoon Capers (salted not brined)
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
Potato Topping
- 1 kg/ 2 lb 3 oz Potatoes (suitable for mashing) See notes
- 2 tablespoon Greek yoghurt
- Butter
- Salt & Pepper
- 30 g/ 1 oz Feta
- 2 tablespoon Fresh breadcrumbs (I used sourdough)
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and celery and put in a medium saucepan with a little olive oil. Cook over a medium heat for around 5 minutes until the vegetables soften
- Mince the garlic, add to the pan and cook for a further minute
- Peel and dice the beetroot and add to the pan along with the stock and a good grind of black pepper. Don't be tempted to add salt yet - the feta and capers are salty
- Cover with a lid and let cook for 10-15 minutes until the beetroot is fork tender
- Add the lentils and continue to cook on a high heat until most of the liquid has evaporated, then take off the heat
- Rinse the capers in fresh water and mince roughly. Add to the pan along with the oregano
- Crumble the feta into the pan and give everything a good stir. Taste and add more salt/ pepper as desired
- Spoon into 1 large pie dish or 4 individual dishes
For the Potato topping (see notes)
- Preheat oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM 4
- Peel & chop the potatoes and cook in boiling water until tender, then mash until smooth
- Stir through the Greek yoghurt and some butter to create a creamy mash (exactly how much butter will depend on the potatoes and your preferences
- Season to taste and use to top the pie/ pies. I piped mine for a neat look, but it's fine to use a fork to spread it out.
- Scatter some breadcrumbs and a little crumbled feta over the pies and bake for 40 minutes
Notes
Don't forget, you can bake your potatoes, slit them open, scoop out the flesh and proceed to mash them instead of boiling peeled potatoes in a pan.
This recipe can be made in advance. Once the pies are assembled, let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. They will need 40-45 minutes from chilled.
These pies can also be frozen. Defrost at room temperature before cooking.