My Lentil Hotpot is absolutely delicious and the ultimate comfort food!
This cosy dinner is a great alternative to a traditional Sunday roast on the weekend but it also makes a great midweek dinner on cold nights. Although this recipe may seem time consuming initially, once the prep work is done you just need to pop it in the oven meaning it is a relatively low maintenance meal.
Hotpots are a long standing favourite of mine yet I had never veganised the classic until creating this recipe! I love more traditional meals like hotpots, cottage pies and stews when the temperature drops cooler and I do not want to stop eating them just because I no longer eat meat. I wanted to try and keep all of the classic elements but basically just swap the beef mince for plant based alternatives and, texture wise, it just made sense to use lentils and mushrooms instead as they offer quite a ‘meaty’ result. I am really happy with how this delicious hotpot turned out and it has definitely jumped to the top of my favourite dinners list!
I tend to use a large heavy bottomed saucepan to cook the mushroom and lentil mixture. I then transfer it into an ovenproof casserole dish before layering the sliced potato across the top. If you own a hob to oven casserole dish then by all means use this and save on washing up!
I like to use chestnut mushrooms in this recipe but in all honesty you could use any type that you wanted. I use fresh thyme and ideally would use fresh oregano too, however, I can never find it in stores near me. If you are lucky enough to be able to buy it fresh feel free to use it in this recipe instead of dried. Similarly, if you are unable to find fresh thyme you can substitute this for dried.
The soy sauce and worcester sauce add extra depths to this recipe that really help replicate that ‘meaty,’ savoury taste. You should be able to access gluten free and vegan versions from the free from sections of most large supermarkets. Remember to check you are using a suitable stock cube that meets your dietary requirements.
I leave the skin on my potatoes before slicing and adding to the top of this hotpot, however, you can always peel them first if preferred and save the skins to make crisps in the airfryer.
I like to turn the heat up on the oven to get the potatoes really crispy at the last minute, if you are following the method noted below ensure you keep an eye on the hotpot during this time so they do not start to burn as ovens tend to vary.
If you like my Lentil Hotpot recipe and are looking for more comforting dinner ideas why not check out my Creamy Cauliflower Traybake, my Vegetable Patch Pie, my Mushroom Bourguignon or my Simple Sausage Casserole which you can find here.
If you like this recipe and want to show some support please leave a comment below or visit my Ko-Fi account to donate! x
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