So, the lentil seems to have become something of a bête noir for those who wish to make out that all vegetarian food is tasteless and hard to eat. To be fair, they probably have something of a point, but I suspect that’s at least partly because they’ve never eaten them properly prepared. I’m a big fan of the puy lentil, these tiny nutty ovals that you can pair with almost anything.

I’ve used them to make a simple lentil casserole, which I hope that you’ll like.

Ingredients (makes enough for 2-4, depending on portion size, and what you serve with it. A salad would be nice)

1 cup puy lentils, well washed
2 Carrots, diced
Handful of mushrooms, your choice of what type, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, diced
Half an onion, diced
2 small zucchini, diced
1 potato, diced
1 large potato, finely sliced
Stock cube (or fresh stock, if you have it)
Tomato puree
Fresh Thyme

Method

First up, take a large saucepan and fry the carrots, onions, garlic and the diced potato on a medium heat for about ten minutes, until it’s all taken on some color and is starting to smell nice and caramelized. Add the zucchini and mushrooms, along with a pinch of salt and pepper and a small handful of thyme leaves (no need to chop them), and allow to heat for another couple of minutes.

Next, add the puy lentils, stir, and pour in enough water to cover the whole thing, with maybe a half inch over the top. Don’t worry about the exact amount, too much – if it looks like it’s getting too dry, you can always add more. Add a small squeeze of tomato puree, and your stock cube. Give the whole thing a mix, and, once it’s reached a boil, allow to simmer for twenty five minutes or so, until the lentils are cooked. They should be soft, but should still retain some sort of bite to them. At this stage, check the seasoning to make sure it’s to your liking.

Once the lentils are cooked, it just needs a final baking. Heat your oven to 350 degrees. If your saucepan is oven proof, excellent, otherwise you’ll have to transfer the mixture to a suitable Pyrex dish. Whichever you are using, smooth it out, and lay the sliced potato over the top. You could grate some cheese over, too, if you want it, or place some small cubes of butter onto the potatoes to make the whole thing a little richer. Obviously, this is the non vegan option!

Bake the dish until the potatoes have turned an attractive brown color – they should be cooked through, but nice and crispy on the edges.

It’s probably a good idea to give it a couple of minutes to cool down a bit before you serve it, too. You can also play around with what vegetables you put in with the lentils; I suspect some roasted butternut squash would be nice, or some chopped celery.

Either way, enjoy, and let us know what you think!