Veg Cottage Pie assistance required please

[Washersaurus]

I have red lentils, mushrooms, parsnip, potatoes, carrots, garlic, leeks, tomato puree (no tinned toms unfortunately) and would like to make a cottage pie type meal.

Can anyone give me some (simple) instructions on how to make it please?

Ok - cook red lentils (green ones would poss be better) and carrots, chopped. Add tomato puree to the stock/water. Fry sliced leeks and mushrooms. I would add any other veg you have, peas, sweetcorn, tinned beans if you have.Add to lentils. Cook parsnips in chucks and either mix in with the lentils or cook with the potatoes and mash together.

Thats what I wuld do, anyway. Let me know how it tastes!

I would sweat the leeks carrots garlic in butter/olive oil until soft and sweet. meanwhile cook the lentils until soft. Drain and mix with your leeks etc. Season and add some spices (coriander or cumin)
Top with potato and parnsip mash and grate some cheese over the top. Cook in the oven until brown

Oooh brilliant! Thank you both so much, I will give one of those a try tomorrow, in a desperate attempt to use our leftover veggies and show DH I can work to food budget.

Unfortunately we only have red lentils in the cupboard I think, but I have used them in place of green ones before without a problem, they are just a bit softer. I think we may also have a tin of butter beans or something similar knocking around. I have also discovered some french beans in the fridge.

Hahaha I will actually be giving it a try right now, as DH did the menu planning this week and planned for me to make a pasta bake for tonight - he obviously didn't notice that we are all out of pasta

Do you have any pesto? I used to make a veg pie with red lentils and stirred in 2 tble sppons or so of pesto

add cheese to mash

Or if you have rice you could do a lentil dahl-type thing with a mushroom curry, with leeks/onion and carrot and potato chunks.
I love this type of what's-in-the-fridge-type cooking.

Well thank you all once again. I made the cottage pie for dinner tonight and it was actually quite nice; DH even had a 2nd helping.

I found an onion so used that too, but left out the tinned beans and added the chopped green beans instead which gave some extra texture. It was still a little mushy - will try to remember to make chunkier next time. The leeks gave it a really nice flavour too.

I did think of using pesto, as I often put this in the vege chilli that I make (from the bbc food recipe ) but discovered that we don't have any of that at the moment either....can you tell it is the end of the month?

It turned out that we DID have pasta in the cupboard after all - DH had decided to store it in an alternative place and not thought to mention it to me...and I never look properly anyway

I notice that tomorrow night is listed on DH's menu planner as 'CURRY NIGHT', so DS can have leftovers and I'll get a takeaway treat - hoorah!