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    Home ยป Pie and quiche recipes

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    Cheesy red lentil pie with cornmeal pastry

    Jump to Recipe

    This cheesy red lentil pie is the most comforting thing you'll eat this week!

    My recreation of the protein-rich recipe comes pretty close to the warming, delicious flavours I remember, but has a rather special cornmeal pastry that I developed in another recent experiment. As a family, we now prefer it over traditional shortcrust for pies like this.

    Red lentil pie was my mum’s signature dish when we were little. I have fond memories of the smell wafting through from the kitchen after school.

    Lots of people expect not to like lentils, but I wholeheartedly recommend trying this recipe – even my meat-eating husband, son and daughter wolf it down and every one of them asks for seconds.
    Here’s what to do.

    Ingredients

    For the filling

    • 350 g (12.3 oz) red lentils
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 large (1) onion finely chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • 350 ml (11.8 floz) vegetable stock
    • 175 g (6.2 oz) mature cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar) grated (vegetarian if required)
    • 1 pinch salt and black pepper
    • 1 medium free range eggs

    For the pastry

    • 150 g (5.3 oz) salted butter cubed
    • 225 g (7.9 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
    • 225 g (7.9 oz) fine corn meal
    • 2 medium free range eggs beaten
    • 45ml ice cold water (Up to)

    Equipment

    Instructions

    To make the filling

    An hour or two before you start cooking, rinse the lentils well and then leave them in warm water to soak.

    Warm the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat, then add the onion, garlic and oregano and fry until soft.

    Drain and rinse the lentils and add to the pan.

    Stir in the stock and turn up the heat. As soon as it boils, turn down to a simmer, cover and leave for 10 minutes – the lentils should absorb all of the liquor and turn soft and pale.

    Take off the heat, stir in the grated cheese, season to taste.

    Once the mixture has cooled a little, stir in one beaten egg then leave to cool completely.

    To make the pastry:

    Put the flour, cornmeal and cold, cubed butter into a bowl and rub into a crumb.

    Add ¾ of the beaten eggs (keeping ¼ back for later) and cut into the crumb with a round knife.

    Add the water a little a time until you can press the mix together to get a manageable dough.

    Bring together and knead into smooth ball, wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.

    To assemble:

    Preheat the oven to 200C/390F (180C/355F fan). Grab your chilled pastry and cut off one third, which you can rewrap. Roll the larger piece of dough out on a floured surface and until your disc is about 30cm wide.

    Line a 23 cm nonstick quiche tin with the pastry and set aside, leaving the overhang untrimmed.

    Tip the cooled red lentil filling into the pastry-lined dish and brush the exposed pastry edges with water.

    Roll out the remaining pastry to form a disc just a couple of centimetres wider than you tip and place on top.

    Press the edges with a fork to seal, then trim away any excess pastry.

    Brush the top with the beaten egg you reserved earlier, then make a couple of slits in the centre with the end of a sharp knife.

    Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.

    Allow to cool a little before cutting into slices. Enjoy!

    Fancy trying it? Let me know if you do! Here’s the recipe in printable form.

    Print Recipe
    4.6 from 7 votes

    Cheesy Red Lentil Pie with Cornmeal Pastry Recipe

    Lentil pie with a wonderfully original flavour and beautifully crisp crust makes for the perfect winter warmer.
    Prep Time25 minutes mins
    Cook Time40 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course: Pies and quiches
    Cuisine: British
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 8 slices
    Author: Emily Leary

    Ingredients

    For the filling

    • 350 g (12.3 oz) red lentils
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 large (1) onion finely chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 1 tsp dried oregano
    • 350 ml (11.8 floz) vegetable stock
    • 175 g (6.2 oz) mature cheddar cheese (sharp cheddar) grated (vegetarian if required)
    • 1 pinch salt and black pepper
    • 1 medium free range eggs

    For the pastry

    • 150 g (5.3 oz) salted butter cubed
    • 225 g (7.9 oz) plain white flour (all purpose flour)
    • 225 g (7.9 oz) fine corn meal
    • 2 medium free range eggs beaten
    • 45ml ice cold water (Up to)

    Instructions

    To make the filling

    • An hour or two before you start cooking, rinse the lentils well and then leave them in warm water to soak.
    • Warm the oil in a large saucepan over a low heat, then add the onion, garlic and oregano and fry until soft.
    • Drain and rinse the lentils and add to the pan.
    • Stir in the stock and turn up the heat. As soon as it boils, turn down to a simmer, cover and leave for 10 minutes – the lentils should absorb all of the liquor and turn soft and pale.
    • Take off the heat, stir in the grated cheese, season to taste.
    • Once the mixture has cooled a little, stir in one beaten egg then leave to cool completely.

    To make the pastry

    • Put the flour, cornmeal and cold, cubed butter into a bowl and rub into a crumb.
    • Add ¾ of the beaten eggs (keeping ¼ back for later) and cut into the crumb with a round knife.
    • Add the water a little a time until you can press the mix together to get a manageable dough.
    • Bring together and knead into smooth ball, wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.To assemble
    • Preheat the oven to 200C/390F (180C/355F fan). Grab your chilled pastry and cut off one third, which you can rewrap. Roll the larger piece of dough out on a floured surface and until your disc is about 30cm wide.
    • Line a 23 cm nonstick quiche tin with the pastry and set aside, leaving the overhang untrimmed.
    • Tip the cooled lentil filling into the pastry-lined dish and brush the exposed pastry edges with water.
    • Roll out the remaining pastry to form a disc just a couple of centimetres wider than you tip and place on top.
    • Press the edges with a fork to seal, then trim away any excess pastry.
    • Brush the top with the beaten egg you reserved earlier, then make a couple of slits in the centre with the end of a sharp knife.
    • Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
    • Allow to cool a little before cutting into slices. Enjoy!

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 636kcal | Carbohydrates: 71g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 125mg | Sodium: 478mg | Potassium: 607mg | Fiber: 17g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 887IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 6mg
    * Note: nutritional information is estimated, based on publicly available data. Nutrient values may vary from those published. Information on this website should not be taken as medical advice. Cuisines identify the primary region of inspiration for a dish.
    Tried this recipe?Snap a pic and tag @amummytoo on Instagram or tag @EmilyLearyCooks on Twitter. I can't wait to see your posts!

    Pin this red lentil pie

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    Comments

      4.58 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    1. jenny paulin says

      September 11, 2013 at 3:31 pm

      ooooh this is a very interesting sounding recipe, i would like to use lentils more in my cooking and this might be a way to do that. the pastry looks fab x

      Reply
    2. Mary Mac says

      March 04, 2013 at 10:25 pm

      Thank you very much Emily for your very fast and precise reply. Now I'll know what to look for when I go shopping! It may take a while before I actually try your recipe but it is a MUST DO. Thanks again.

      Mary

      Reply
    3. Mary Mac says

      March 04, 2013 at 5:49 pm

      You were signposted on Onions and Paper blog, so here I am. Your pie looks wonderful - I'd love to have a go but I'm not sure what 'corn meal' is. Would 'corn flour' be the same product or a good substitute? I've seen recipes use it in sweet pastry but its usually used as a thickener.
      Many thanks.
      Mary Mac

      Reply
      • Emily Leary says

        March 04, 2013 at 7:22 pm

        Hi Mary! Thanks for visiting. Corn meal is also maize flour or fine polenta. I found ours in the Indian supplies aisle of ASDA with the curry pastes etc. It's a bright yellow flour, slightly coarser than normal wheat flour but not as fine or pale as corn flour. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    4. Johanna GGG says

      March 03, 2013 at 11:17 pm

      just found this via jane willis and love the sound of it. Rose Elliot was one of my favourite cookbook authors from the time I became veg and I thought I had the bean book - even had a quick look but it is not there or I would check out this recipe. But I suspect I would prefer your cornmeal pastry - I have a cornmeal pastry for a quiche that I love and the pastry looks great and easy to handle from the photos. Am bookmarking this for the cooler weather

      Reply
    5. Jane Willis says

      March 02, 2013 at 10:25 am

      I made this last night and it was gorgeous.I love the cornmeal pastry - it's far easier to handle than shortcrust yet not at all tough, as easy to handle party often is. And the filling was delicious - incredibly cheap to make too. Definitely one I'll be making again. I might try varying it by adding some lightly fried mushrooms next time.

      Reply
      • Jane Willis says

        March 03, 2013 at 3:43 pm

        I've bloggedabout it now and included a link to your post http://onionsandpaper.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/bookmarked-recipe-cheesy-lentil-pie.html

        Reply
        • Emily Leary says

          March 03, 2013 at 3:49 pm

          This is wonderful - thank you! :)

          Reply
    6. Martina says

      January 28, 2013 at 1:06 pm

      Looks great - but I am going to be lazy and make it with Jus-Roll pastry...

      Reply
    7. Deb @ Vegie Project says

      January 28, 2013 at 6:16 am

      That looks so delicious! And what a great way to incorporate lentils in a meal!

      Reply
    8. Wendy says

      January 27, 2013 at 9:43 pm

      I will have to try this one, looks yummy xx

      Reply
    9. Emma @emvanstone says

      January 27, 2013 at 7:47 pm

      mmmmm, that looks nice. I love lentils.

      Reply
    10. Midlife Singlemum says

      January 27, 2013 at 7:10 am

      Another one to try - nice!

      Reply
    Newer Comments »

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