Mushroom and lentil cottage pie
A savoury mushroom-lentil filling with a soft potato topping.
About 1 hr · 360 kcal · 20 g protein per serving
Vegetarian
Lentil and aubergine moussaka
Roasted aubergine and lentils beneath a yoghurt-egg topping.
By The foodose editorial team. Nutrition calculated from USDA FoodData Central. Checked on paper on 12 September 2026; not yet cooked in a test kitchen or photographed, so the times and yield are estimates. How we develop our recipes
What still needs a real kitchen
- Confirm the aubergine softens in 20 to 25 minutes
- Confirm the topping sets in 25 to 30 minutes
- Photograph the finished dish
- Time
- About 1 hr 15 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 425 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 28 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains eggs, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- passata. Some passata is salted; check the label.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan). Brush the aubergine slices with the oil, spread them on a lined tray and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, turning once, until soft and golden.
Meanwhile, simmer the lentils with the passata and cinnamon in a small pan for 10 minutes, until thick.
Turn the oven down to 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan). Layer the aubergine and lentils in a baking dish about 18 by 13 cm, finishing with aubergine.
Beat the yoghurt with the egg and most of the hard cheese, pour it over the top and scatter the rest of the cheese on.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is set with no liquid egg left, then leave it to stand for 10 minutes before cutting.
Cooked when: 71°C / 160°F in the centre. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
The useful detail
Allow a brief rest before cutting so the layers hold together. Straight from the oven it slumps onto the plate; ten minutes is enough for the topping to firm.
Make it work for you
One serving is Half the dish, from a dish about 18 by 13 cm. You can switch to a smaller portion in the ingredients above; it is three quarters of this, and it contains correspondingly less energy and protein. It is an option, not a goal.
2% Greek yoghurt in the topping
A thicker, denser topping that is less likely to split.
Per serving: about 10 kcal more, about 4 g more protein, about the same fat.
Tinned chopped tomatoes instead of passata
A looser sauce; simmer it longer to thicken.
Per serving: about 25 kcal less, about 1 g less protein, about the same fat.
Parmesan instead of a vegetarian hard cheese
The same on top, but not vegetarian.
Per serving: about the same energy, about the same protein, about the same fat.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A moussaka with lentils in place of lamb and a yoghurt topping in place of béchamel, which is where the difference in fat mostly comes from.
| Energy | 425 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 28 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| of which saturates | 5 g |
| Carbohydrate | 53 g |
| of which sugars | 20 g |
| Fibre | 18 g |
| Sodium | 310 mg |
Show calculation notes
Each ingredient’s weight is multiplied by its USDA FoodData Central values per 100 g. The whole recipe is added up and divided by 2. Raw weights are used for meat, fish and vegetables; beans and lentils are drained weights. All of the oil is counted as eaten. Added salt is not included; sodium from stock, bread, cheese and tinned food is.
| Ingredient | Weight used | Source | Energy | Protein |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| aubergine | 350 g | FDC 169228Eggplant, raw | 88 kcal | 3.4 g |
| olive oil | 9 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 80 kcal | 0.0 g |
| cooked lentils | 250 g | FDC 172421Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt | 290 kcal | 22.5 g |
| passata | 250 g | FDC 170460Tomato products, canned, puree, without salt addedCalculated with FoodData Central's unsalted tinned tomato purée record, the closest match to sieved passata. | 95 kcal | 4.1 g |
| ground cinnamon | 0.5 g | FDC 171320Spices, cinnamon, ground | 2 kcal | 0.0 g |
| plain yoghurt | 150 g | FDC 170886Yogurt, plain, low fat | 95 kcal | 7.9 g |
| eggs | 56 g | FDC 171287Egg, whole, raw, fresh | 80 kcal | 7.0 g |
| vegetarian hard cheese | 30 g | FDC 170848Cheese, parmesan, hardCalculated with FoodData Central's hard Parmesan record. Vegetarian Italian-style hard cheeses are made the same way but with microbial rennet, and are close in composition. | 118 kcal | 10.7 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 847 kcal | 55.8 g |
Per serving the energy is rounded to the nearest 5 kcal, grams to the nearest whole gram and sodium to the nearest 10 mg. Calculation method 1.0, September 2026. How the calculation works.
Storage and reheating
- In the fridge
- Cool, cover and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking. Eat within 3 to 4 days. It cuts more cleanly on the second day.
- In the freezer
- Freezing keeps food safe indefinitely; the texture is best if it is eaten sooner rather than later.
- Reheating
- Reheat until it reaches 74°C / 165°F, steaming hot throughout.
Checked against US Food and Drug Administration, Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service, Leftovers and Food Safety, FoodSafety.gov, Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures and FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart. UK guidance from the Food Standards Agency is shorter, at two days for most leftovers.
Try another recipe
Orzo with white beans and spinach
Orzo with white beans, spinach and a hard cheese finish.
About 25 min · 440 kcal · 23 g protein per serving
Vegetarian