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
Spinach and egg stuffed portobellos
Large mushrooms filled with spinach, cottage cheese and eggs.
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 four portobellos hold this much filling
- Confirm the bake time
- Photograph the finished mushrooms
- Time
- About 45 min
- estimated
- Serves
- 2
- see below
- Energy
- 380 kcal
- per serving
- Protein
- 30 g
- per serving
Ingredients for 2 servings
Check off ingredients as you go.
Contains eggs, gluten, milk. Check the labels on packaged ingredients:
- cheddar. Some cheddar is made with animal rennet; check the label if you are vegetarian.
- wholemeal bread. Bread often contains soya and can contain milk, egg or sesame; check the label.
Cooking steps
Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F (170°C fan). Brush the mushrooms with the oil, put them gill side up on a lined tray and roast for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, wilt the spinach in a dry pan, press out the liquid in a sieve and chop it. Beat the eggs and stir them into the cottage cheese with the spinach.
Tip away any liquid that has collected in the mushrooms, then spoon the filling into them and scatter the cheddar over.
Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the filling is set with no liquid egg left.
Cooked when: 71°C / 160°F in the centre. A food thermometer is the reliable way to tell.
Toast the bread and serve alongside.
The useful detail
Drain released mushroom liquid before filling. A portobello holds a surprising amount, and it turns the filling into soup as it bakes.
Make it work for you
One serving is Two filled mushrooms with a slice of toast. 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.
Feta instead of cheddar
Saltier and drier; it does not melt into a sheet.
Per serving: about 20 kcal less, about 1 g less protein, about 2 g less fat.
Ricotta instead of cottage cheese
Smoother and richer in the filling.
Per serving: about 40 kcal more, about 3 g less protein, about 4 g more fat.
Gluten-free bread
Works; nutrition is not recalculated.
Allergens: Removes gluten if it is certified gluten-free.
Estimated nutrition
Per standard serving, calculated from the ingredients above. Nutrition changes with substitutions, brands and how much oil stays in the pan.
A light savoury dish for the size of the plate: mushrooms are mostly water, and the eggs and cottage cheese carry the protein.
| Energy | 380 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 30 g |
| Fat | 18 g |
| of which saturates | 7 g |
| Carbohydrate | 27 g |
| of which sugars | 7 g |
| Fibre | 5 g |
| Sodium | 640 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| mushrooms | 300 g | FDC 169251Mushrooms, white, raw | 66 kcal | 9.3 g |
| olive oil | 4.5 g | FDC 171413Oil, olive, salad or cooking | 40 kcal | 0.0 g |
| spinach | 100 g | FDC 168462Spinach, raw | 23 kcal | 2.9 g |
| cottage cheese | 150 g | FDC 172179Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd | 147 kcal | 16.7 g |
| eggs | 110 g | FDC 171287Egg, whole, raw, fresh | 160 kcal | 14.1 g |
| cheddar | 30 g | FDC 173414Cheese, cheddar (Includes foods for USDA's Food Distribution Program) | 121 kcal | 6.9 g |
| wholemeal bread | 80 g | FDC 172688Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared | 202 kcal | 10.0 g |
| Whole recipe | Divided by 2 | 759 kcal | 59.7 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.
- 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