Mushroom and lentil bake with tahini crust
- Published: 18 Dec 19
- Updated: 18 Mar 24
An impressive vegetarian main course that is so much easier to make than you’d expect – the whole thing won’t set you back more than an hour. The rich mushroom and beluga lentil ragù is topped with a cheesy tahini crust and served with a sharp pickled red onion salad.
If you like that, then you’ll love this Middle Eastern-spiced nut roast with a stunning three potato topping.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 large celery stick, chopped
- 300g portabellini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp baharat spice mix or ras el hanout spice mix
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 vegetable stock pot/cube
- 2 x 250g packs cooked beluga lentils
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp pomegranate molasses
For the topping
- 6 tbsp tahini
- Juice 2 lemons
- 2 medium free-range eggs
- 50g vegetarian hard cheese or feta
- 1 small red onion, chopped
- Large handful fresh flatleaf parsley, leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry pan
- 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
You’ll also need…
- Medium to large baking dish, roughly 1.5 litres
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep frying pan, then fry the onion, carrots and celery over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped mushrooms, season well with salt and black pepper and cook for 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the tomato purée, the spice mix, soy sauce and the stock cube/pot, then stir over the heat for 1-2 minutes. Add the lentils and chopped tomatoes. Fill the tomato can with water, then add that to the pan, along with the pomegranate molasses. Simmer for 15 minutes until rich and saucy. Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6.
- For the topping, mix together the tahini, half the lemon juice, 100ml cold water, the eggs and most of the cheese in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, mix the red onion with half the remaining lemon juice and a good pinch of salt, then set aside.
- Pour the mushroom and lentil mixture into the baking dish, then pour the tahini topping over the top. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and set on top.
- Just before serving, rinse and drain the red onion, then mix with the parsley, pine nuts, the remaining lemon juice and the pomegranate seeds in a medium bowl. Scatter this mixture over the bake, then serve.
- Recipe from November 2019 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 421kcals
- Fat
- 22.4g (4.5g saturated)
- Protein
- 24.3g
- Carbohydrates
- 24.8g (11.3g sugars)
- Fibre
- 11.4g
- Salt
- 1.4g
delicious. tips
The savoury umami flavours that infuse this dish call for a slightly spicy, peppery red such as a côtes du rhône or Chilean carmenère.
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Love this recipe – it always turns out well. I want to make a big (2x) she version of this for a party – how long would I need to bake it with double the size? – Thanks!
Hi Sarah, we’re so glad to hear you enjoy this recipe. The oven time is primarily to turn the tahini crust golden and set. So if you’re doubling the dish inside you could try adding 15 minutes to the cooking time – so baking for 45 minutes in total, or until the topping sets. Enjoy!
Love this recipe, especially the pickled red onion and pomegranate topping which makes it look really appealing. The only problem I have is that the sauce from the lentils bubbles up through the crust sometimes.
Is there a substitute for the eggs?
Leave out the eggs and the topping can be thinned with a little water from a can of chickpeas (aquafaba).
I highly recommend this recipe. It came out great.
We loved this – the filling is super tasty and the crust is lovely we are trying to be more flexitarian and this is the tastiest veggie dish we’ve tried to date
Do you think you could make this in advance?
Yes, the lentil mushroom mixture can be made up to 2-3 days in advance – or frozen, then defrosted – add the topping just before baking. Leftovers reheat well and can be stored, covered, in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Make the salsa up to an hour ahead. The delicious. food team x