This easy vegan hotpot is a plant-based version of the traditional British classic, with a hearty base of vegan sausage, lentil and mushrooms.
🍴Why you will love this recipe!
A hearty and comforting dinner, this hotpot is perfect to serve to family and friends. Time-saving ingredients like tinned lentils and fresh or frozen sausages make this an easy throw-together supper.
Packed with flavour and 'meaty' chunks of sausage, no-one will guess it is vegan! The sliced potato topping looks impressive but is actually very easy to do - you can't go wrong!
Serve with steamed green vegetables for a filling and healthy meal.
📝 What you need
Vegan sausages Use your favourite brand, I like Richmond Meat Free, Naked Glory, and Sainsbury's Shroomdogs.
Potatoes Go for a floury variety - I used Maris Piper but King Edward or Desiree will also work well - I like this handy guide to potato varieties to choose the perfect spud! Aim for smaller potatoes, to get a neat and tidy pattern on the top of your vegan hotpot.
Tinned lentils This saves lots of time rather than using dried lentils. Any variety of green or brown lentils will work well here.
👩🏽🍳 How to make this recipe
For a full, printable recipe with ingredients and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this page.
Clean and thinly slice the potatoes (no need to peel), and par-boil for 4-5 minutes.
Meanwhile, brown the sausages then cut into chunks. Fry with onion and carrot then add mushrooms and lentils.
Add flour and remaining ingredients and cook until thick and glossy. Arrange the cooled potato slices over the top, brush with oil and bake for 45 minutes.
🔪 Top Tips and FAQs
Don't over-boil the potatoes They should be under-cooked when you drain them, as they will continue cooking in the oven. If you cook them for too long they will crumble when you try to arrange them on top of the hotpot, (though will still taste good, don't worry!).
Make sure the filling isn't too dry It will thicken even more as it cooks in the oven, so if in doubt, add a little more water to make plenty of sauce before pouring it into the dish, (see photos above for reference).
If the potatoes are browning too quickly but not yet cooked through just cover the dish with foil for the remaining cooking time.
Yes! This freezes really well. I recommend freezing before cooking in the oven - make up the filling and par-boil and arrange the potatoes on top, brush with oil then freeze immediately. You can then fully defrost and bake the hotpot when you need it.
No - this is a very versatile recipe so use whatever you prefer. How about tinned borlotti beans, vegan quorn chicken chunks, or even an extra tin of lentils instead?
Yes, but they will need to be pre-cooked. Use puy, green or brown lentils - not red, as they will turn too mushy. Rinse then boil the dried lentils for 18-20 minutes until just tender. Drain, and add to the hotpot filling as per the recipe.
No, but you can easily make it gluten-free by swapping the plain flour for cornflour. Also check your vegan sausages to make sure they are also gluten-free.
I like to serve this with green beans and Tenderstem broccoli, but you could also try sautéed kale, stir-fried savoy cabbage, carrot and swede mash or even cauliflower mash.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Hotpot with sausage & lentils
Ingredients
- 600 g potatoes (fairly small - a floury variety like maris piper is ideal)
- 2 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 4 vegan sausages
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 100 g mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 400 g tin lentils green or brown
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 350 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon tomato purée
Instructions
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Clean the potatoes (no need to peel) and slice them thinly. Put them into the water to par-boil for 4-5 minutes, then drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large frying pan or casserole, heat the oil and fry the sausages until they are browned. Remove from the pan, slice into bite-sized chunks and return to the pan.
- Peel and slice the onion and add to the pan. Peel and trim the carrots and slice, then add to the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Clean the mushrooms, cut them in half and add to the pan along with the crushed garlic cloves and the leaves stripped from the sprigs of thyme. Cook over a medium heat until the mushrooms have released their juices and the pan is fairly dry.
- Preheat your oven to 190°C (fan) / 375°F / Gas Mark 5.
- Drain and rinse the lentils and add to the pan, then stir through the plain flour and cook for a minute or two, ensuring there are no lumps of flour.
- Add the vegetable stock, soy sauce and tomato purée and season well with salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and looks rich and glossy. If the sauce becomes too thick, just stir through a little more water.
- Tip the filling into an ovenproof dish, then arrange the potato slices on top. Start by using up any broken slices first so they will be hidden, then starting from the middle overlap each potato slice just slightly until they completely cover the dish. You should have enough for two layers - the first one doesn't need to be neat, just the top layer!
- Brush the potato slices with a little oil and sprinkle with salt and black pepper. Bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy, golden and cooked through.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Vanessa says
Making this tomorrow! Looks fab. Anyone tried it in a slow cooker/crockpot?
Ali Atkinson says
The flavour of this was awesome! I’ll certainly be making this again but mine did come out a little watery and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions please? I did make this ahead and then freeze it and then thawed it completely before cooking for 45 mins. The potatoes were cooked lovely, as were the veg and lentils but the sausage was a little soggy. Do I need a drier sauce if freezing it perhaps? The potatoes were Maris pipers. Try King Edwards perhaps? Many thanks.
Lesley says
Thank you for this recipe, tried it for the first time yesterday and it was absolutely delicious and full of flavour. We usually cook from the 20 minute meals but this is well worth the extra time. We'll be forwarding on to our children to share with their housemates.
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear, thanks Lesley!
Cathy says
Love this hotpot! First time I forgot the lentils, second time i ate half the sausages before putting them in! But a firm favourite now, easy to make, and add your own veggies as required. So filling - just what’s needed on a cold winter evening! Thanks Kate!
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear - thanks Cathy!
Aluce says
Absolutely delicious! Hearty, comforting and perfect for autumn and. I thoroughly enjoyed making it and enjoyed eating it even more!
Kate Ford says
That's so great to hear, thanks! X
Ceri says
Great recipe my vegan son loved 👏
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear, thanks Ceri! X
Kristen Wood says
This was so tasty and filling! Thank you for sharing it!!
Biana says
This hot pot looks delicious! I like how everything cooks together in the oven, and you can use that time to make a green salad to serve on the side.
Beth says
Oh my goodness! My family is going to just love this recipe! Sounds incredibly delicious and full of so much flavor! Can’t wait to give this a try!
Andrea says
Wow, I've never had anything like this. I love all the veggies and how the potatoes are cooked on top. It looks incredible.
Cathleen says
Wow, if you didn't tell me that this was vegan I never would have believed it. I am definitely making this later this week, thanks so much for the recipe 🙂