These pies are based on a cheesy lentil pie I tried a couple of months back and LOVED but wanted to see if I could make my own grain-free and vegan version and … I am so so happy with the results! I loved the combination of the crumbliness of the topping and the creamy lentil filling. The nutritional yeast does a great impression of a parmesan-like cheese flavour, I was very impressed. It also adds a lot of protein to this recipe, along with help from the lentils and nuts.
One thing I will say, for anyone who decides to make this, is that it is so filling! There are a lot of nutrients crammed into a relatively small looking portion. So I would recommend using ramekin dishes to make the pies instead of traditional pie dishes. I struggled to make it through half of the portion pictured, even though it was delicious and my taste buds wanted me to eat the whole thing… Another thing is, the recipe makes 6 pie servings so you may want to halve the ingredients for a smaller serving, or freeze some of the pies (uncooked) for later use.
Cheezy Lentil Pie
A savoury gluten-free pie filled with cheezy flavoured lentils.
Ingredients
Pie crust
- 165 g / 1 cup whole cashews, soaked for at least 1 hour in warm water
- 65 g / 2/3 cup ground almonds
- 16 g / 1/3 cup nutritional yeast*
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder or tapioca flour
- 3 tbsp olive oil
Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 250 ml / 1 cup vegetable stock
- 200 g /1 cup lentils soaked for at least 1 hour in warm water
- 200 g / 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 24 g / 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
- Black pepper to taste
- Optional: Dairy-free milk to brush on top of the pies
Instructions
For the pie crust:
- Rinse and drain the cashew nuts and place them in a food processor with the ground almonds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, herbs and arrowroot powder. Mix until it creates a dense, breadcrumb texture.
- Add in the olive oil and mix again until the mixture begins to ball together like a dough.
- Remove from the food processor and wrap in cling film. Place in the fridge whilst you create the pie filling...
For the filling:
- Preheat the oven to 170c.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Fry the onion, garlic and herbs for a few minutes until softened.
- Pour over the vegetable stock and bring to the boil.
- Add the lentils and chopped tomatoes. Stir and reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When almost all the liquid has been absorbed, add the nutritional yeast and give the mixture a good stir. Cook for a further couple of minutes.
- Add black pepper to taste.
- Pour the filling into the ramekin/pie dishes.
- Take the pie crust dough out of the fridge and roll it to about 3mm thick. Cut out circles to fit on top of the ramekins and pierce holes on the top to let some of the steam out.
- Brush a little milk on top of the pies to help give it a shine and deeper colour.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the tops are golden brown.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
*Nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that can be found in most health food stores. Because it's deactivated, it's safe for yeast-free diets. It's gluten-free, dairy-free and high in vitamins & protein.
Nutrition Information
Amount Per Serving Calories 364Carbohydrates 19gFiber 7gProtein 15g
Hi forgot to ask do you use dried red lentils? Also fresh or tinned chopped tomatoes in the recipe
Thanks for recipe I’ve been searching for a non butter pastry for ages. Can’t wait to try it. I’ve only just discovered your site today, found quite a few recipes I will try.
ps Will pastry work in other recipes vegan i.e. Vegan sausage rolls, Quiche? Is it quite soft or brittle pastry? Thanks again.
How many calories are in the pie crust? Would love to use the pie crust for other dishes.
The calorie count listed must be based on 1oz of cashews. A whole cup of cashews is over 700 calories, making it impossible for an entire pie to have less than 400 calories. I’m sure there’s an app or online tool that can calculate all the nutritional information for you, but do not log your calories for this meal (which looks delicious) with the nutritional information provided.
Hi Melissa
I’ll have a look into this and double check!
Thanks,
Aimee
Hi Aimee! Just found your blog today and was wondering about the cashews and almonds in the crust of your Cheezy Lentil Pie….does it matter if they are roasted or raw? Is one preferred over the other? Thanks!
Hi Wendy :-) I just used raw. Roasted will taste different but I’m not sure if it would be a good or bad different! Let me know how it goes.
I made your Cheesy Lentil pie last night and all I can say is wow! It was so delicious! I followed the directions as you provided and it turned out great. This is a must try recipe!!!!
Great to hear, Stephanie! So happy you enjoyed it :-) I need to make it again soon….
Can I make this in advance ?
Hi Catherine. I’m not sure how long the pie crust would last but the filling is freezer-friendly and can probably be chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days. Hope that helps!
Oh! I´ve just made it! So tasteful! My friend said it was one of the best dishes she ever tried. Thank you!
Magali.
Hi! I’m from Peru. I want to prepare this pie but I can´t get nutritional yeast in Lima. Please!! What can I use to replace it?! Maybe regular fresh yeast?
Hello Aimee!
Congratulations on such a fantastic recipe! You really must have a creative mind! I will recommend your website to all my friends and would love to make this recipe ASAP. Before I do so, I just wanted to ask you one thing: since I have a tomato allergy, what could I substitute for the tomato in the filling? Thanks for your time and help!
All the best,
Anna
xxx
Thank you Anna, very sweet of you to say! I would recommend substituting with pureed carrots or red pepper. I’ve tried using pureed carrots in a “no-mato” recipe before and it works quite well I think. Let me know how you get on :-) x
This looks delicious! The pastry looks beautifully short!
Thanks Vicky! The pastry was great, I’m looking forward to trying it with some other fillings :-)
That’s amazing that you can make a pie crust from cashews, Aimee! May I suggest this would also be yummy with a little feta cheese added into the filling? The Greeks add cheese to their lentils sometimes, so who are we to argue?
Yummm yes, I’ve had lentils and feta together before and it was amazing! It would definitely go well with this pie, for non-vegans :-)
Love this recipe, and that gluten free crust, that I must try soon.
Thank you :-) The grain free crust was really nice, I’m going to be trying it with some other fillings soon. Let me know if you try it too!
Yum! I do a Shepherd’s pie verson of this and just top it with mashed potatoes. Totally love an excuse to have a bit more pastry C:
I was thinking of doing a version topped with potatoes or cauliflower mash. I will have to try that next time!
Looks delicious and so very healthy! Is the topping more like pastry or crumble or neither? I love lentils, so the filling is right up my street, but I have never heard of nutritional yeast?????
Thanks Kate! Texture-wise it’s more like a shortcrust pastry, really nice! And the nutritional yeast is a deactivated yeast that has lot’s of vitamins and protein – great for adding a cheesy taste to vegan dishes.
Wow, this sounds so delicious which is difficult to believe seeng as it is so healthy. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to try it myself to make sure, haha =) It’s really interesting to see alternative recipes like this and I love that it is so different.
Thank you Laura :-) Let me know if you do try it!