This economical casserole is packed with fresh vegetables, and it's finished off with a topping of tasty scones. Yum!

Serves:

4

Preparation time:

25 minutes

Cooking time:

40 minutes

Approximate cost for recipe:

£2.56

Approximate cost per serving:

64p

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 celery sticks, sliced
• 1 medium parsnip, chopped
• 2 large carrots, sliced
• 100g cauliflower florets
• 100g button mushrooms, sliced
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 75g red lentils
• 2 tablespoons cornflour
• 450ml (3/4 pint) vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Ground black pepper

For the topping:

• 150g self-raising flour
• 45g low-fat spread
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons semi-skimmed milk

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, fan oven 160°C, gas mark 4.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the celery, parsnip, carrots and cauliflower and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes more. Remove from the heat and add the mushrooms, tomatoes and lentils.
3. Blend the cornflour with 3-4 tablespoons of water and add to the saucepan with the vegetable stock and parsley. Return to the heat and bring to the boil to thicken the mixture. Season with pepper, transfer to a casserole dish, then cover and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, sift the flour into a large bowl. Rub in the low-fat spread with your fingertips. Beat the egg and milk together and add sufficient to the dry ingredients to make a soft dough. Knead lightly, roll out to 2cm thickness and cut into 4cm rounds.
5. Remove the casserole from the oven and raise the temperature to 200°C, fan oven 180°C, gas mark 6. Arrange the scones around the edge of the dish and brush with the remaining egg and milk. Return to the oven and cook for a further 12-15 minutes, until the scone topping is risen and golden brown.

Tip 1: When cutting out the scones, avoid twisting the cutter as you cut through the dough, or else the scones won't rise as much.

Tip 2: If you don't like some of the vegetables, replace them with your favourites, such as broccoli, sweet potato or green beans.