Impulsive Hot Pot - A veggie bean-feast!

This is a very healthy dish full of tasty pulses like peas, beans and lentils, and can be one of those ...'oh! I fancy that' dishes!.....hence the name 'Impulsive'...it's easy to make on the spur of the moment with store cupboard staples if you don't mind doing a bit of chopping too!

It is a dish suitable for your vegetarian or vegan friends, but there is no reason why it cannot be enjoyed by carnivores too!


If you are using a hand slicer then I recommend buying the smaller oval shaped sweet potatoes that usually come in a net, if you are going to slice with a knife then you can buy the really big potatoes and just cut them down to a manageable size to suit your own knife skills.

You can make and cook this dish in a cast iron casserole pot or, cook the base in a saucepan then finish with the sweet potato topping in a casserole or gratin dish.

you will need: feeds 6-8 

a little olive oil

1 medium red onion

1 stalk of celery

2 cloves garlic

200 g chestnut mushrooms

300 g butternut squash

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon red harissa paste or 2 if you want it hot!

1 tin / 200 g cooked chickpeas

200 g cooked canellini beans, pinto beans or kidney beans as you like

1 tin / 200 g whole green lentils

500 mls 'cheat's tomato sauce'  see HERE!

(or use 500 mls tomato passata + 1 tablespoon dried marjoram)

1 tin / 200 g chopped tomatoes

a handful of black olives with NO STONES!....leave these whole

1 kg sweet potato

how to:

• peel the onion, cut in half and slice thinly, slice the celery thinly, add to the onion and set aside
• clean and cut the mushrooms into quarters or slices, as you like.
• peel and cut the squash into bite size pieces and set aside
• drain the peas, beans and lentils and rinse well with cold running water, set aside
• peel the sweet potato and cut into manageable pieces for slicing by hand or on your slicer
• slice the potatoes really thin, almost see through if you can, and set aside
• in a deep pot heat a little olive oil and add the onion and celery, cook lightly for a minute or two but don't let them brown
• add the diced  squash and mushrooms, cook for a minute on high heat, cover with a lid and turn the heat to medium, cook under cover for about 4 minutes
• remove the lid, stir in the harissa and tomato pastes and mix well, add the tomato sauce and passata, add the chopped tomatoes and olives, mix well
• if you think the tomato is a little too thick you can add a touch of water, remember the sauce will thicken as it reduces anyway
• add the drained pulses, crush and add the garlic, bring the dish to the boil, cover and simmer until the squash is tender
• by the time the squash is fully cooked the liquid will have reduced....as I've said before..... if you think it it too thick at this stage add a touch more water because it is going to go into the oven and cook for another while and we don't want it to burn!
• pour your veggie bean base into a casserole or gratin dish
• layer the sweet potato slices, overlapping them nicely on top of the vegetables, if using a round dish you can fan the slices in circles......... brush the top layer with a little olive oil
• bake your hot pot in a pre-heated oven 180 degrees until the potatoes are soft and nicely browned
• serve straight from the dish on its own or with some nice crusty olive or onion focaccia bread and maybe a spinach and watercress salad on the side.

feel free to add other vegetables to this dish like aubergine, sweet peppers, asparagus, diced artichoke hearts, but I find using firm veg like squash or marrow works well with the pulses.

Use white potatoes if you are not a sweet potato fan....but seriously, how can you not like them...they're delish!

If you have a go at this dish let me know your successes, and as always I love to see your food pictures on my social media,

happy cooking!