February 27, 2026
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This vegetarian hachis parmentier is the most comforting thing to cook on a rainy day, though really it’s perfect for any weeknight. I’m absolutely crazy about lentilles du Puy, and in my opinion they’ve got far more flavour than minced meat ever did.
I love that they’re the finest lentils in France, grown on volcanic plateaux. I feel a bit more connected to the earth when I cook them. I know that sounds vague and a little silly, but that’s honestly how good they are. And they’re wonderfully healthy too, which is a bonus, though if you put as much French butter in your mash as I do, that rather cancels itself out!
Table of Contents
Where hachis parmentier comes from
Hachis parmentier takes its name from Antoine-Augustin Parmentier, the 18th-century French agronomist who campaigned tirelessly to convince the French to eat potatoes. Which sounds absurd now, but at the time potatoes were widely distrusted, thought fit only for animals, and even blamed for disease. Can you imagine?
Parmentier’s campaign was one of history’s great PR exercises. He presented Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette with potato flowers (the king wore one in his buttonhole, the queen in her hair), and he planted a field of potatoes at Sablons under armed guard by day, with quiet orders to let people steal them at night, knowing that anything so well-protected must be worth having.
The locals duly stole the potatoes for their own gardens, and the potato’s reputation in France was made. (The same tale is told of Frederick the Great in Germany, so take the details with a smile.) Any French dish with “parmentier” in its name is a nod to the man who won us all over to the potato. Thank you!
Ingredients
- Lentilles du Puy – Earthy, peppery, and they hold their shape, which is what gives the filling body under the mash. Look for the AOP label. Generic green or brown lentils go mushy and taste flat by comparison.
- Mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) – The classic French aromatic base, cooked down slowly. It builds the deep, savoury foundation the whole dish rests on.
- Tomato purée – A little, cooked out for depth and colour.
- Vegetable stock – To simmer the lentils in, reducing to a rich sauce that clings to them.
- Thyme and bay – For that classic French savoury depth.
- Floury potatoes – For the mash. Maris Piper or similar, so the topping is fluffy, not gluey.
- Butter, milk and crème fraîche – What make the mash rich, smooth and properly French.
- Gruyère – Grated over the top for the golden, bubbling gratin crust. Comté works beautifully too.
How to make hachis parmentier
1. Cook the lentil filling
Soften the mirepoix slowly in olive oil, don’t rush it, since this is the flavour base of this dish. Add garlic, then the tomato purée and let it cook out, then the lentils, stock, thyme and bay. Simmer until the lentils are tender but still holding their shape and the liquid has reduced to a thick sauce that clings to them rather than pooling around them. A splash of red wine vinegar at the end lifts it. You want it moist but not wet, or it’ll bleed up into the mash.
2. Make the mash
Boil the potatoes until tender, drain well, and let them steam-dry for a minute (wet potatoes make sloppy mash). Rice or mash them smooth, then beat in the butter, warm milk and crème fraîche, and season well with salt, pepper and a little nutmeg. You want it smooth and rich but firm enough to spread and hold its shape on top.
3. Top and gratinée
Spoon the lentil filling into a baking dish, spread the mash over the top, right to the edges to seal it, and rough the surface up with a fork (those ridges catch and crisp). Scatter the Gruyère over, and bake until golden and bubbling, finishing under the grill for a few minutes if you want a properly browned top. Rest it a few minutes before serving, since the filling is molten hot!
Tools for this recipe
Check out my favorite kitchen essentials and cookware!
- Use a wide, shallow cast iron baking dish (braisier) so you get a good ratio of mash to filling and a wide golden top, and it goes from oven to table.
- Use a potato ricer for the smoothest, lump-free mash.
- Use a sharp knife to chop the mirepoix finely and evenly.
Tips for success
- Use lentilles du Puy if you can: They hold their shape and bring that mineral, earthy, peppery flavour that ordinary lentils just don’t. It genuinely makes the dish.
- Don’t rush the mirepoix: ten minutes of slow, gentle cooking builds the savoury base the whole hachis parmentier rests on.
- Get the filling texture right: reduce it until the sauce clings to the lentils rather than pooling. A wet filling bleeds up into the mash and makes it sloppy.
- Dry the potatoes before mashing: let them steam-dry after draining, so the mash is fluffy and rich rather than waterlogged. Wet mash slides off the filling.
- Rough up the mash with a fork: those peaks and ridges are what crisp and brown under the grill, giving you the best bits of the whole dish.
How to store it
- Hachis parmentier is brilliant for making ahead, arguably even better the next day once the flavours have settled.
- You can build the whole thing up to the baking stage, cool it, and keep it covered in the fridge for up to 2 days, then bake it fresh when you want it (add 10 minutes or so to the oven time from cold). Or bake it, cool, and reheat: it keeps 3 days in the fridge and reheats beautifully in a hot oven, covered with foil so the top doesn’t over-brown, for about 20 minutes.
- It also freezes very well, either whole or in portions, for up to 3 months. Freeze it assembled but unbaked, or baked, thaw in the fridge overnight, and bake or reheat until piping hot through. A proper batch-cook dinner!
More winter recipes to try
Variations
- Add mushrooms: fold sautéed chestnut mushrooms into the lentils for extra savoury, meaty depth. A classic addition to a vegetarian hachis parmentier version.
- Add a splash of red wine: a glass of red wine reduced into the filling gives it a richer, deeper flavour.
- Swap the cheese: Comté instead of Gruyère (nuttier), or a little grated Parmesan through the mash.
- Make it vegan: use olive oil or vegan butter and a plant milk in the mash, skip the crème fraîche (or use a vegan one), and a vegan hard cheese or breadcrumbs on top.
- Sweet potato topping: swap some or all of the potato for sweet potato for a sweeter, autumnal version.
- Add greens: stir a handful of spinach or chopped kale into the lentils at the end for a greener hachis parmentier.
FAQ
What is hachis parmentier?
Hachis parmentier is a classic French baked dish of a savoury filling (traditionally minced meat, here lentils) topped with mashed potato and baked until golden. It’s the French cousin of shepherd’s or cottage pie, named after Antoine Parmentier, who popularised the potato in 18th-century France.
What’s the difference between hachis parmentier and shepherd’s pie?
They’re close cousins. Shepherd’s pie is British and uses minced lamb; hachis parmentier is French and traditionally uses beef or leftover pot-au-feu meat, with a richer, more buttery mash often finished with cheese. This version swaps the meat for lentilles du Puy.
Can I use ordinary lentils instead of lentilles du Puy?
You can, but lentilles du Puy (or similar small, firm dark green lentils like beluga) are strongly preferred because they hold their shape and have a superior earthy, mineral flavour. Ordinary green or brown lentils tend to go mushy and taste flatter, giving a sloppier filling.
How do I stop the mash going soggy on top?
Two things: reduce the lentil filling so it’s moist but not wet (a soupy filling bleeds upward), and dry your potatoes well before mashing so the mash is firm enough to hold. Spreading the mash right to the edges to seal the filling in also helps.
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 55 minutes 
Servings 4Description
Ingredients
For the lentil filling
- 300 gr lentils lentilles du Puy AOP if you can find them
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato concentrate
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaf
- 1 tsp red wine vinegar
- salt and black pepper
For the mashed potato topping
- 900 gr floury potatoes
- 60 gr unsalted butter
- 100 ml whole milk
- 2 tbsp crème fraîche
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- salt and black pepper
To finish
- 80 gr Gruyère cheese
Equipment
Instructions
1. Cook the lentils
- Rinse the lentils (no need to soak). Put them in a saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and cook for about 20 minutes, until just tender with some bite. Don't salt the water, it toughens the skins. Drain and set aside.
2. Build the filling
- Heat the olive oil in the braisier over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery (mirepoix) and cook gently for 10 minutes until softened. Add the garlic for 2 minutes, then the tomato purée and cook out for 2 minutes. Add the stock, thyme and bay, season, then stir in the lentils. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes until the sauce clings to the lentils. Stir in the vinegar, adjust seasoning, remove the herbs.
3. Make the mash
- Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes until tender. Drain and steam-dry for a couple of minutes. Rice or mash smooth. Beat in the butter, then the warm milk and crème fraîche. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
4. Top and bake
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Spread the mash over the lentil filling, right to the edges. Rough the surface with a fork and scatter over the Gruyère. Bake for 25 minutes until golden and bubbling, finishing under the grill for 3 to 4 minutes for a properly golden top.
5. Rest and serve
- Rest 5 minutes (the filling is very hot). Serve from the dish, with a green salad and a sharp mustard vinaigrette.
Notes
- Lentils du Puy specifically is what makes this work. They hold their shape through cooking and have a mineral, earthy flavour that generic green lentils simply can’t match. Look for the AOP label if you can find it.
- Don’t rush the mirepoix. Ten minutes of gentle cooking builds the flavour base the whole dish rests on. If the vegetables go in barely softened, the filling will taste flat.
- The tomato concentrate is there as background, not as a feature. Two tablespoons is enough to add depth and a little colour without announcing itself. This dish is about the lentils.
- A wide, shallow braisier works better here than a deep casserole. You want a good ratio of mash to filling in each spoonful, and a deeper dish throws that off. The wider the better for the gratin on top too.
- Make ahead: build the whole thing up to the baking stage, leave to cool, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking and add 10 minutes to the oven time.
- Leftovers keep well in the fridge for 2–3 days and reheat brilliantly in the oven at 180°C for 20 minutes, covered with foil.
- Comté works just as well as Gruyère on top, and arguably better, it has a slightly nuttier, more complex flavour that’s worth trying if you can find it.
Share your feedback and spread the love!
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out! Leave a ★★★★★ rating and your thoughts in the comments, it helps fellow French foodies discover this recipe too. Snap a photo and tag @obviously.french on Instagram. Come talk about it in our Facebook group. And don’t forget to save this recipe to Pinterest so you’ll always have it handy for your next French-inspired meal!
