Warming Lentil Moussaka

Heat a tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan on a medium-low heat. Cook the onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Add the bay leaf and your thyme leaves. Tip: Pinch the thyme stalk between your fingers and run your fingers along it to strip off the leaves. After around 5 mins the ingredients will have softened up.

Add in the spinach and cook it for a couple of minutes until it has wilted.

Drain and rinse the puy lentils and stir them into the onion mixture along with the chopped tomatoes and the stock pot. Let the mixture bubble away until you have a nice thick sauce.

Once the water from the sauce has disappeared, stir through all of the ricotta until you have a smooth sauce and then take the pan off the heat.

Lightly grease an ovenproof dish and place a layer of potatoes in the bottom. Layer half of your lentil mixture on top and cover this with another layer of potatoes. Put on the other half of the lentil mixture and one last layer of potatoes. Bake with a lid on for 30 mins.

Give the kitchen a quick tidy and put your feet up until dinner is ready.

After 30 mins, if you can slide a knife easily into the potatoes then they are cooked. If not, give them another 5 mins. Once they are cooked, turn off the oven and pre-heat the grill to high. Sprinkle the hard Italian cheese on top of your moussaka. Put it under the grill until it browns off.