Lentil Shepherd's Pie
A whole-food, plant-based version of Shepherd's Pie that is flavorful, comforting and gives you all the cozy feelings of fall!
Servings 8 people
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- 3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes (about 15 small potatoes)
- 1 cup soy milk or other unsweetened plant milk (optional)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1 lemon, juiced (gives the tanginess of sour cream)
Filling
- 1 cup brown lentils, uncooked
- 1 onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 stalks celery
- 4 large carrots
- 8 oz mushrooms (or green beans, or other vegetable of choice)
- 1/2 tsp each of rosemary, thyme, basil
- 2 TBSP ketchup or tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 cups frozen peas
Instructions
Cook lentils and make mashed potatoes
- Start by cooking the lentils. Add 2.5 cups water and 1 cup lentils to a small pot with a lid. Bring water to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer for about 25 minutes, or until lentils are soft. Drain any excess water.
- Meanwhile, peel potatoes and either cook in an instant pot or on the stove. For the instant pot, cover with water and use the steam setting for 13 minutes. On the stove, add potatoes to a pot of boiling water, and cook until tender, at least 20 minutes. Drain. Reserve 1 cup of potato water if you don't plan to use milk as the liquid for the mashed potatoes.
- Finish mashed potatoes by adding 1 cup of soy milk or reserved potato water, salt and lemon juice. Mash with a potato masher or an electric beater. Adjust seasonings and salt accoring to taste. Add whatever you love to make your mashed potatoes swoon-worthy.
Make the filling
- Chop onion, mince garlic, dice celery, slice the carrots and mushrooms.
- In a large pot, saute onions. Add small amounts of water if necessary to avoid sticking to the pan. Once fragrant, add garlic, celery, mushrooms, carrots, and herbs. Cook over medium heat until soft.
- Make the gravy by stirring the vegetable broth and ketchup together in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup. Add about 1 cup of the mashed potatoes to thicken it. Stir into the vegetable mixture. Add the cooked lentils, peas, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
- Pour lentil vegetable mixture into the bottom of a 13x9 inch pan. Dollop spoonfulls of mashed potatoes on top, then gently smooth them together to cover the filling. Sprinkle with parsely if desired, then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, or until filling is hot and bubbly and potatoes are golden brown on top. I like to use the broil setting the last few minutes to create a crispy golden top.
