Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Lentil shepherd's pie

Recipe courtesy of ‘Simple (Mostly) Vegan Kitchen’ by Ellie Bullen, Macmillan Publishers, RRP $44.99

Who doesn’t love a good shepherd’s pie? This plant-based alternative is one of my all-time favourite winter recipes. It’s so hearty, packed full of veggies and heavy on the protein with a couple of cans of lentils.

Lentil shepherd's pieServes 4–6 / gf

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 x 400 g cans lentils, rinsed and drained
  • 465 g (3 cups) frozen mixed veg (peas, corn and carrots)
  • 400 g can chopped tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons onion gravy powder
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 3 tablespoons vegan red wine
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves, to serve

Potato topping

  • 540 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm chunks
  • 2 tablespoons vegan butter
  • 3 tablespoons soy milk
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley, plus extra for sprinkling

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced.
  2. Start with the potato topping. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, add the potato, cover and boil for 10–15 minutes, until soft. Drain and return the potato to the pan, then add the butter, soy milk, salt and dried parsley. Mash until smooth and fluffy. Set aside.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Add the lentils, frozen mixed veg, tomatoes, gravy powder and thyme. Stir and bring to a simmer, then cook for 5 minutes. Stir through the red wine and continue to simmer for 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Transfer the lentil and vegetable mixture to a large baking dish and evenly spread the mashed potato over the top. Sprinkle with a little extra dried parsley, then transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the potato is golden and crisp.
  5. Scatter some chopped parsley over the shepherd’s pie and serve hot.