Monday 16 October 2017

Vegan or Vegetarian Lentil Shepherds Pie


I've veganised my carnivore Shepherd's Pie with Hidden Vegetables for #meatlessmonday.

Serves 4-6

1 large carrot
1 large stick of celery
1 large onion
1 large garlic clove
500g grated swede, celeriac, parsnips, squash, or courgette
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can green lentils or 125g green lentils cooked in advance
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce or 1 heaped tsp Marmite
1 tin chopped tomatoes
500ml just boiled water
1 vegetable stock cube
5 large baking potatoes
A large knob of butter or dairy free spread
Dairy free or cows milk
Handful grated strong cheese

Peel and dice all the vegetables.  Sweat the onion, carrot and celery for about 10 minutes with the lid on then add the garlic and grated vegetables for another 10 minutes, making sure they don't catch on the bottom of the pan.

After the final 10 minutes or so, add the tomatoes, marmite, water and stock cube.  Bring to the boil then simmer with a lid on for 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.  Stir from time to time to make sure the pan is not drying out, adding more boiled water if it is.

Roughly chop the potatoes.  I leave the skins on, but my kids aren't keen on this timesaving approach.  Pour over boiling water and boil for 10 minutes with a little salt until the potatoes are soft.  When soft, drain and mash with the butter/spread and a big splash of  milk until you have a spreadable mash.

Pour the lentil & vegetable base into a lasagna dish.  You may with to stir in a few splashes of water if the lentils have made the mix a little dry.  Plop spoonfuls of mash over the mix to cover the surface.  Rough the potato up with a fork or a spoon to help it brown in the oven.  Sprinkle over the cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 200C or until the liquid from the vegetable mix is bubbling up round the sides of the potato.  If not browned to your taste, place the pie under the grill watching it very carefully until it is browned to your taste.

Instagram: leesashomemade
Facebook: Leesa's Homemade

No comments:

Post a Comment