No need to worry. I’m not turning in to a tree hugging, lentil loving Vegetarian (even though I do love trees and lentils). I do love the taste and talk about cheap! They are very tasty and good for you as well. I made a huge pot of lentils with all the vegetables I had in the crisper. I could’ve just eaten them like that but had the idea to try a Shepherd’s Pie of sorts, by adding mashed potato to the top.
I would welcome any die hard, meat eating Shepherd’s Pie fans to give this a go. It was very good, without the meat.
Vegetarian “Shepherd’s Pie”
- 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed (or 1 x 400gm can lentils, drained and rinsed)
- 2 cups pumpkin, chopped
- 1 medium sweet potato, chopped
- 1 can green peas, drained
- 1 handful baby spinach leaves
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sliced roasted (or raw) red capsicum (bell peppers) – I used 1/2 cup of my Roasted Capsicum Sauce
- 1 cup vegetable stock (I used a stock powder with 1 cup of water)
- salt & pepper
- 3-4 potatoes, chopped, boiled and mashed with a little milk and butter for topping
- Cook onions in olive oil until clear.
- Add other ingredients and cover with just enough water. (Lentils will thicken upon cooking. Ensure they don’t stick to bottom of saucepan or slow cooker)
- Cook until lentils are cooked and vegetables are soft.
- Place mixture in a baking dish and top with mashed potato.
- Bake in a 180 deg C (350 deg F) oven until golden.
(This makes a huge amount and could make 1 very large Shepherd’s Pie so increase the number of potatoes. Alternatively, you could make the lentil mixure into something else like I did, like a Lentil Lasagna. Recipe to come.)
