Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Serves 4

For the mash potato topping

• 3 floury potatoes, peeled & chopped
• knob of dairy free butter
• 25ml dairy free milk
• 75g vegan cheese, grated
• Ground black pepper

For the lentil mixture

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 2 small carrots, peeled, chopped into small pieces
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed, chopped into small pieces
• 400g canned plum tomatoes
• 85ml red wine
• 100ml vegetable stock
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 1tsp dried Italian herbs
• splash balsamic vinegar
• 400g canned Puy lentils (use 200g if using vegetarian mince)
• 250g vegetarian mince (optional)
• sea salt and ground black pepper

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. For the mash potato topping, heat a pan of salted water, add the potatoes and bring to a boil, then simmer until the potatoes are almost cooked through, which is for about 15-20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Step 2

For the lentil mixture, gently fry the chopped onion, garlic, carrots and celery in a frying pan on a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until softened.

Add the remaining lentil mixture ingredients (including the vegetarian mince, if using) except for the lentils and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has reduced and the vegetables are tender. Stir the Puy lentils into the sauce.

Step 3

In a small saucepan over a low heat melt the butter, then add the dairy free milk and heat through. Mash the potatoes, then add the warm milk mixture to the potatoes and continue to mash until combined but still chunky. Season with ground black pepper.

Step 4

Tip the lentil mixture into a medium pie dish and top with the mash potato. Add the grated vegan cheese over the top. Then bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the potato is golden-brown.

With lentils
343 kcal
10g protein
50.6g carbohydrates
9.8g fat
5.1g saturates
8.7g fibre
1.26g salt

With vegetarian mince and lentils
408 kcal
20g protein
53.7g carbohydrates
11.1g fat
5.2g saturates
9.1g fibre
1.59g salt