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Lentil Shepherd's Pie with Sweet Potato Mash (Vegan)

The secret to a vegan shepherd's pie with real depth is the mushrooms. Cook them hard until they are brown and the pan is almost dry before anything else goes in. That, plus a splash of tamari, gives the savoury depth meat would normally bring.

Dinner

75

Serves 4

Lentil shepherd's pie with golden sweet potato mash topping in a baking dish, with a portion served on a plate

Ingredients

  • For the filling
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 2 carrots, finely diced
  • 2 sticks celery, finely diced
  • 250g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1 tsp dried
  • 200g dried green or brown lentils, rinsed
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 500ml low-salt vegetable stock (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1 tbsp tamari (gluten-free if needed) or soy sauce
  • 150g frozen peas
  • For the topping
  • 800g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 50ml unsweetened soya milk
  • Black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, without stirring too often, until well browned and the liquid has gone.
  2. Turn the heat down, add the onion, carrots and celery and cook for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and thyme for the last minute.
  3. Stir in the tomato puree, then the lentils, tinned tomatoes, stock and tamari. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring now and then, until the lentils are tender and the sauce is thick. Add a splash of water if it gets too dry. Stir in the peas and season with pepper.
  4. Meanwhile, boil or steam the sweet potatoes for 12 to 15 minutes until very soft. Drain well, let them steam dry for 2 minutes, then mash with the soya milk, pepper and nutmeg.
  5. Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan). Spoon the filling into a baking dish, about 20 x 30cm, then spread the mash over the top and rough it up with a fork.
  6. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and golden on top. Rest for 5 minutes before serving.
  7. To freeze, cool, cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat until steaming hot all the way through.

Why it works

A serving has over 16g of fibre. That is more than half the 30g a day the NHS recommends, from the lentils, vegetables and sweet potato. Most adults in the UK eat about 20g a day in total.

Lentils do the work of the meat. A serving has about 21g of protein, more than half of it from the lentils, plus iron and folate, with almost no fat. The tomatoes and peas add vitamin C, which helps the body absorb the iron in the lentils. That matters for women with heavy periods: see iron deficiency and heavy periods.

Why it is tagged for blood sugar. The fibre and protein in lentils slow how quickly their carbohydrate is digested, so this is filling and steady rather than heavy. A serving also counts as at least three of your 5 a day.

The honest part is the protein. At about 21g a serving, it is lower than a meat version. If you train, serve it with a portion of extra peas or edamame, or follow it with a high-protein soya yogurt.

A shepherd's pie traditionally uses lamb and a cottage pie uses beef; this one swaps both for lentils. For another warming lentil dinner, try the red lentil dal with spinach. For eating around menopause, see the best diet for menopause.