Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s Pie is a delicious, filling meal that will cater for everyone’s tastes, and uses lots of seasonal veges and warming spices. This mixture of flavours and textures makes it a tastebud delight. It is especially good in cooler weather when it’s nice to enjoy the comfort of a warm tasty pie.
The Pie
- 2 cups brown lentils
- oil for sauté
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks of celery
- 1 pepper
- 1 teaspoon each oreganum, thyme, basil (or a mixture of freshly chopped herbs)
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- ¼ cup tomato puree
- 1 tablespoon marmite or 1 tsp miso paste, dissolved in hot water
- chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tomatoes sliced
The Potato topping
- 5 medium cooked potatoes
- 50g butter
- 2 tablespoons milk
- salt and pepper
- ¾ cup grated cheese
- In preparation, it is good to soak the lentils overnight as this reduces their cooking time and makes them easier to digest.
- Put the lentils in a pan with bay leaves and water and bring to the boil. Simmer until tender, for around 40 minutes.
- Chop onions, celery, garlic, carrots and pepper and sauté in oil until onions are clear.
- Add tomato puree, vegemite/miso and herbs to vegetables and simmer for a further 10 minutes.
- Mash the cooked lentils and mix with the vegetables. Add tamari and seasonings and pour mixture into oiled casserole dish. Place sliced tomatoes on top and sprinkle with parsley.
- To make the topping, mash the cooked potatoes with the cheese, butter and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Spread the potato over the lentil mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake in the oven at 190 for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
Serve hot, either plain or with a simple green salad. Serves 4 – 6.