Description
Looking for a vegan, healthy, warm and comforting meal? Look no longer! This sweet potato Shepherd’s Pie is the perfect balanced meal for the upcoming colder months, and it’s so easy to cook!
Ingredients
Filling
- 480g cooked brown or green lentils (rinsed and drained)
- 2 medium brown onion (sliced)
- 2 garlic cloves (minced)
- 250 chestnut mushrooms (sliced into small cubes)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 25g parsley (roughly chopped)
- 25g coriander (roughly chopped)
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbsps tomato puree add grams
- 200g baby spinach
Gravy
- 250ml vegetable stock or water
- 15g kuzu (can also use arrowroot or cornflour)
- 2 tbsp of fava umami paste (can also use dark miso or yeast spread)
- 2 tbsps balsamic vinegar
Mash
- 1kg / about 6 large sweet potatoes
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsps of olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 6 sprigs of thyme
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
Mash
- With skin on, cut the potatoes in half, placing them into a large pot and pouring water until they’re covered. Peel garlic cloves and crush them, adding it to the pot. Also add peppercorns, bay leaves and thyme. Put a generous amount of salt into the pot.
- Cook on medium-high heat, bringing it to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and allow it to cook for about 10 minutes. You want the potatoes to easily slide off a knife.
- Once done, drain water and remove the peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves. Put the potatoes and garlic in the pot once again, cooking on a slow heat. When completely dried, use a masher or food processor to mash the garlic and potatoes. Add the olive oil and season the potatoes with salt and pepper until it’s to your liking. Set aside, covering it loosely.
Filling
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 220 C (425 degrees F) and lightly grease the baking dish.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions in one tablespoon of olive oil until lightly browned and caramelized – about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms, stirring well and cook until softened. Roughly chop the parsley and coriander leaves and stir into the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the lentils, spinach and tomato pure. Reduce heat to simmer and cover to blend the flavours for 5 minutes.
- Next, prepare the gravy. Mix the kuzu in a small bowl with one tablespoon of water until a paste is formed (you don’t want any lumps). Bring the rest of the water to boil in a saucepan. Reduce the stove temperature then gradually add kuzu mix, stirring continuously. Continue stirring until the sauce begins to thicken. You want it to be smooth and glossy without lumps. Season with miso and mix well. Add this sauce to the lentils mix and incorporate it well. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Pour into the prepared oven-safe baking dish, topping with the mashed potatoes. Use a spatula or other utensil to spread and smooth the potatoes across the filling. Add sea salt and pepper for additional seasoning.
- Place the baking dish on a baking sheet so that any spills won’t fall onto the oven. You want the potato topping to be lightly brown, which can take up to 15 minutes.
- Allow cooling before you serve. It will thicken as it cools down. Do not cover until the casserole is completely cool. Keep refrigerated. You can easily reheat in the microwave.
Notes
I leave the potato skins on because of the added fibre. This fibre is ideal for gut health, and it also helps to make you feel fuller for longer.
You can replace spinach with other leafy greens such as chard and kale.
If you want to reduce the equipment used and cleaning time use a cocotte pan to cook the potatoes and bake the pie. All in one!
If you don’t like chopping, use a blender to give a rough chop to the garlic, onions and herbs.
I find it easier to prepare the ingredients ahead and chop the vegetables. You can easily follow the recipe and add the ingredients when needed. Have a bowl to catch the scraps, for less mess while cutting and chopping.
It’s not uncommon for some people to have digestive issues after eating lentils due to their high fibre content. If you don’t have any underlying digestive issues, the body becomes used to the extra fibre and won’t produce excess gas. There are some ways to reduce gas lentils can cause: Soak them the night before using; Sprout them before use cook with them; Rinse off ready-cooked lentils with water.
Dry lentils and ready-cooked lentils do not weigh the same. If you use dry lentils, it’s less than half the weight of ready-cooked lentils. The above recipe needs 600 grams of cooked lentils, which is about 200 dry lentils.
If you purchase ready-cooked lentils, read the label. Try to get ones without added sugar or salt and preferably in a glass container instead of canned.
- Prep Time: 30min
- Cook Time: 30min
- Category: Main
- Method: Oven
Keywords: Gluten-Free, Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie, Healthy, Sweet Potato mash, Sweet Potato topping, Lentils, Baked