A comfort food staple, the rustic shepherd’s pie is always a winner!
This alternative take on a classic dish, with its rich flavours and substantial mushroom and lentil filling, stuffed under a layer of creamy mashed sweet potato (with the addition of a crispy baked cheddar topping) still fills all the comfort-food cravings while being a little healthier and lighter.
Ingredients
(Serves 4)
3 medium – Sweet potatoes (peeled and roughly chopped)
4–6 – Oyster mushrooms (finely chopped)
1.5 cups – Green lentils (cooked or tinned)
1 medium – Onion (finely chopped)
1 large – Carrot (finely chopped)
½ cup – Curly leaf parsley (fresh, roughly chopped)
½ cup – Garden peas
1 cup – Mature cheddar cheese (grated)
2 tbsp – Olive oil
2 – Garlic cloves (minced)
3/4 cup – Low-sodium vegetable stock
1 tbsp – tomato paste
1 tbsp – Soy sauce or tamari
1 tsp – Paprika
¼ cup – Sage (fresh, roughly chopped)
1 tsp – Rosemary (fresh, minced)
1 tsp – Thyme (fresh, minced)
½ tsp – Salt
½ tsp – Black pepper
Method
- Preheat oven to 190 degrees C (gas mark 5).
- Add peeled and cut sweet potatoes into a large pot and cover by about one inch with cold water. Place over a medium heat and simmer until fork tender – roughly 15/20mins.
- Strain potatoes then add ½ tsp salt and 1 tbsp olive oil and mash using a potato masher or food processor. Set aside.
- In a large pot, warm the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add your mushrooms and cook until browned. Next, add the chopped onion, carrot, and minced garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Lower heat to medium and add the lentils and peas followed by the vegetable stock, sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, tomato paste, soy sauce, paprika and pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Simmer mixture for five minutes.
- Evenly spread the mushroom and lentil mixture into a medium sized baking dish.
- Spoon your mashed sweet potato mixture on top and smooth over with a spatula. Using a fork, create decorative peaks. Sprinkle cheddar cheese lightly over the top of the sweet potato mash and place the dish in the oven.
- Bake for roughly 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling rapidly, the topping is browned and the cheese has become a little crispy. Let it stand for a few minutes before serving.