Making a classic shepherd pie without meat might sound unusual, but lentils do a brilliant job here. They soak up all the rich gravy flavours and provide a massive fibre boost. This plant based version uses a few secret ingredients to make the sauce taste deep and savoury. It is the perfect hearty dish to warm you up on a chilly evening.
Traditional British food provides the ultimate comfort, but there is always room to play around with the classics. Swapping meat for brown lentils turns a heavy traditional dish into a brilliant plant based dinner. Lentils hold their shape perfectly and provide a very satisfying texture underneath a soft potato topping.
The secret to acing a meatless pie is building a strong base flavour. Simply boiling the vegetables is never enough. You have to let the onions, celery, and carrots brown nicely in the pan first. Adding a splash of soy sauce is a great trick for a home cook. It adds a deep, savoury taste that people often miss when cooking without meat.
The potato topping is just as important as the lentil filling. A fluffy pile of mashed potatoes creates a beautiful crust in the oven. Raking a fork over the top makes little ridges that catch the heat and turn crispy.
Serving this dish straight out of the oven makes any simple weeknight dinner feel special. It is very easy to put togeth
Read MorePut the chopped potatoes into a large pot of cold salted water. Bring it to a boil and cook until the potatoes are completely soft. This usually takes about fifteen minutes.
Drain the potatoes well and return them to the hot pot. Add the plant milk, vegan butter, salt, and pepper. Mash everything together until it is very smooth and fluffy. Set the mash aside.
Preheat your oven to 200C.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion, carrots, and celery. Cook them slowly for about ten minutes until they are soft and start to brown around the edges.
Stir in the crushed garlic and dried thyme. Cook for one more minute until you can smell the garlic.
Add the tomato purée and stir it through the vegetables. Sprinkle the plain flour over the top and mix it in. Cook this for two minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
Slowly pour in the vegetable stock and the soy sauce, stirring constantly so the flour dissolves and thickens the gravy smoothly.
Add the cooked lentils and frozen peas to the pan. Turn the heat down and let it all simmer together for five minutes. If the gravy looks too thick, add a tiny splash of water.
Pour the lentil filling into a deep baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Spoon the mashed potato over the top of the filling. Use the back of a spoon to spread it out to the edges. Drag a fork across the top to make lines in the potato. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling up the sides.
Red lentils break down completely when cooked and will turn the filling into a mushy soup, so it is best to stick to brown or green lentils that hold their shape.
A teaspoon of marmite or miso paste works just as well to add that deep savoury flavour to the gravy.
Yes, you can assemble the whole pie and keep it in the fridge for up to two days before baking it in the oven.
This pie freezes perfectly. Cut it into portions once it is cold and keep them in freezer bags for up to a month.
Brush a tiny bit of extra oil over the top of the mashed potatoes just before putting the dish into the oven.
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