Lentil Shepherds Pie

There’s something very comforting about Shepherd’s Pie, and a lot of vegans ate it before becoming vegan. Hearty vegetables in a brothy sauce topped with fluffy mashed potatoes is the kind of thing that dreams are made of, and even if the only thing you shepherd these days is vegetables, there’s no reason why you can’t still enjoy this traditional crowd pleaser.

lentils are a nutritional powerhouse, high in essential nutrients like fibre, iron and protein, plus they cook up nicely while you’re making your potatoes, making the whole process seamless. They also absorb flavours well and can replace ground beef to just about any recipe. The cracked bulgur releases just enough starch to bind the lentil and vegetable filling together, and an extra zing of BBQ sauce, balsamic, soy and smoky paprika, give this a real deep punch that everyone will be raving about for weeks.

Lentils are packed with nutrients, they contain lots of protein (9 grams per 1/2 cup), but one of the biggest benefits of lentils is that they contain one of the highest amounts of spermidine, (250g of spermidine). Spermidine is a compound found in many plants, and leads to better heart function and longer life; It’s found in higher concentrations in the blood of centenarians.

Learn to make mashed potatoes the right way, by baking the potatoes and mashing them properly. Get a tamis sieve if you can as it will come in handy for a thousand other recipes. If you have a sous-vide machine feel free to replace the mash with pomme puree using your sous vide machine. Choose higher starch potatoes (like Maris Piper or King Edward ) for the fluffiest, smoothest, and most flavour-packed mash. Waxy potatoes (such as red or white varieties) require more effort to mash and, even if using a ricer or tamis sieve, can lead to the dreaded “potato paste.”

When this becomes one of your ‘go-to’ dishes (which it will) you can also try swapping the lentils for chickpeas, for a change of direction and some different texture. For quicker prep, or if this dish seems a little overwhelming at first, you can use canned cooked lentils. Just drain and rinse before using, crumble in 1 vegetable bouillon cube, then stir to combine. If you like your food a bit sweeter you can add a diced apple to the casserole mix, and some cooked parsnip to the mashed potato topping for a lighter sweeter topping.

Originally published at https://www.payitforwards.org.