This green lentil shepherd’s pie is a comforting and delicious recipe. Topped with a creamy tasting cauliflower mash it’s so full of flavour it’ll soon become a family favourite!
Green lentil shepherd’s pie is perfect for meatless Monday’s or when you’re just looking for a tasty alternative version to meat.
Instead of meat I’ve used a wholesome, healthy filling of lentils, onion and carrot.
In place of 100% traditional mashed potatoes, I’ve used a sweet cauliflower mash topping that’s both creamy tasting AND still entirely dairy free.
This dish takes will take you a little longer than my usual casserole recipes so I find it’s best to make it at the weekends.
However it’s totally worth it because you’ll get six portions of good wholesome vegan goodness!
Your green lentil shepherd’s pie is perfectly freezable too, so you don’t need to be stuffing it all down in one go. Although on first tastes you may well be tempted to do so!
Now, because you’re making this at the weekend, for the week ahead you’ll not be tempted to buy convenience foods instead, especially when you’re pushed for time and tempted to do so during the working week.
You save money too making this as you’re not spending money going out!
Saving money is just one of the many reasons why I love to cook from scratch. Every little bit of money saved goes into investing for the future and for the day when I can give up work and do more of what I love. Like writing this blog!
The Health And Nutritional Benefits Of This Green Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Just some of the benefits of this recipe include :-
Protein – this meatless dish fair packs a punch in terms of protein with 41% of your daily requirements being provided.
Dietary Fibre – plenty of goodness here to help you maintain healthy bowels, lower cholesterol levels and achieve a healthy weight.
Vitamins – 95% of your daily requirement of vitamin c to boost your immune system and help to prevent heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Low calorie and low in fat. Just 350 calories per serving and only 2% fat too!
What’s not to love about this pie? 🙂
- 400 g green lentils
- 500 g white potatoes peeled and chopped
- 500 g cauliflower trimmed and chopped
- Low fat cooking spray
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped finely
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 200 ml tomato passata
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Cook the green lentils in 1 litre of boiling water for about 30 minutes until softened. Then drain and set aside.
- Whilst lentils are cooking also cook the potatoes and cauliflower by placing them both in a pan of cold water, bring it to the boil and then simmering for about 15 minutes until tender. Then mash and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 180C
- Spray the bottom of a large pan with the cooking spray, heat gently and when the oil starts to bubble sauté the onion, garlic and carrot together for about 5 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the herbs, cornflour, soy sauce, green lentils, tomato passata and vegetable stock and bring the mixture to the boil. Season to taste.
- Pour the lentil mixture into an over proof casserole dish and top with the cauliflower mash using a fork to fluff it up slightly.
- Place the casserole onto a shelf in the middle of the oven and bake for approximately 30 minutes until the potatoes are beginning to turn golden.
- Allow to cool slightly prior to serving.
Oktoberfest 2017
Having just returned from Oktoberfest 2017 and had a fair share of meat (and beer 😆 ) although I’m not a vegetarian I feel I’ve certainly overindulged on bratwurst! I’ll be aiming to level our my meat consumption over the next few days by eating plenty of delicious plant based recipes just like this green lentil shepherd’s pie!
And look above, just like in the previous Oktoberfest 2012 picture I posted in the Quick Healthy Fish Cakes recipe, we had a photo bomber!
So folks, next week on Tuesday there will be a first part, Day 1 Hadrian’s Wall Path Wallsend to Heddon On The Wall recap of our recent 5 day trek on the Hadrian’s Wall Path so look out for that in your inbox as well as a new Potato and Spinach Soup (we haven’t had a new soup recipe for a while have we?) recipe on Thursday.
Catch you then! 😉
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Shepherds pie is the best! So cozy!!
Thanks Rebecca. It’s just the perfect comforting home VEGAN recipe. Isn’t it? 🙂
Hahaha! When I was looking at that photo of Oktoberfest, I was totally thinking “Hmmm…one of these guys doesn’t belong.” Sure enough, he was a photobomber! Love it! I also love this healthy version of shepherd’s pie. Talk about a classic comfort food meal right there, and I love the twist with using cauliflower instead of potatoes. This sounds like a great weekend baking project! Speaking of the weekend, I hope you have a great one, Neil! 🙂
David @ Spiced recently posted…Cheddar Chive Drop Biscuits
I didn’t even realise that photo had been photo bombed until I got home and stuck it in Lightroom for editing David. Ha ha!
Glad you like my healthy take on a shepherd’s pie. I love making this at the weekend. It’s great to stick what you don’t use in your freezer for when you’re short of time.
I hope you have a fab weekend too, Sir! 😀
This pie is definitely very mouth0watering, Neil! Do you use yellow or red onion?
Thanks Agness. It’s just yellow/normal onions I use, although red onion might be interesting! Let me know if you get a chance to use red onion and how it came out! 😉
Neil – I’ve made a mushroom version of shepherd’s pie but never a lentil one – thanks so much for the inspiration! My daughter is a vegetarian and even though am not, I am sure we would both LOVE this! Such a brilliant idea! And now I want to eat all the bratwurst!
Hope you and Lady Lynne have a wonderful weekend!
I’m pretty sure that your daughter would love this green lentil shepherd’s pie Shashi! 🙂 Like you, I’m not a vegetarian either but Lynne and I make a major effort to eat as many vegetables as possible over meat each week, vegetables being cheaper, healthier and better for the environment too!
The bratwurst was great though, as was the entire Oktoberfest 2017 beer festival. Hope your move is going OK? And have an amazing weekend too!
This lentil shepherd’s pie looks and sounds scrumptious, Neil! Two years ago I had a little kick on shepherd’s pies and made a few of them in a row. I haven’t made any since that, so perhaps I should add one to my fall list. Although I do love potato mash, I like to use other ingredients like sweet potatoes. But I wouldn’t thought of cauliflower (which us so delicious in a mash) in a pie. That’s definitely something I need to try one day. Well done, Neil!
Ben, thanks so much for your comment and rating, that really made my day my friend!
It had been such a while since I had made a shepherd’s pie when I came to put this one together, but I wanted to change it up a little and I’m glad I did. The result you can see is amazing (humble aren’t I? 😉 ). Hope you get a chance to make this and thanks again! Have a smashing weekend! 😀
Ooooh I love Shepard’s pie. It makes such a comforting meal. This is a delicious vegetarian version. Perfect for me. Definitely love to try this recipe.
I really love how you combined the cauliflower into the mash, it must taste absolutely amazing.
Thanks for another delicious recipe Neil.
Have a great week 😃
Thanks Ashika. 😀
The cauliflower mash came about because I felt the lentils needed just a bit of a “sweet lift”, but I didn’t want to add any artificial sweeteners to the recipe. The sweetness of the cauliflower and creaminess of the potato come together to form a perfect complimentary mash. Well, in my opinion anyway! 😉
Hope you are well and having a good week too.