Veggie-packed Shepherd's Pie - Recipe by Julia Tellidis and Lauren Skora
Ingredients
Topping:
2 cups cauliflower, cut into large florets
2 large potatoes, diced
2 Tbs butter
1/3 cup milk of choice
2 Tbs breadcrumbs
2 Tbs grated cheese
Filling:
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced (or grated for babies under 12 months)
2 Tbs tomato paste (concentrated purée)
850 g canned lentils
120mL vegetable stock
400 g tinned tomatoes
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 cup frozen peas
1 Tbs tamari or soy sauce
Method
To prepare the topping, add the potatoes and cauliflower to a large pot of boiling water. Cook for 10 minutes or until you can pierce a fork through the potatoes. Drain and add veggies to a large bowl.
Mash potato and cauliflower and mix through the butter and milk. Alternatively, add all the topping ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat then sauté the garlic and onion until they become translucent.
Add the carrot and cook for 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the lentils, stock, tinned tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, peas and tamari. Stir to combine and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Season, if desired.
Once the filling has started simmering, preheat the oven to 200 C.
Add the pie filling to an ovenproof dish and spread the topping over the filling, making sure to cover the filling entirely.
Sprinkle breadcrumbs and grated cheese on top of the pie before brushing with some extra-virgin olive oil.
Grill for 10 minutes or until the topping is golden.
Swapsies:
For a dairy-free version, swap butter for extra-virgin olive oil and swap the cheese for 1½ tablespoons of nutritional yeast.
You can use dried lentils instead of canned. Combine 1 cup dried brown lentils with 3 cups stock and simmer for 30 minutes.
Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
