Lentil and Veggie Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping
Chloé Crane-Leroux and Trudy Crane, authors of The Artful Way to Plant-Based Cooking, call this their no-fail classic winter dish. Chloé writes, “This comforting blend of sweet potato and lentils brings back memories of the pâté chinois (Quebec-style shepherd’s pie) we used to have when I was a child.” This medley of vegetables and aromatics offers a warm escape from the winter chill.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) dried lentils
- 2 Tbs. (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 large white potato
- 1/2 large red onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- Pinch of dried thyme
- 1/2 large carrot, diced
- 1/2 large celery stalk, diced
- 1 portobello mushroom, roughly chopped
- 1 Tbs. (15 ml) tomato paste
- 1 large tomato, grated
- 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp. (2.5 ml) kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) unsweetened almond milk
- 1 Tbs. (15 ml) vegan butter
- 1 Tbs. (15 ml) nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp. (5 ml) fresh rosemary leaves, for garnish
- Crusty bread for serving
Directions:
Cover the lentils with water and soak overnight or for at least a few hours.
Preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C) and grease a large ovenproof skillet, ovenproof glass dish, or pie dish with olive oil.
Wash the potatoes and poke with a fork a few times. Wrap them in foil and bake in the oven until soft, about 40 minutes. Set aside to cool until they can be handled.
In a medium cast-iron skillet or heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil, add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaves, rosemary and thyme and cook, stirring, for another 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the carrot, celery and mushroom and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the lentils, tomato and vegetable broth and stir to combine. Season with the salt and a few grinds of pepper. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the liquid is reduced, 20 to 25 minutes.
Scoop out the flesh of the potatoes into a medium bowl. Mash with a fork until creamy, season with salt and pepper to taste, and add the almond milk, vegan butter and nutritional yeast. Fill the prepared skillet three-quarters of the way with the lentil and vegetable mixture, and top with the potatoes. Bake until the top starts to brown, about 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with the rosemary leaves and serve with crusty bread. Serves 8 to 10.
Adapted from The Artful Way to Plant-Based Cooking, by Chloé Crane-Leroux and Trudy Crane (Simon & Schuster, 2024)
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