Vegetable Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Last week I received an email from Erin (hi Erin!) my bloggers' connection contact over at Cooking Light Magazine, about partnering with The Chew and Cooking Light to makeover one of the recipes from the show. As I have had a cold this weekend I was craving something comforting and packed with vitamins. 

Shepherd's Pie from The Chew sounded delicious and I knew my girls would love it. 

I gave their recipe a major makeover by cutting out the ground beef and replacing it with black lentils and loads of seasonal veggies. You can use any veggies you have in your fridge after the base of onion, carrot, and celery. Some great options for fall and winter are: quartered Brussels Sprouts, sliced cabbage, chopped kale, green beans, and butternut squash. 

I also added some fresh herbs to perk up the dish. A few pots of fresh herbs growing on your windowsill is a cheap way to enhance your recipes and your kitchen. 

The lentils, mushrooms, and vegetables make this vegan dinner hearty enough for any meat eater, and the small cooked veggies make it easy for kids to eat. Did I mention it's gluten-free, vegan too, and cheap to make? Vegetable Lentil Shepherd's Pie is the perfect healthy dinner for cozy nights in. Oh, I almost forgot - you can assemble this whenever you get a chance and bake when you're ready for dinner. 

Yum! 

Vegetable Lentil Shepherd's Pie 
Serves 6
printer friendly recipe

• 3 large Potatoes
• 8 tablespoons vegan butter substitute 
• 1 chopped yellow onion
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 2 large celery stalks, chopped 
• 1 1/2 cups seasonal vegetables (ex. quartered Brussels Sprouts, cabbage, green beans, or butternut squash for fall/winter)
• leaves from 3 stalks fresh thyme
• leaves from 1 large stalk rosemary, chopped 


• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound sliced Baby Bella mushrooms
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce (vegan)
• 15 ounces cooked black lentils (about 1.5 cups, I used canned from Whole Foods)
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth 

Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, melt 4 tablespoons "butter" in a large pot. Sauté onion, carrots, celery, any other hard vegetables, and herbs until almost tender, about 8 minutes over medium heat. Add garlic, mushrooms and peas and saute until all vegetables are tender, about 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

Add Worcestershire sauce and half a cup of vegetable broth and cook, uncovered, over low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in lentils. 

Mash potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter, season to taste. Transfer vegetable mixture to individual ramekins, oven-safe bowls, or a medium sized casserole dish. Spread mashed potatoes on top. 

Cook in 425 degree oven until bubbling and brown, about 20 minutes. Broil for a minute to get brown on top. Garnish with fresh herbs. 

adapted from Christine's Shepherd's Pie on The Chew