Shepard’s Pie with Lentils
I must admit that I am not a big fan of left-overs. Maybe I was traumatized as a child. I mean every week, short of the netherworld experiencing unseasonably cool temperatures, we had left-overs twice a week. Mind you, “re-used lasagna night” wasn’t too bad; but, “re-used tuna casserole night”…I still cringe. Worse yet,” re-used everything night” (aka: clean out the frig night) with a spoonful of this, a smidgen of that, and a couple of forkfuls of whatever was left. All heated to molten lava like temperatures in our microwave. I sometimes still have flashbacks when I re-heat my coffee.
As a stay-at-home dad, I can somewhat see the value of the left-over. After swimming, jazz, karate, piano, recorder, and triangle lessons, who has time to make dinner? Make a big pot of something on Sunday. Then eat off it all week long. Dinner is ready after a few rotations in the microwave. Love the convenience, loathe the outcome. I just can’t get over “re-used everything night”. I won’t subject my family to my childhood sufferings. Maybe I need to contact my therapist…
Or maybe I just need to re-brand the whole left-over idea? And this is precisely what led me to my next delicious vegan recipe for SHEPARD’S PIE. The other night, I unintentionally made too many lentils. Instead of “re-used lentil night,” we had “re-purposed lentil night” in the form of Shepard’s Pie. All I had to do was dice some additional veggies and boil and mash some potatoes. Dinner came together quickly, and my children will never twitch when they hear the microwave ding.
Soy Free / Gluten Free / Oil Free
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Cooked Lentils
- ½ Cup Vegetable Broth
- 1 ½ Cups Root Vegetables (diced)
- 1 Cup Butternut Squash
- 1 Cup Peas (fresh or frozen)
- 1 Tsp Dried Rosemary
- ½ Tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 Tsp Liquid Smoke
- 2 ½ Pounds of Potatoes
- 1 Cup Vegetable Broth
- ¼ Tsp Smoked Paprika
- Salt & Pepper to your taste
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. This recipe begins with cooked lentils. If you don’t have cooked lentils and are starting from scratch, cook the lentils per the directions on the package. I cook mine with vegetable broth, white wine, and garlic powder. Otherwise, put the cooked lentils and ½ cup of broth in an 8x8 oven safe dish. Dice up whatever root vegetables you have on hand along with the butternut squash. I saved even more time using pre-cut squash from Trader Joes. I used carrots and parsnips, but rutabagas, celery root, and turnips will work as well. Place the diced root veggies in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring the veggies to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Add in the squash and peas (if you go the fresh pea route) and cook another 2 minutes. Drain the water and set the veggies aside. You just par-boiled the veggies ensuring they will be tender after baking.
While the veggies parboil, chop up your potatoes. Place them in a large stockpot covered with water. I used the same pot to save clean-up time. Bring the potatoes to a boil and cook until fork tender (about 10-15 minutes). Drain off the water and return them to the stockpot. Add in the remaining broth and mash them with a fork or potato masher. Now, put the root veggies, squash, peas, rosemary, thyme, and liquid smoke into the baking dish with the lentils. Stir to combine and season to your taste with salt and pepper. Top the entire veggie mix with the potatoes. Sprinkle the top with the smoked paprika. Bake for 45-60 minutes uncovered or until the potatoes are browned on top.
https://www.grassfedcarnivore.com/shepards-pie/
Vegetable Goodness
Once the pie is done baking, remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes. This allows the pie to completely set up and aids in serving. “Re-purposed lentil night” (aka: Shepard’s Pie) is ready hot out of the oven. No more molten “re-used meals” causing mental pain and anguish with possible long-term side effects. Save the microwave for your coffee. Longer Letter Later.
Love, Bob aka The Grassfed Carnivore
[…] left-overs. Too many leftovers as I kid I suspect; however, as I mentioned in a previous post about Shepard’s Pie, all you really need to do is re-purpose what you have on hand and see a good therapist. But this […]