Shepherd’s pie is a British Classic. You could be either be a fan of it or love it, I think. It is basically a casserole with a layer of meat -either lamb or beef- and vegetables, topped up with mashed potatoes (such a surprise!). Believe me, this vegan version with lentils and peas is much better than the original one.

I am not a fan of British cuisine, to be honest. However, I love creating new version of traditional recipes, and I don’t really care if they are British or Italian. This lentils and peas shepherds pie, though, came out amazing. I believe this is such a great comfort food. For real. On the plus side, I made a lot and as we are just two in the house, we had lunch or dinner ready for a couple of days.

Also, don’t trust British people pairing this with beer. It’s just perfect with a (couple of) glass of Chianti. Doesn’t really matter if you are a fan of it or not. This casserole just tastes so good you definitely need to give it a go.

“Casseroles don’t have to be about canned ingredients and vegetables you normally wouldn’t even think of eating alone, much less stuck in between layers of sauce and breadcrumbs. They can vary from everyone’s favorite all-time casserole, macaroni and cheese, to the ultimate English casserole, Shepherd’s Pie.”
Marcus Samuelsson

Scottish Classic – My Version: Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 45

Course Main Course

Cuisine British, Scottish

Servings 8 people

Equipment

Pots with Boiling Water (one for the Potatoes and a smaller one for the Beets)
frying pan
oven tray
Potatoes Masher

Ingredients

for the Potatoes/Beets Toping

600 gr Potatoes
3 medium sized Beetroots
100 ml Vegan Double Cream I used Elmlea
to taste Salt and Pepper

For the underneath Filling

200 gr Dried Lentils 400 gr if canned
100 gr Peas either fresh or frozen
200 gr Mushrooms
2 Carrots
3 Celery Stalks
1/2 Onion I didn't have it, but highly recommended
2 tbsp Tomato Passata Optional
1 tbsp Soy Sauce Optional
1 Broth Cube or 300 ml Vegetable Broth
250 ml Red Wine optional – add more broth/water in case
4-5 stems Coriander
3 leaves Basil
to taste Salt and Pepper
as required Olive Oil

Instructions

For the Potatoes/Beets Topping

Boil the potatoes and beetroots in salted water until tender. I prefer to use separate pots, otherwise the potatoes will turn pink. 20-30 min will be enough, try with a fork before draining.
Mash the potatoes with 100 ml double cream, adding salt and pepper to taste. Slice the beets and put everything aside.

The underneath Filling

In the meantime, prepare the filling. Cut the onion, celery and carrots into small squares, warm up some olive oil in a frying pan and start cooking the vegetables. Turn the hob to medium low heat. When slightly brown, add the lentils, and leabel them to fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the wine and, once it evaporates, the broth stock/broth cube with 300 ml water. Let it cook for about 20 min – it really depends from the lentils you're using, refer to the label.`
Add water in case the lentils dry up. Once they're almost ready, add the peas, mushrooms and tomato passata and let it cook for about 10 min. Season with sliced coriander, basil, salt and pepper.
Once the peas-lentils mixture is cooked, place it in the oven tray, making a tick layer. Use the mashed potatoes for the top layer. Spray/brush with some Olive oil and bake it for about 30 min at 180C, until browning at the top.

Keyword beetroot, chickpeas, lentils, potaotes, potatoes, shepherdspie, vegan