Summary: I’ve been working on this recipe for a while and this is my perfect version of shepherds pie. It’s reminds me of dishes my grandma made, lots of root veggies & leeks because she was Welsh. It’s really hearty and freezes great too.
You can make it in one big pan or smaller containers. I usually freeze mine in 5-6 of those foil takeaway containers with a lid (mine say they are 20 x 11 x 5cm). It’s so nice to pull one out and have an easy dinner. I remove the lid & cook them for 1 hr in an oven pre heated to 180C.
Ingredients
Potato Topping
• 1.75kg potatoes
• 3-4 tblsp vegan butter
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
Main Filling
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• 1 large brown onion, diced
• 2 leeks, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sticks celery, sliced
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 2 (400g) cans lentils, drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
Sauce
• 50g vegan butter
• 2 tblsp plain flour
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 2 cups vegan ‘chicken’ stock
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
• Black pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp Parisienne essence/gravy browning (optional)
• 2 tblsp vegan bbq sauce
• 2 tblsp nutritional yeast
Instructions
1. Slice any large potatoes in half, place in a large pot and fill with water until they’re just covered. Bring to a low boil on medium high heat, then generously salt, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes or until they slide off a knife very easily.
2. Once cooked, drain, add back to the pot to evaporate any remaining water, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Use a potato masher to mash until smooth. Add the vegan butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Loosely cover and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, as potatoes are boiling, heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven. Over medium high heat . Add the onions and leeks, cooking until beginning to to soften. Add the minced garlic, celery, carrots and parsnips, cook until softened, about 7-9 minutes.
4. Add the lentils and frozen peas & corn and turn down to low/off while you make the sauce.
5. For the sauce: Melt the vegan butter in a small saucepan and add the flour and cook for one minute, whisking constantly.
6. Add 1 cup stock and whisk until thickened. Add all other ingredients continue to stir/whisk until combined. Add more stock, while still stirring, until the desired consistency is reached.
7. Taste to check seasoning and then pour over the veggie lentil mix and stir well to combine.
8. Spoon veggie lentil mix into 9 x 13 baking dish or individual dishes and top with the mash. Bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 10-15 minutes and serve.
9. If cooking from refrigerated or frozen, increase cooking time to at least 30min from chilled and up to an hour from frozen
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