Ingredients
2 tbs olive oil
2 onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb carrots, peeled and diced
1 cup red wine
1 tablespoon rosemary (fresh or dried)
1 tablespoon thyme (fresh or dried)
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground fennel or crushed fennel seeds
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
16 oz (one package) uncooked lentils
4 cups vegetable broth (or stock)
8 oz mushrooms, diced
2 cups frozen green peas
2 tbs tomato paste
4 lbs potatoes
4 tbs vegan butter (or more olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste
Chives, optional, for garnish
Directions
For the lentil filling
Preheat the oven to 425F. Preheat 6-qt pot over medium heat (I use a dutch oven that can go straight from the stove top to the oven). Add diced onion and saute until translucent, about 5 mins. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add carrots, wine, rosemary (crushed in your fingers), thyme (crushed in your fingers), paprika, fennel, fresh black pepper and salt and bring to a boil. The liquid should reduce in about 3 minutes. Add lentils and vegetable broth, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook covered for about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender, adding more water or broth as needed to fully cook the lentils. Add diced mushroom, frozen peas, and tomato paste and stir completely, cooking for another 5 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
For the mashed potatoes
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut the unpeeled potatoes into quarters and add them to the boiling water. Boil until potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and mash them with a potato masher. Add vegan butter (or more olive oil) and salt and pepper to taste and continue to mash as the butter melts until completely smooth.
To assemble the shepherd’s pie
If the lentil filling is not already in an oven-safe dish, transfer it to an oven-safe dish, such as a 9×13 baking pan. Layer the mashed potatoes over the lentil filling. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes or until the mashed potato layer begins to lightly brown. Remove from the oven and garnish with chives or extra thyme, optional.
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