Curried Lentils Shepherds Pie

Name: Curried Lentil Shepherd's Pie
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6-8
Ingredients: 1.5 tbsp of coconut oil; 1 cup brown lentils dry; 1 cup of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein); 2 medium carrot; 1 cup celery; 1 onion chopped; 1 tsp ginger; 1 tsp garlic; 3 large yellow potatoes and 1 japanese sweet potato. (if you cannot find a japanese sweet potato you can use 4 large yellow potatoes); A splash of non-diary milk; Spices: 1 tsp each--cinnamon, ground cardamon, chilli flakes, curry powder, ground coriander and ground fennel (If you are in Canada, I get all the spices from Bulk Barn); 1 cube veggie bouillon (vegetable stock)

I remember the first time I tried Shepherd’s Pie was on a British Airways flight to Tanzania. I remember it tasting like plane food, and it did not really stand out to me. Granted you do lose a good amount of your sense of taste flying, it was definitely something I did not want to try again. Fast forward to last Christmas, I wanted to make something festive and of course put a twist to it and shepherd’s pie was on the top of my list. It looked like a meal that had potential for a ton of strong flavours that will be perfect for the holiday season. This recipe is a hit with my family as it is full of flavour, smells absolutely divine and will wow your family for any Sunday dinners or even during the holidays.

Print Recipe

Curried Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Dinner

By Afia – Serves: 6-8

Prep Time: 10 minutes – Cooking Time: 40 minutes – Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1.5 tbsp of coconut oil

1 cup brown lentils dry

1 cup of TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein)

2 medium carrot

1 cup celery

1 onion chopped

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp garlic

3 large yellow potatoes and 1 japanese sweet potato. (if you cannot find a japanese sweet potato you can use 4 large yellow potatoes)

A splash of non-diary milk

Spices: 1 tsp each--cinnamon, ground cardamon, chilli flakes, curry powder, ground coriander and ground fennel (If you are in Canada, I get all the spices from Bulk Barn)

1 cube veggie bouillon (vegetable stock)

Instructions

1

Pre soak the lentils the night before in about 3 cups of water, then rinse and drain the next day before cooking

2

In a pot at medium heat, heat the oil then add the spices, ginger and garlic and mix around a little till the oil is very fragrant

3

Then add the onions with 1/4 cup of water and let the onions cook down.

4

When that is done, add in the carrots, celery and 1/2 cup of water and let that also cook down for about 5-10min. Make sure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pan.

5

After the veggies have cooked down, add the lentils, 1 1/2 cup of water and the bouillon cube.

6

Cover and cook at medium heat till lentils are soft.

7

When the lentils are soft, add 1 cup of TVP and another 1/2 cup of water. Cover the curry to let the TVP absorb the water

8

When the TVP has absorbed all the water, turn of the heat and set the lentil curry aside

9

For the potatoes, peal and wash the potatoes and chop them into small cubes

10

Boil the potatoes in salt till the potatoes are soft

11

Drain the potatoes and in a bowl and mash the potatoes, adding a splash of non-diary milk to smooth it out

12

In a casserole dish, layer the lentils at the bottom and then lay the mash potatoes on top, smooth it out to all corners and then bake at 375F for 25 minutes and then broil on high for 3 minutes to brown the top of the shepherd's pie.