Recipe of the week! Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

February 4, 2015 by Chef Justin from Justin's Food Company

Happy February to all! First week of the month means one thing vegetarian week.

Try out this Shepherds Pie topped with cheesy sweet potato mash, It's a great little winter warmer!

Serves 4

The Ingredients

- 1 large onion (cut into large dice)
- 2 celery sticks (cut into small dice)
- 3 large carrots (cut into cubes aprox 1cm in size)
- 1 can of plum tomatoes
- 1 410g can of green lentils
- 2 vegetable stock cubes
- 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- 2 tbsp picked fresh tyme leaves
- 1kg sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into medium size cubes 25g butter 100g mature or vintage cheddar (grated)
- Sea salt & ground black pepper

The method in the madness

1 - Heat a large sauce/frying pan over a medium heat, add the oil then then chopped onions and celery, fry until the onions turn light brown
2 - Turn the heat to medium low, add the carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes
3 - Pour in the plum tomatoes, break them up with a spoon.
4 - Pour in 400ml of water and crumble in the stock. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes.
5 - Pour in the lentils including there juice and the thyme leaves, bring back to the boil, cover with a lid and simmer again for 10 mins.
6 - By this time the lentils should be nice and pulpy.
7 - Preheat your oven to 190C or gas mark 5. Whilst the pie mix is simmering boil the potatoes in water for approx 15/20 minutes until tender, when ready drain well and allow 3/4 minutes for them to steam dry before mashing up with the butter and a small pinch of salt and pepper.
8 - When ready put the lentil mix into a pie dish and top with the sweet potato mash, sprinkle over the grated cheese.
9 - Bake in the oven for 20/25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling at the sides.

Job done!

This recipe is courtesy of Chef Justin from Justin's Food Company
https://www.facebook.com/www.justinsfoodcompany.co.uk