Mashed Potato & Veggie Lentil Shepard’s Pie

I was looking for a new easy one-dish casserole meal and decided on Shepard’s pie. I had potatoes lying around that I knew would be “the crust”, and carrots, peas and zucchini as the filling. I didn’t want to use vegetable protein or fake meat crumbles as the “meat” portion of it, and I was stuck on what else to add. I asked Jim for his input and he instantly said “lentils”. Genius! This dish came out great and is really filling, so it’ll last us a few lunches and dinners this week.

8 large red potatoes, boiled

2 cups vegetables broth

1 cup dry green lentils

1 1/2 cup green peas (if you’re using frozen, cook them first)

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup zucchini, chopped

3/4 cup carrots, chopped

2/3 cup coconut milk

1/4 cup nutritional yeast OR 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese if non-vegan

1/3 cup breadcrumbs

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp sea salt, divided

3/4 tsp dried oregano

3/4 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp white pepper

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees
• For the crust, mash boiled potatoes with coconut milk, nutritional yeast OR cheese and 1/4 tsp sea salt
• Cook onions and garlic in oil over medium heat in a saucepan for 5 minutes
• After 5 minutes add broth, lentils, oregano, thyme, white pepper and 1/2 tsp sea salt and bring to a boil
• Then, reduce to a simmer, cover and let cook for 35 minutes, stirring occasionally
• When cooked, remove from heat, add zucchini, peas and carrots, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes
• Spread half the mashed potatoes onto a 13X9 casserole dish
• Layer lentil/veggie mix onto of that, then top with remaining mashed potatoes
• Sprinkle breadcrumbs ontop, then bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes