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Spicy Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie by Daphne Oz

6
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 10 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
40 min
Serves
9
Difficulty
Moderate
A vegetarian take on the classic, brimming with tender lentils, carrots, and onion, plus a touch of heat from Fresno chiles. The mashed potato topping can be subbed with mashed cauliflower for an even lighter take. I add two tablespoons of butter and ½ cup of Greek yogurt for an additional protein boost and wonderfully rich tanginess.

Ingredients

Uncooked potato

3 pound(s), Yukon gold, peeled and cut into quarters

Unsalted butter

2 Tbsp, cut in quarters

Plain fat free Greek yogurt

½ cup(s)

Dry green lentils

1 cup(s), French variety

Olive oil

¼ cup(s), divided

Cremini mushroom

16 oz, cleaned and finely chopped (also known as baby bella)

Red onion

1 medium, chopped

Carrots

6 cup(s), peeled and thinly sliced

Red bell pepper

1 medium, cored and chopped

Fresno chile pepper

2 medium, minced (seeds removed for less heat if desired)

Tomato paste

2 Tbsp

Fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp, optional

White wine

¼ cup(s), dry variety

Garlic clove

6 clove(s), sliced or roughly chopped

Fresh thyme

¼ cup(s), leaves

Vegetable broth

¾ cup(s)

Sea salt

⅛ tsp, or to taste

Black pepper

⅛ tsp, or to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and cook until fork tender, then drain, add the butter and allow to sit 5 minutes. Potatoes will dry slightly and butter will melt. Then use a potato masher to mash to desired smooth texture, add yogurt and salt to taste and stir to combine. Set aside.
  2. Meanwhile, rinse lentils, then add to a small pot with 2 cups of water and place over high heat until simmering. Drop heat to medium and allow to cook until just al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and spread lentils on a dish towel to dry and cool so they don’t overcook. Set aside.
  3. Preheat oven to 400F.
  4. Place 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or other deep pot with plenty of surface area over medium high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the mushrooms and allow to sauté two minutes. Stir to redistribute and cook 2 minutes more. By this point, most of their liquid should be released. Add the onions, season with salt, stir to combine, and sauté another 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add carrots, bell peppers and Fresno chiles and stir to combine before cooking another 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste to the hot bottom of the pan and stir to toast so it turns rust in color, then incorporate into vegetables. Add the lime juice if using and wine and bring to a simmer until the liquid evaporates, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pan.
  6. Once wine has evaporated, taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper as desired. Add lentils, garlic, thyme and vegetable broth and stir to combine, then cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
  7. Arrange the mashed potatoes in a thin layer over the surface of the lentils and vegetables. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and place into the oven for 15 minutes or until vegetable layer is bubbling. Turn the oven on to broil and cook another 2 minutes until potato tops are golden brown.
  8. Serving size: 1/9th of recipe

Notes

Optional: Just before broiling, make a crunchy, cheesy topping! Combine ½ cup panko breadcrumbs and ¼ cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese with 2 cloves crushed garlic and ¼ cup finely chopped flat Italian parsley. Pinch between your fingers to combine, then scatter all over the surface of the potatoes. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil (rather than drizzling over the potatoes themselves), and place in the oven under broiler for 1-2 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot, warm or cold!

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