Step 1

If your lentils are not pre-cooked, add 1 ½ cup lentils to 4 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain any excess water and salt as desired.

Step 2

For the mashed potatoes; peel and chop the potatoes into larger chunks (if chopped too small the potatoes will take on too much water and taste watered down). Cover the potatoes with water, sprinkle in 1 tsp salt, bring to boil. Reduce the heat slightly, partially cover the pot with the lid, and cook for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain the water, add butter, and as much milk as needed to mash the potatoes and make them as creamy as desired.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Step 4

Heat oil (or water/broth) over medium heat and saute the onion for 2-3 minutes until softened and fragrant. You can season with a bit of salt and pepper as you add in additional ingredients. Add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Step 5

Add the chopped mushrooms. Saute for another 5-8 minutes until the mushrooms have softened and let out water.

Step 6

Add the finely chopped carrots, celery, and the tomato paste. *It’s helpful to chop the carrots and celery as small as you can so that they soften as much as possible and aren’t too crunchy in the finished pie. Cook for 5 minutes with the lid of your pan on, if possible, to help the veggies steam. In the meantime, roughly mash the lentils.

Step 7

Add the mashed lentils, tamari, worcestershire sauce, and thyme leaves. Cook for another 2 minutes until all the flavours are combined.

Step 8

Stir in the almond flour and remove from the heat.

Step 9

Spoon the mixture into an oven safe 13×9” casserole dish. Pack the mixture down slightly and cover with mashed potatoes. *If you have made your mashed potatoes in advance you can warm them up and add a bit more milk to make them fluffy again before topping the base of the shepherd’s pie. This way all the ingredients will be evenly heated through.

Step 10

Heat in the oven for 15 minutes (you can cover the casserole dish with foil or a baking sheet to encourage the vegetables to soften more). Then increase the heat to 425 degrees F and brown the top of the mashed potatoes (uncovered) for an additional 10-15 minutes. *If desired, some melted butter brushed on the top of the mashed potatoes can encourage browning.

Step 11

Garnish by sprinkling fresh thyme on top and enjoy! I like that this shepherd’s pie holds together when sliced so I serve it with my Quick & Savoury Gravy to add that warm, gooey feeling.

Step 12

Leftovers will keep well, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Optionally, you can freeze the compiled shepherd’s pie (at step 9). To bake the pie from frozen, allow the casserole dish to come to room temperature and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-90 minutes until heated through. Cover the top of the dish with foil or a baking sheet to protect the mashed potatoes from browning too much and trap the steam in. Alternatively, defrost the pie in the fridge overnight and this will decrease the reheating time!