Veggie Shepherd’s Pie

Prep 30 mins, cook time 45 mins. Serves 8.

Ingredients

• 1kg potatoes
• 50g butter
• 1 onion (finely sliced)
• 4 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 2 carrots (finely sliced in to small pieces)
• 2 sticks of celery (finely sliced into small pieces)
• 150g garden peas
• 350g mushrooms (chopped into small chunks)
• 1tbsp tomato puree
• 2tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 4tbsp red wine (optional)
• 100ml vegetable stock
• 400g tinned lentils (drained) or equivalent cooked from dry
• 400g tin of chickpeas (drained) or equivalent cooked from dry
• 5tbsp parsley
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Some rosemary
• Some thyme
• 30g breadcrumbs
• ½ lemon (juice and zest)
• Glug of olive oil
• 10 sun-dried tomatoes (chopped) – optional
• 2tbsp oil (or sun dried tomato oil from jar – optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas Mark 6.

Put the potatoes into a large pan, cover with cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain potatoes and return to the pan. Add the butter, season with salt and pepper and mash the potatoes up into a nice smooth, thick mash.

Pour the oil into a frying pan and fry the onions until they start to turn translucent. Add the garlic and thyme leaves and fry until you’ve released the aromas. Add the carrots and the celery to the pan and stir everything round constantly until they’re sweating and getting soft. Add the sun dried tomatoes (if using) and mushrooms and stir them round until the mushrooms are beginning to sweat. Pour the balsamic vinegar, tomato puree, red wine and vegetable stock into the pan and simmer for 10 minutes.

Pour the chickpeas and lentils into the pan and stir them round so they’re well covered by the juices of the rest of the mixture and simmer on a low heat for 10-15 minutes until it’s well thickened. Fold the parsley, lemon juice and the peas into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish and smooth it out across the bottom. Spread the mashed potato over the top of the filling mixture and score the whole top with a fork. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs, rosemary and lemon zest over the top of the mashed potato top, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Serve up with steamed greens.