Good shepherd's pie

As someone once said to me, the good shepherd doesn't eat their sheep!

Ingredients

1 kilogram Potato (Starchy ones, cut into cubes)
5 Celery (5 Stalks diced)
1 Onion (Large)
2 Carrot (Medium, diced)
300 grams Mushroom (Swiss brown or cremini)
1 cup Brown lentils (Rinsed - makes 2.5 cups cooked)
7 cloves Garlic (Minced fine)
1⁄2 cup Textured vegetable protein
1 cup kale (Frozen)
1 cup Peas
2 tablespoons Tomato paste (Generous)
1⁄2 cup Soy milk (Unsweetened, oat milk fine too)
2 tablespoons Nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon Thyme (Dried)
1 teaspoon rosemary (Dried)
2 Bay leaves
2 1⁄2 cups Vegetable stock
1 tablespoon Soy sauce (I usually use Tamari)
1 1⁄2 tablespoons Miso (Brown or red)

Info

Yield
6 Servings
Preparation time
25 minutes
Cooking time
45 minutes
Total time
1 hour, 10 minutes

Instructions

  1. Cook the mash: Place cubed potatoes and the 3 whole garlic cloves in a pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15–20 minutes until fork-tender. Drain thoroughly, return to the pot, and mash with the plant milk, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper until fluffy. Cover and set aside.
  2. Sauté the aromatics: In a large pot over medium heat, combine the diced onion, carrots, and celery with 3 tablespoons of vegetable broth. Cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring often and splashing in extra broth as needed to prevent sticking.
  3. Brown the mushrooms: Add the chopped mushrooms, minced garlic, thyme, and rosemary. Cook for 5–6 minutes until the mushrooms release their juices and soften. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 1–2 minutes to coat the vegetables.
  4. Start the lentils: Pour in the rinsed dry lentils, 2 cups of vegetable broth, the tamari, and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Add TVP and greens: Stir in the 1/2 cup dry TVP mince and an extra 1/2 to 3/4 cup of broth. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes until the lentils and TVP are tender. Uncover, stir in the frozen kale and frozen peas, and simmer for 2–3 minutes so excess moisture evaporates. Remove from the heat and discard the bay leaves.
  6. Fold in the miso: In a small bowl, dissolve the miso paste in 3–4 tablespoons of warm broth from the pot until completely smooth. Stir back into the filling. Taste and adjust with black pepper.
  7. Assemble and bake: Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). Transfer the filling to a 22x33 cm baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly across the top and drag a fork across the surface to create ridges. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes until bubbling. Grill/broil for the final 3–4 minutes to crisp the potato peaks. 
  8. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.