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This Vegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie is filled with veggies and lentils instead of lamb. It's also topped with vitamin rich sweet potatoes and good sharp cheddar for a healthy, flavorful casserole. You'll love this easy vegetarian dinner recipe.
By the time you read this, things will be getting back to normal-ish. The new, more contagious variant of Covid-19 discovered here in the UK means that I'm working from home for a few extra days at least. The main difference this time around is the addition of a lot of blankets.
I'm also hoping not to gain back my first lockdown weight. I'm definitely not going on a diet, but Geoff is consciously trying to eat more healthily this year. It's not really my jam, so Vegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie is my offering. The English major in me is cringing at calling it Shepherd's Pie. I know. It's supposed to have lamb or mutton. But I also didn't know if anyone would get sweet potato and cheese topped tomatoey vegetable lentil casserole with red wine sauce. It seemed a bit much.
How to make Vegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
We're going to start by chopping up some onion and carrot and adding them to a skillet with olive oil to soften. Sprinkle over some dried thyme for extra flavor. We're also going to boil some roughly chopped sweet potatoes for mashing and topping later on. Back in our skillet, we'll add some red wine, veggie stock, and canned tomatoes. Let that all bubble together and reduce down before stirring in a can of lentils for another 10 minutes of flavor creation.
To turn this into a Shepherd's Pie, we transfer this rich veggie and lentil mixture to a casserole dish. If you're not going for a dramatically messy effect, use a dish slightly larger that the one in the photos. Then carefully spread the mashed sweet potato over the top and finally sprinkle on some good sharp cheddar. Bake this whole thing in a hot oven for about 20 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned. All the details are in the recipe card below.
Make it magical
If you want to add a little more magick to your cooking, you can work with the energy of various ingredients to give an intention to your food. I'll be sharing some metaphysical correspondences for one ingredient in each recipe this year to help make 2021 a bit more magical.
Sweet Potatoes are filled with feminine earth energy. They're associated with your root and sacral chakras. They're great for creating friendship, harmony, grounding, and nurturing. Make them when you want to feel connected to the earth and to the people you love. (Source: Plentiful Earth)
Maybe we didn't find that magic switch that erased all the weirdness from 2020, but like always, we're keeping it as awesome as we can despite our circumstances. Make some Vegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie and keep cozy. We'll get through it with a little love. And a little cheese.
PrintVegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
This Vegetarian Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie is filled with veggies and lentils instead of lamb. It's also topped with vitamin rich sweet potatoes and good sharp cheddar for a healthy, flavorful casserole. You'll love this easy vegetarian dinner recipe.
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled, sliced lengthwise, then chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, divided
- 1 cup red wine
- ½ cup veggie stock
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 can lentils
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Salt and pepper
- 3 ounces shredded sharp cheddar
Instructions
- Put a large pot of water on to boil for your sweet potatoes. Put olive oil in a large skillet and preheat it over medium heat. You can peel and start chopping your veggies as things heat up.
- Add onion to skillet and cook until golden brown, stirring frequently. Add the carrots and ½ teaspoon of dried thyme and give everything a good toss.
- When your water is boiling rapidly, add your sweet potatoes and cook for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are easily pierced with a fork.
- Add wine, stock and tomatoes to your skillet, stir everything together, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in lentils and simmer for another 10 minutes. If your mixture still seems too soupy, you can crank up the heat to let it boil and reduce some of the liquid for a minute or two.
- When your sweet potatoes are soft, drain completely and return them to the hot pot (off the heat). Add butter and salt and pepper to taste. Mash sweet potatoes until smooth.
- Preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C) and lightly spray a 2 quart casserole dish with non-stick spray. Transfer your veggie and lentil mixture to the casserole dish. Spread your mashed sweet potatoes on top of your veggies, then sprinkle the cheese over that. Finally, sprinkle the last of your dried thyme over the top.
- If you want to stash this in the fridge for a couple of days, now would be the time. Or you can freeze it for up to month. Just double the baking time when you decide to cook it.
- Bake your pie for 20 minutes or until everything is bubbly and melty.
Keywords: Sweet Potato, Vegetarian, Casserole
Gwen says
Great idea! You could make this 100 different ways, too
Renee says
Mahalo! Don't you just love recipes that are easily customizable?