Lentil-Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• 3 Sweet potato, peeled, chunked
• 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, chunked
• ½ cup 1% milk, warmed
• 1 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp Extra-virgin olive oil
• 16 oz Cremini mushrooms, chopped small
• 1 Yellow onion, diced
• 3 Carrots, diced
• 2 stalks Celery, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp Fresh thyme
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• ½ cup Dry white wine
• 1 ½ cups Brown lentils (dry), rinsed
• 3 ½ cups Low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp Low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 cup Frozen peas
• 1 tsp Kosher salt
• ½ tsp Black pepper

Method

1. Boil both potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, 15-18 minutes. Drain, return to the dry pot for 60 seconds to steam off, then mash with warm milk, butter, salt and pepper. Do not overwork it.
2. Meanwhile brown the mushrooms in 1 tbsp oil in a wide dutch oven over medium-high, undisturbed for 4 minutes, then tossing, until they have given up their water and browned. Remove.
3. Add the last tablespoon of oil, then onion, carrot and celery; cook 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme, then fry the tomato paste 90 seconds.
4. Deglaze with the wine, scraping everything off the bottom, and let it reduce by half.
5. Add lentils, broth, soy sauce, the mushrooms and salt. Simmer 30-35 minutes until the lentils are tender and the mixture is thick — thicker than you think; it should mound on a spoon. Stir in the peas.
6. Spread the filling in a 9x13 dish, top with mash, rough up the surface with a fork so it catches color, and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes until the peaks brown.

Notes

✨ The restaurant touch

The soy sauce is not a flavor you taste, it is the glutamate that makes a meatless braise taste like it has depth. Same job as an anchovy.

🧒 For the kids

The sweet potato mash does the persuading. Some kids want the mash and the filling served side by side instead of layered — fine.

🌿 From the garden

Thyme, carrots, and fall potatoes.

🥡 Leftovers

Better the second day. Assemble unbaked and freeze up to 3 months; bake from frozen at 375°F for 70 minutes covered, 15 uncovered.

Per serving

Computed from USDA FoodData Central values. A planning tool, not medical advice.