Dinner · 45 min · american

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Brown lentils does the heavy lifting here, with carrots rounding it out. An American dinner that takes 45 minutes, start to finish. Each serving lands at 535 calories with 29g of protein, so it eats like a much heavier meal. Leftovers keep well, so it doubles as next-day lunch without any extra work.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 1 cup Brown lentils
• 2 Carrots
• 1/2 cup Peas
• 1.5 cups Mashed potatoes
• 1 cup Vegetable broth
• 1 tsp Thyme

Steps

1. Rinse the brown lentils and add them to a medium pot with the carrots (diced small), peas, vegetable broth, and thyme. Dicing the carrots small matters — big chunks will still be hard when the lentils are done.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The filling is ready when the lentils are tender and the mixture has thickened enough that a spoon leaves a trail in the pot.
3. Season with salt until the lentils taste savory on their own. The mashed potato cap carries no seasoning, so the filling needs to be bold.
4. Spread the filling into an even layer in a 9-inch baking dish or oven-safe skillet. Smooth the top so the potato layer sits evenly.
5. Spoon the mashed potatoes over the filling and spread them gently to the edges, sealing the filling in completely. Drag a fork across the top to make ridges — the ridges catch the heat and turn golden and crisp.
6. Bake at 400F (200C) for 20 minutes, until the top is bronzed and the filling bubbles up around the edges. Let it stand 10 minutes before serving so it sets enough to scoop in clean portions.

Build my plan — free

Share this recipe

Know someone who would love this? Send it their way.

Copy link

You might also like

← All recipes