It's no secret that we love a shepherd's pie here at Good Housekeeping. Hearty, rich and a foolproof recipe to feed a crowd when you're craving something comforting.
Our vegetarian take on the classic dish uses precooked lentils to save time and is topped with sweet potato mash, but feel free to opt for buttery mashed potatoes if you prefer.
Try pairing this with an all-rounder red wine (pinot noir works particularly well) and a vibrant green salad.
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Yields:
4 serving(s)
Prep Time:
15 mins
Cook Time:
35 mins
Total Time:
50 mins
Cal/Serv:
595
Ingredients
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 medium onions, finely sliced
1 star anise
1 large carrot, finely diced
1 Tbsp. tomato puree
1 large garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp. thyme, chopped
1 tsp. rosemary, chopped
200 ml white wine
vegetable stock cube, crumbled
400g tin chopped tomatoes
400g tin brown or green lentils
900 g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
50 g butter
50-75g vegetarian mature Cheddar, grated
Directions
Step 1
In a large frying pan over a medium-high heat, add the oil and fry the onion with the star anise until browned. Reduce the temperature to low, add the carrot, tomato purée, garlic and nearly all the herbs and cook for 2min. Pour in the wine and simmer for 5min until reduced slightly. Remove star anise, then add stock cube, tomatoes and lentils with their juice and 50ml water. Cook for 10min until the carrots are just tender; season to taste.
Step 2
Meanwhile, cover sweet potatoes with cold water in a large pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15min. Drain, steam dry in colander, then return to the pan and mash with the butter and plenty of seasoning.
Step 3
Heat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Spoon lentil mixture into a 2 litre pie dish and dollop the mash over the top. Sprinkle with enough cheese to just cover the mash and then the remaining herbs. Cook for 20min, or for 35min from chilled, until hot all the way through and golden on top.
GH tips
Frying the onions with star anise creates a satisfying depth of flavour
Get ahead
This pie can be prepared and chilled up to 3 days in advance and it freezes well.
Freeze ahead
Assemble the pie in step 3 (without final sprinkle of herbs) but don’t cook. Cool, wrap well and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, defrost in fridge and complete recipe, allowing extra time in the oven if needed.
The GH Kitchen Team are Good Housekeeping’s resident recipe developers and all-round food obsessives. GH Kitchen Director Sarah Akhurst is our resident hosting pro and loves nothing more than putting on a foodie feast for friends. Our GH Kitchen Manager Linzi Pucino is our very own Italian food expert (originally hailing from the North East of Scotland!) and can be found working her way through midweek recipes that cover all bases, from haggis to ragu! Our Kitchen Editor Nadine Brown loves digging into the stories behind her favourite foods and enjoys applying her eclectic tastes to more modern, flavour-forward recipes - just don't give her too much chilli! Our Junior Food Content Produce Frankie Prichard combines a love of beautiful presentation and flavour-led, seasonal cooking in her recipe development, along with a passion for bringing people together through food. With a wealth of professional kitchen experience between them, they’re dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work every single time
