Gardener’s Pie (Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie) Recipe

This pie is so good you’ll never want to eat the meaty version again! It’s good for you: packed full of 6 different veggies and proteiny lentils. And, that healthy filling means we can be a little bit indulgent on making the ultimate mash! Here I’ve used a combination of potatoes and parsnips, which is nothing short of legendary. Not having to buy expensive mince means this is a bargain at under £1.60 per portion!

You will need:

The Filling

2 Garlic Cloves

2 Carrots

2 Sticks of Celery

1 Leek

2 Onions

200g Red Lentils

1 litre Vegetable stock (2 stock cubes)

1 teaspoon Marmite

2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons Plain Four

1 tablespoon Tomato Paste

3 sticks of Rosemary

3 sprigs of Sage

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Olive Oil

The Mash

2kg Potatoes

500g Parsnips

200g Crème Fraîche

20g Vegetarian Parmesan or hard cheese.

Splash of Milk (I use Goat’s Milk)

Vegan Mash

Substitute Crème Fraîche, Veggie Parmesan and Milk for Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Method

1. First get chopping! Chop the garlic, carrots, celery and leek into small chunks. Peel and finely chop the onions.
2. Put a splash of olive oil in a large pan on a medium heat. Chuck all your veg into the pan.
3. As it starts sizzling, remove the leaves from the rosemary and sage and finely chop before adding to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Let this cook for about 10 minutes until all your veg has softened.
4. While that’s cooking, peel your potatoes and parsnips and chop them. I tend to chop potatoes into 4/6 and parsnips into 2/3 pieces.
5. Put all your chunks in a large pan and fill with boiling water from the kettle. Season with salt and bring the pan back up to the boil. Let it simmer for 15-20 mins until you can easily poke a fork into the potato chunks.
6. Back to the filling. Once everything’s softened add the flour. Give it a stir or you’ll get lumpy gravy.
7. Add the marmite, red wine vinegar and tomato paste.
8. Add your vegetable stock and give everything a really good stir.
9. Add your lentils (they’ll want to sink and stick to the bottom of the pan so make sure you give it a good stir regularly). Season with salt and pepper and leave to simmer for 20-30 mins until you have a rich, thick, gorgeous smelling stew.
10. Once your potatoes and parsnips are nice and soft drain them and return to the pan for mashing. Add the crème fraîche, milk and veggie parmesan (or extra virgin olive oil if you’re vegan) as you go until you get a beautiful smooth mash with no lumps. This is also great to do if you skipped arm-day at the gym! Season with salt and pepper and have a taste. Spoiler Alert: it’ll be delicious.
11. Pour your filling into a large baking dish and smooth out evenly. Spoon your mash on top. I start at the edges of the pan and work inwards. Make sure the whole dish is covered then fluff up with a fork (this makes awesome crispy bits).
12. Sprinkle on a bit more veggie parmesan and a few rosemary leaves.
13. Put the pie in the centre of a pre-heated oven at 200°C (400°F, Gas Mark 6) for 45 minutes. If you want the topping extra crispy, stick the pie under the grill for an extra 5 minutes.
14. Serve with your favourite green veggies. I like broccoli and peas.