Vegan Shepherd's Pie

If I could add a picture I would but just believe me, it was phenomenal! The only thing I did differently is -- and I know this might be a little controversial for shepherd's pie lovers -- I did not peel my potatoes. I like mashed potatoes with the peels left in because of the texture and I decided to see how it might work for this dish. Before baking, the potatoes looked a little rough on top because of the peels but after it gets golden brown in the oven you don't notice them in there and the texture is wonderful. I will absolutely make this again and I'm so happy I found it. When I try vegan versions of classics like this I often feel like it will never compare to the fatty, meaty versions I had in my youth so usually I end up disappointed. I truly don't miss the meat flavor in this meal though. Amazing Note: my instinct at the lentil cooking stage was to add corn starch to thicken the mixture because even after 10-15 minutes of cooking it looked runny to me. I didn't do it though, I figured I'd wait it out for the full recommended 20 minutes. It thickened up just fine after that amount of time so don't let the juiciness startle you if you're trying out this recipe!

This was a really good recipe. The lentils were a good substitute for meat. The only reason I did not give this five stars is due to the meal not being so good the following day. Unlike a shepherds pie with meat...which tends to marinate overnight...and is usually better the following day, that didn’t happen. Perhaps lentils react differently in the overnight process?

I was so happy to have another use for my favorite legume -- lentils. This pie is so comforting.