Shepherd's Pie Potato Substitute
It is impossible not to love shepherd’s pie. This dish has become a staple in my home, but not the traditional kind with lamb filling, as you can see. My version is stuffed with deliciously seasoned lentils and veggies, and topped with a gorgeous, vitamin-packed sweet potato mash. It’s every bit as delicious as the original, but low in fat and high in protein, fiber, and nutrients.
Shepherd's Pie Potato Skins Recipe
It’s much lighter and healthier than traditional shepherd’s pie, and it’s a great choice for those on a low cholesterol diet. If you use the vegan substitutions, you can serve this as a meatless option alongside a kosher meat meal.
This shepherd’s pie is the perfect simple, economical, hearty dinner that the whole family will love.Makes 6 servings. 2 tablespoons soy sauce. 1 tablespoon basil + more for garnish. 1/2 cup chopped spinach. 2+ tablespoons non-dairy milk. Sea saltStep OneBefore anything else, peel and chop the sweet potatoes into small chunks.
Get them in a pot of water and let them boil for at least 15-20 minutes, depending on size. Step TwoMeanwhile, chop the carrots, onion, and celery (mirepoix) into small chunks.
To make things super easy, I often buy a pre-cut mirepoix at Trader Joe’s. Or you can use a food processor. Add this to a large skillet over medium heat with a tablespoon of water and allow them to soften.
Step ThreeOnce the veggies are softened, add the prepared lentils to the pan. You can use any kind of lentils you’d like dried (cook them yourself), canned (drained), or pre-made lentils in a package (as long as the don’t have any unnatural ingredients). Allow these to cook for several minutes with the mirepoix.Preheat the oven to 350º F Step FourOpen the cans of diced tomatoes (but do not drain them) and add these along with a tablespoon of chopped (or dried) basil leaves, a handful of chopped spinach, and a splash of soy sauce. Let this filling simmer for 10-15 minutes for the flavors to mingle. Step FiveWhen the sweet potatoes are soft all the way through, remove them from the heat and drain the water. Mash with a little salt and a splash of non-dairy milk until the consistency is perfect.Add the lentil filling to a 9 x 13 pan and top with a layer of sweet potatoes. Or, like pictured, you can add to individual oven-safe bowls.
Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until the topping becomes slightly browned. Allow to cool before serving. This recipe yields about 6 servings and makes excellent leftovers the next evening for a 2-for-1 dinner. Alyssa this is way late, but for you and the benefit of anyone else, I was thinking butternut squash, but Elizabeth is right that summer squash would work great, probably even better, because it will break down and form a liquid much like the tomatoes would. You could do a mix of zucchini and yellow squash because they’ll both do the same thing as far as making some liquid and serving as thickeners.Another thing you could do is starch up a good homemade meat or mushroom stock, if you’re not vegetarian. Cornstarch slurry added to the stock will make a nice sauce. Recently found your site.
You have some good food ideas.I made this tonight only really changed it. We cook big batches of beans and freeze them. So instead of lentils we had 3 and a half cup pintos and 1 cup garbanzo. I enhanced the seasoning with thyme and marjoram.
I threw in some mushrooms. Added more carrots. My husband does not eat nightshades so no tomatoes but used veggie broth to add the liquid.
In the end it was really, really great, the savory beans and thee sweet potatoes complimented each other really well. So thanks for the recipe “guideline”. Tried this and I felt that there were too many lentils and not enough chunks of veg, but I realise coming back to the page my downfall was likely due to the fact that I used four and a half cups of dry unprepared lentils rather than prepared, and so when they WERE prepared I had a monstrous amount of lentils for only half a cup of each of the vegetables, and so I won’t make that mistake again! Also, I didn’t have enough sweet potato, so that didn’t help either.
The taste was lovely, and I’m sure it will be much better once I do it right! Looking forward to round two! YOU just made my life a MILLION times easier!!! Thank you so much!!! That is great!
(just a side note: before I so easily cut and pasted your recipe in there for a recipe analyzer to figure out in one EASY step–I added all the ingredients and divided by the number of people eating–I did come within 4 calories of what that website said–which makes me feel good about my own computations. But what an incredible pain in the behind! I am so thankful for your info and direction! Thank you!) Your recipe was great too btw.
Thanks again! We are a family of meat eaters except for my daughter who is vegetarian. As I find myself making the wonderful meats I love to make for my family on Thanksgiving, I want to make sure that my daughter feels included too. I just made your recipe and it’s for tomorrow’s supper, and I had her taste it as I placed it in the baking pan before I added the sweet potato mixture and she was so excited.
I felt good to have at least an option for her. Thanks very much for this, will take time and go through your other recipes as I want to make sure all my children returning home from university get home cooking made with love. I am making another dish for her that I found as well, that will give her more than one option for tomorrow. And who knows maybe my guests will enjoy having different options for their Thanksgiving meal. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and appreciate the recipe.
This is my first time stumbling on your blog (thanks Pinterest) and now I’m about to pin all kinds of stuff. This was an easy dish to put together and really good.
Shepherd's Pie Potato Substitute Cream
For the person that asked about dry lentils. I cooked a whole 1 lb bag and it makes about six cups. The tip on adding balsamic was a good one. If there is anyone else out there that is curious about the nutrition facts let me help you out since I already entered it in. It feels great to eat this good.
This is for one of six servings.Nutrition FactsServing Size 1 serving (449.7 g)Amount Per ServingCalories 282Calories from Fat 7% Daily Value.Total Fat 0.8g1%Saturated Fat 0.1g1%Sodium 780mg33%Potassium 1149mg33%Total Carbohydrates 53.9g18%Dietary Fiber 16.6g66%Sugars 12.1gProtein 17.0gVitamin A 401%.Vitamin C 54%Calcium 11%.Iron 37%. Based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional Irish dish made with ground lamb cooked with peas and carrots and topped with a mashed potato crust. Easy and tasty, all year round!Shepherd’s Pie is a delicious combo of ground lamb that has been cooked with carrots, sweet green peas and corn. The lamb mixture is then topped with a crust of creamy mashed potatoes. You will love how easy and convenient this dish is. It can be made a day in advance, which makes dinner prep easier. This recipe is so easy that you have to try it. If you are not a fan of lamb, you can substitute it with beef, and it will still taste delicious.
Potato Skin Shepherd's Pie
What is Shepherd’s Pie?Shepherd’s pie is a delicious casserole traditionally made with ground lamb. Many people make this recipe with ground beef however, if you use ground beef it’s actually called Cottage Pie! Either way, it’s a delicious crustless meat pie topped with mashed potato. The recipe can vary widely, but it is usually made with minced meat, cooked with onions, peas, celery, corn or carrots in a gravy. Do you put cheese on top of Shepherd’s Pie?Traditionally, a Shepherd’s Pie is not topped with cheese, but if you are an avid cheese lover, you can add a sprinkle of cheddar cheese on top of the mashed potatoes, and it will taste even better.Tips on how to cook the Shepherd’s Pie:. You can use a mix of vegetables: I used sweet corn and sweet green peas, as well carrots. You can use homemade mashed potatoes or if you are in a hurry, you can use store-bought mashed potatoes.
I used this recipe for. The cheese on top is optional, but totally delicious. You can prep and assemble the pie one day in advance and store it in the fridge. Let it come to room temperature 30 minutes before baking it. To prevent the mashed potatoes from sinking, after you add the meat mixture, let it cool and then chill it in the fridge for 20 minutes. This will help keep the layers separated.
If your baking dish is very full, I recommend adding a baking sheet covered with parchment paper (or aluminum foil) under it in the oven to avoid any juices spilling in your oven.Why is it called Shepherd’s Pie?Originally a meat pie made with minced (or ground) meat and mashed potatoes was known as a Cottage Pie (and it was even sometimes made with pastry many years ago). It is very popular in Ireland, Scotland and England as well! In the late 1800’s the pie was named Shepherd’s Pie if made with lamb (since the shepherd looked after the sheep) and if made with beef it was called Cottage Pie.Regardless of the name, this recipe is a classic Shepherd’s Pie recipe loaded with flavor and the perfect make ahead meal to serve all year long!
Catalina thinks that time in the kitchen should be fun, and we should spend less time cooking and more time eating! As a successful business woman with a busy career on Wall Street, she creates fool-proof recipes for busy weeknights. Catalina will inspire you to experiment with flavors, try new ingredients, use your slow cooker and pressure cooker and create easy meals with less effort and more flavor. You can visit her blog Sweet & Savory Meals for delicious dinner and dessert recipes that are husband and toddler approved!