Athlete Recipe: Shepherd’s Pie

It’s hard to beat a good shepherd’s pie…and this one is full of goodness!

Stacked with hidden veggies, and best made using lentils – vegetarian and vegan friendly – this is a different take on an old classic! 

Ingredients 

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 lebanese eggplant, sliced
• 5 button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 can lentils, or 500g beef/lamb mince
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tbs tomato puree
• handful of baby spinach
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes
• 4 potatoes, diced
• 1 sprig rosemary
• salt & pepper

Method

1. Bring a saucepan/steamer to the boil, and steam potatoes until there is no resistance (test with a fork).
2. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius.
3. Meanwhile, bring non-stick pan to a medium heat and sauté garlic and onion for a minute.
4. If using mince, add mince to the pan and cook until browned.
5. If using lentils, first add carrot, eggplant and mushrooms and sauté with garlic and onion briefly before adding lentils.
6. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato puree, cumin, paprika, and chilli flakes.
7. Simmer until sauce has thickened slightly.
8. Whilst sauce simmers, remove potatoes from steamer and mash in a bowl, add salt & pepper, and a sprinkle of cheese (optional). Set aside.
9. Add spinach to the thickened lentil/mince sauce and pour into an oven-proof dish.
10. Spread mashed potato over sauce and top with rosemary.
11. Cook in oven until the potato browns slightly.
12. Serve with steamed broccoli, broccolini, beans or your choice of salad.