Shepherd’s pie with sweet potato and lentils

Don’t go to the bakery shop to satisfy your craving for pastries, rather prepare a healthy alternative to your favorite pie. Try out this recipe for SHEPHERD’S PIE WITH SWEET POTATO AND LENTILS. The recipe is complex, but I guarantee you it’s worth the effort.

Sweet potato ingredients:
3 large sweet potatoes, chopped into bigger pieces
2 tbsp coconut oil
¼ tsp salt
1-2 tbsp maple syrup (if desired)

Filling ingredients:
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ½ cup lentils (washed and strained)
4 cups vegetable broth or water
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 cup frozen vegetables, as desired: green peas, carrots, string beans, or corn

Champignon mushrooms ingredients (optional):
2 whole mushrooms
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp coconut oil, melted
a pinch of salt
a pinch of black pepper and ground garlic

Instructions:
1. Pour the water and sweet potato into a pot and leave to boil. Then lower the temperature to moderate and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until boil.
2. Put the cooked sweet potato in a mixing bowl, and mash it with a fork. Add coconut oil, salt, and black pepper. Depending on the sweetness of the sweet potato, add maple syrup. Cover with a lid and leave to rest.
3. In the meantime, heat the oven at 220 °C and coat the pan with coconut oil.
4. Season the mushrooms with balsamic vinegar, oil, salt, black pepper, and ground garlic in a separate bowl. Mix and leave to rest in the marinade for about 5 minutes.
5. For filling preparation, warm the water in a larger pot, then add oil, onion, and garlic, and simmer at moderate temperature for a few minutes, until golden. Add a pinch of black pepper and salt, then lentils, vegetable broth or water, and thyme, then stir everything. Leave to boil, then lower the temperature and leave lentils to cook for another 20-30 minutes.
6. While lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a pan and add marinated mushrooms. Fry them at moderate temperature for 2-3 minutes by side. Remove from the heat and leave to rest.
7. In the last 10 minutes of lentil cooking, add the frozen vegetables as desired, stir and cover with a lid so the flavors combine. Strain and add more salt and black pepper, as desired.
8. Pour the resulting lentil mixture into a refractory dish, cover with mushrooms, then with mashed sweet potato.
9. Bake the pie in the oven at 220 °C for about 20 minutes, until it’s golden and the edges are crispy.
10. After cooling, serve the pie and enjoy.