Autumnal farmer's pie

Serves

4 People

Cooking Time

90 minutes

Season

Autumn

Winter

Dietary

Vegetarian

This recipe is packed full of autumnal produce! Think a veggie Shepard's pie but with mashed squash instead of potato. It's a really comforting dish perfect with some steamed greens such as cavolo nero, curly kale or chard.

Ingredients

2 medium squash (such as Kabocha or Uchiki Kuri)
1 leek (finely sliced)
1 carrot (finely diced)
1/2 celeriac (finely diced)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed and finely chopped)
400g mushrooms (roughly chopped)
750ml vegetable stock
2 tbsps tomato puree
1 tsp smoked paprika
20g flat leaf parsley (finely chopped)
150g lentils (boiled until tender)
2 tbsps soy sauce
100g cheddar cheese or vegan alternative (grated)

Method

Step 1.

Pre heat your oven to 200c. Cut your squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Wrap your squash in foil (to prevent them drying out) and bake in the oven for around an hour until soft. Set aside to cool.

Step 2.

Heat a large pan over a medium heat. Add a little oil and then the leek, carrot, celeriac, garlic and mushrooms. Gently sweat for around 10 mins until soft. Add the tomato puree, smoked paprika and soy sauce and stir well. Fry for a couple of minutes and then add the veg stock and cooked lentils. Simmer for around 30 minutes, stirring every so often. Take off the heat and add the chopped parsley.

Step 3.

Scoop the flesh of the squash into a bowl and mash with a fork. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the stewed veg and lentils to a baking dish and add the mashed squash on top. Spread the squash so it is evenly covered and then add the grated cheese. Place in the oven and bake for 30 - 40 mins.

Step 4.

Take out of the oven and serve with some seasonal steamed greens.