Instant Pot Lentil Shepherd's Pie (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
Try this Instant Pot Lentil Shepherd's Pie (Vegan, Gluten-Free) recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Instant Pot Lentil Shepherd's Pie (Vegan, Gluten-Free) recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 celery sticks diced into small cubes
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 1 + 2/3 cups of green dried lentils (soaked for 15 m
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (you can used some oil from the sun-drie
- 1/2 large brown onion finely diced
- 2 medium carrots diced into small cubes
- 3 cloves garlic finely diced
- 3.5 oz / 100 g of cremini mushrooms (swiss brown)
- 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (about 7 tomato halves)
- 1 + 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 cup diced tinned tomatoes (with juice)
- 1 can (400 g) tinned chopped tomatoes with juice
- 1 + 1/4 cup (310 ml) vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or wheat-free tamari
- 1/4 cup (60ml) red wine
- 1-2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder or flakes (caynne is fine)
- 2.5 lb / 1kg white potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) almond milk or regular milk (rice milk is
- pinch of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (ghee or butter for non-vegan version)
- extra 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- Carbohydrate 1.74521298593398 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.0670745138861635 g
- Fiber 0.473700703073724 g
- Protein 0.253694166657897 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0151240763881306 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (219g)
- Sodium 0.77576388886691 mg
- Sugar 1.27151228286026 g
- Trans Fat 0.00949351388761192 g
- Calories 8 calories
Step-by-step
- Soak the lentils in a pot/bowl of cold water for 15 minutes, while you’re preparing all the ingredients. If using canned lentils, skip this process. Then strain the lentils before using.
- Turn the Instant Pot on and press the Sauté function key. Add the olive oil, onions, carrots and celery and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix together. Press Cancel, to stop the Sauté function, then press the Manual setting, HIGH pressure (default on Ultra, I think) and set to 8 minutes. After 3 beeps, the Instant Pot will start building up the pressure and the cooking process will begin.
- If using canned lentils, rinse the legumes under cold water and add to the mixture and set the IP to 3 minutes instead of 8 minutes.
- In the meantime, peel and dice the potatoes. You can either cook the potatoes on the stove while the lentils are cooking in the pressure cooker or you can cook the potatoes in the IP in the second stage. See both methods below.
- At this stage, preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F.
- Once the timer goes off on the lentils, allow 10 minutes for natural pressure release and then use the quick release method (turn the sealing lever to 'Venting' to let off the rest of the steam/pressure.
- Open the lid, mix through and transfer the lentil mixture to a large casserole dish or a baking tray.
- Cook potatoes on the stove.
- Cover potatoes in a pot with cold water and add a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes, until soft. Leave ¼ cup of the cooking liquid in the pot with the potatoes and strain the rest. Add the almond milk (or other milk of choice), onion and garlic powders, pepper, and olive oil (or butter, if using that) to the potatoes. Mash the potatoes really well into a puree and taste for salt. Add extra, if needed.
- Cook potatoes in the Instant Pot. Rinse the inner pot with water after cooking the lentils.
- Add the potatoes with 2 cups of water and salt. Set to Manual, HIGH pressure, for 5 minutes. Once the timer goes off, use the quick release to let off the pressure/steam. Leave ¼ cup of the cooking liquid in the pot and strain the rest. Add the almond milk (or other milk of choice), onion and garlic powders, pepper, and olive oil (or butter, if using that) to the potatoes. Mash the potatoes really well into a puree and taste for salt. Add extra, if needed.
- Finish the pie. Spread the mashed potato puree over the lentil mixture in the casserole dish. The easiest way to do this is to scoop a few batches of the puree and pop them in the different spots over the top. Then use a spoon or a spatula to flatten and smooth the puree. Make small indents, or waves in the crust with a spoon. Pop in the oven (close to the grill) and bake for 10-15 minutes. Serve with a green salad or vegetables.
Throwing dry lentils directly into a pressure cooker without accounting for age or variety often leads to uneven cooking results, where the outer skins split while the centers remain chalky. Soaking green lentils for fifteen minutes hydrates the outer seed coat just enough to promote uniform softening under high pressure. When substituting canned lentils for dry, reduce the manual high-pressure cooking time from eight minutes down to three minutes to prevent the legumes from turning into mush. The aromatic base of diced brown onion, carrots, and celery relies on the Instant Pot's sauté function to sweat out excess moisture before pressure is applied.
Cremini mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes supply the deep, savory umami typically expected from meat-based fillings, substituting for traditional beef broth depth without requiring long simmering times. Deglazing the inner pot with one-quarter cup of red wine lifts the browned bits stuck to the bottom, which prevents the burn notification from triggering during the pressure cycle. Vegetable stock and soy sauce or wheat-free tamari balance the tomato acidity from both the tinned chopped tomatoes and the diced tinned variety. Bay leaves and a pinch of cinnamon add earthy undertones that round out the root vegetable and lentil mixture.
Potatoes can be boiled conventionally on the stovetop or steamed directly inside the cleaned Instant Pot for five minutes at high pressure, though retaining one-quarter cup of the starchy cooking liquid is mandatory for achieving a smooth puree. Incorporating almond milk, olive oil, garlic powder, and onion powder directly into the hot mashed potatoes creates a pliable topping that spreads easily over the lentil base. Swapping olive oil for butter or ghee alters the fat content and richness of the mash, while non-dairy milk alternatives like rice milk thin the puree consistency if added too generously.
Transferring the completed lentil filling to a casserole dish and blanketing it with the potato puree requires creating small indents or waves with a spoon to catch maximum heat. Baking the assembly at four hundred degrees Fahrenheit for ten to fifteen minutes crisps the exposed potato ridges near the top heating element. Letting the finished pie rest for several minutes after baking allows the lentil gravy to thicken and settle, preventing the portions from collapsing upon serving.
