Meatless Shepherds Pie

I couldn't figure out where to put the apostrophe in the title of this post, so I just left it out. I'm sure you'll all weigh in on the subject.

The following adjectives apply to this dish:  cheap, healthful, filling, warm, easy, tasty.  What more could you want?  Preston and the kids would probably prefer regular shepherds pie, with ground beef, frozen veggies and cream of mushroom soup, but this super cheap version is more likely to appear on our dinner table this fall and winter.

Meatless Shepherds Pie

recipe from The Cheapskate Cook

1 cup lentils, rinsed

2 pounds of a combination of potatoes and sweet potatoes, washed, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon olive oil, butter or fat from chicken stock
1/4 – 1/2 cup onion (to taste), finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or other vinegar
1 tablespoon ketchup or tomato paste
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce
1 cup frozen sweet corn (optional)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Pour lentils into a small saucepan and cover with stock or water  until stock or water level is one inch above lentils. Bring lentils to a boil.  Reduce heat, cover and allow lentils to cook for 20 minutes or so until done.

Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan, cover them with water, add a teaspoon of salt, and bring them to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer potatoes until they are tender and pierced easily with a fork.

Drain the lentils in a colander.

Sauté onion in the small saucepan until soft. Add thyme, spices, lentils, vinegar, ketchup and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the onions and stir to combine add a splash of chicken stock or water (about 1/2 cup) to the lentil mixture and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

When potatoes are tender, drain them, transfer them to a large bowl and mash them well, blending together the sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. Stir in butter, milk, salt and pepper, to taste.

Pour lentil mixture evenly into a pie pan or 8×8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle lentils with frozen sweet corn. Spread potatoes evenly on top of the corn.

 

Bake the pie in a  375-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until heated through.

Best Budget Recipes: Mush

Or, yet another variation on beans and rice.

Just what you wanted. Another recipe involving legumes and brown rice. Hey, when you're in the beans and rice, rice and beans stage of life, you look for variations on a very cheap theme. 

I really liked this meal. Andrew really liked it too. Preston ate it. Lauren held one small forkful in her mouth for quite a while until she was threatened and finally swallowed it.  I'm sure I'll be making it again soon!


adapted from The Cheapskate Cook (and by adapted, I mean, I cut the recipe in half)

1 cup lentils
1 cup brown rice
4 cups chicken broth (have you ever made your own?)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
salt to taste
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix the lentils, rice, and broth in a saucepan, and boil around 25-30 minutes until everything is tender and broth is absorbed. Stir in tomato sauce and salt (I added quite a bit, but my chicken broth was unsalted) and plop it all into a square baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes until cheese is melty

Lentil Rice Casserole

I really like lentils. They're probably my favorite legume. They are versatile, quick cooking, and like most beans, they're inexpensive. One of my favorite lentil recipes is one I got from a dinner group member while I was at BYU. So thanks LaRisa, wherever you are now.

Here is the original recipe:

Lentil Rice Casserole

3 c water
3/4 c lentils
1/2 c brown rice
3/4 c chopped onion
1/2 t basil
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t thyme
1/4 t garlic powder
1 T chicken stock
Shredded cheese for garnish

Mix together and bake for 2 hours or cook in slow cooker for a few hours. Top with cheese.

That recipe is good, but I use the lentil/rice mix as a meat substitute for tacos, so here is my variation:

3 c water
3/4 c lentils
1/2 c brown rice
1/4 c chopped onion or 1/4 t onion powder
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t oregano
1/4 t garlic
1 t salt
1 t pepper
optional: 1 can regular diced tomatoes or Rotel

Mix everything but salt and tomatoes in slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours. Add salt and tomatoes and cook on low until ready to serve. Depending on your slow cooker, you may need to add water to keep it from burning.

I serve this in tortillas with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Sicilian Lentil Pasta Sauce

This pasta sauce is hearty, filling, and cheap. I like to make a batch (or two) and stick it in the freezer for a couple of later meals. It's also a great food storage recipe!

2 t olive oil
1 c chopped onion
2 c fresh sliced mushrooms
1 small zucchini, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry lentils
3 cups water
2 (8 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1.5 t white sugar
1/2 cup water

Saute vegetables in oil in a large saucepan. Add lentils and water and simmer 45-60 minutes, until lentils are tender, but not mushy. Stir in tomato sauce, paste, sugar and water, Simmer 20 minutes.

Zesty Veggie Enchiladas

Another zucchini recipe? Yes!! See, I really could use a car full of this most versatile of vegetables. This recipe is also from a family cookbook (thanks, Aunt Miriam). This is a great food storage recipe.

1/3 cup lentils, rinsed
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 medium carrots, shredded
oil
2 cups cubed zucchini
1 cup stewed tomatoes
1/2 cup salsa
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 cup shredded cheese
6-8 flour tortillas

Simmer lentils in water with salt 20-30 minutes, until tender. Rinse and drain. In a large skillet, stir fry carrots. Add zucchini and fry a few more minutes. Add stewed tomatoes, broken up, salsa, cumin, and lentils. Stir in cheese. Place some of the mixture in the center of a tortilla, roll up, and place seam down in a baking dish sprayed with Pam. Repeat with the rest of the tortillas. Bake in a 350 oven for 8 minutes or the microwave (in a microwave safe dish) for 3-4 minutes. Top with more salsa and cheese and bake again until cheese melts. Eat and say yum.


Do you like lentils?