Shepherd's Pie half meat/half lentils. How do I do it?

[Trizelda]

On Eat Well for Less last week they made a Shepherd's pie, replacing half the lamb with lentils and it looked really good. I can't find the recipe on the website. I can find out how to make a standard Shepherd's pie but what do I do with the lentils. I have a packet of dry ones.....do I have to soak them first when adding to a recipe? Thanks for any advice!

[Snozberry]

You can chuck them into your usual recipe dry, just add a bit of water as they will soak up alot of liquid.

[Devonicity]

I do the cottage pie recipe below and just sprinkle lentils in to the mince mix at the same time as the salt and pepper. Can't even tell by taste, though it does make the mixture a bit smoother once cooked.

Recipe: Cottage pie
Category: Beef

Servings: 6

Ingredients:
900g lean minced beef
1 onion
1 carrot
2 tbspn plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbspn tomato paste
1 tbspn dried thyme
600ml beef stock
Salt and pepper

Topping
700g potatoes
450g parsnips
3-4 tbspn mayonnaise
75g grated cheddar

Prep Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 1hr 45 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hour
oven Temperature: 200 C

Directions:
Fry onion and carrot. Add mince and brown. Add flour, cinnamon and tomato paste. Stir for one minute and add thyme, stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, summer for 40 mins.

Boil water and add root veg, cook until soft. Drain, dry in hot pan for a minute, mash and stir in mayonnaise and most of the grated cheese.

Put meat in Pyrex, spoon on mash, sprinkle over the rest of the grated cheese.

Cook at 200C for about 20 mins until brown and bubbling. Serve with green veg.

[Trizelda]

Thank you!

[Indole]

I don't know if you have red lentils or another kind, but I find it works best with the little greeny brown ones. They are pretty much exactly the same size as the bits of mince when cooked and don't go mushy.

[Alexjoy]

I add a good handful of red lentils to anything with mince and also any soup that is red /orange I. E Carrot and lentil, butternut squash and lentil.

Loads of protein and cheaper than mince.

[Trizelda]

Thank you too. Going to have a go at the weekend.

[FusionChefGeoff]

This is a really good trick. I use tinned green lentils if I'm in a rush and DH is a huge meat fan and can't tell the difference! Used it for moussaka this week - lush, cheaper and leaner

[MERLYPUSSEDOFF]

You can add porridge oats too to stretch it out a bit. Very good for soaking up excess stock without using traditional thickeners. Did exactly this today with the mince base in the slow cooker. No one noticed and they are good for cholesterol too.

[Generation1979]

I've been cooking first so now will just add not cooked.