Instant Pot Shepherd's Pie With Lentils (Vegan, Gluten-Free)
This hearty Instant Pot Shepherd’s pie is vegan and gluten-free friendly. It’s made with nutritious lentils, mushrooms, vegetables, and topped with creamy mashed potatoes.
2tablespoonsolive oilghee or butter for non-vegan version
Extra salt to taste
Instructions
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/Pressure Cook setting, HIGH pressure and set to 10 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 4 minutes instead of 10 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 Instant Pot 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.