Cottage Pie with Sweet Potato Mash

Makes: 4 to 6 servings  –   Difficulty: Moderate

One of my favourite comfort foods. This warm, savoury dish is just as flavourful with mashed cauliflower instead of the sweet potato topping, so mix it up if the mood strikes.

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds sweet potato, cut into
  • 2-inch chunks
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 small red onion, chopped
  • 1 carrot, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 ½ cups fresh or the awed frozen
  • corn kernels
  • 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen
  • green peas
  • 1 cup cooked*fresh or frozen
  • lima beans
  • 2 cups cooked* or BPA-free canned or Tetra Pak salt-free brown lentils
  • 1 cup Light Vegetable Broth 
  • 8 ounces mushrooms of choice, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • 2 tablespoons salt-free tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon white miso paste
  • 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, or
  • ½ teaspoon dried

Method:

  1. Place the sweet potatoes into a large pot with enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fork-tender, then drain and return to the pot. Stir in the onion powder and black pepper and mash until smooth. Set aside.
  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  3. Heat ¼ cup of water in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until softened,  about 7 minutes. Stir in the gar­lic and lower the heat to low. Stir in the corn, peas and cooked lima beans. Cook until the vegetables are tender and any liquid is absorbed for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 1 ½ cups of the lentils, then transfer the vegetable mixture to a shallow baking dish and set aside.
  4. Heat the Light Vegetable Broth in the same large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, miso paste, and thyme and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are soft. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a blender or food proces­sor, add the remaining ½ cup of lentils, and blend until smooth. If the gravy is too thick, blend in up to ½ cup of additional broth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.
  5. Pour the gravy over the vegetable mixture, stirring to combine. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes on top, smoothing to cover the surface. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling. Serve hot.
  6. Turn to the Legumes and Grains Cooking Charts on pages 218-221 for instruction, if needed.

From The How Not to Diet Cookbook

www.nutritionfacts.org

Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM
Founder, NutritionFacts.org