vegetarian shepherd's pie

Shepherd's Pie is one of our family favorites but I had never thought of making a vegetarian version. I'm not thinking ahead to meat substitutes well enough yet I guess. When visiting my in-laws for Christmas I found a really nice vegetarian cookbook on my mother-in-law's kitchen shelf and she is letting me borrow it. Our first recipe was for this pie and turned out delicious. I'm going to assume that people already know how to make the mashed potatoes that go on top, if you don't you can get directions here.

Base of pie:

soak 1/2 C. tvp in 1/2 C. hot water until absorbed (about 10 minutes)
cook 1/2 C. lentils in 1 quart of water until done (about 30 minutes)
sautee 1/2 C. onions and 1 clove garlic in olive oil until soft
add tvp and sautee until mixed well
add 1 t. salt and 1/2 t. pepper
drain lentils and mash
add lentils to tvp mixture
pat into bottom of casserole dish or pie pan

Filling:

your choice - we used 1 1/2 C. of mixed vegetables

place filling on top of base

top with mashed potatoes so no filling or base shows

bake at 350 F for 25 minutes until thoroughly warmed

This was so delicious! V did say that she didn't like the lentils so much and wondered if it could be made with just the tvp and onion/garlic. It probably could but Steve and I liked the lentils so much that they're going to stay in this recipe. Definitely a keeper and one that I will be making again.