Tasty Lentil & Chestnut Shepherd's Pie

Tasty Lentil & Chestnut Shepherd's Pie

From the WW boards

Serves 4
Points per serving 4

100g dried french green lentils (AKA Puy lentils / Lentilles Vertes)
2 small carrots (or 1 large)
1 large onion, peeled
2tsp olive oil
475 g peeled potatoes
400g can chopped tomatoes
100g pre-cooked chestnuts, very roughly chopped
2tbsp skimmed milk
40g half-fat cheddar cheese, finely grated
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.

Boil lentils according to packet instructions.

Chop carrots and onion into large chunks and place in food processor. Process until you have a thick paste with some small pieces. Fry the carrot and onion paste in the olive oil in a non-stick frying pan for approximately 15 minutes, or until the mixture has dried considerably and starts to brown.

Meanwhile, chop the peeled potatoes and boil until soft enough to mash.

Drain the lentils, reserving the cooking water, and mix with the cooked carrot and onion. Drain the excess juice from the can of tomatoes into the lentil water, and add the chopped tomatoes to the lentil mix. Stir in the roughly chopped chestnuts. This forms the main part of the shepherd pie. If the mix is too dry, add some of the lentil water and tomato juice. Season to taste.

Drain the cooked potatoes and mash thoroughly. Stir in skimmed milk gradually until the potatoes are the texture of 'creamed potato' rather than English mash. Season to taste.

Spread the lentil mix evenly into a lasagne dish, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
Dollop the mash on top and even out the level using a fork. If you like you can create a pattern with the fork. Sprinkle the finely-grated cheese across the top of the pie.

Place in the oven for 25-35 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crispy.

Notes:

I use Chataignes chestnuts which I bring back from France when I go to visit a friend...but you can get pre-cooked chestuts in large supermarkets. If you can't find any, just leave them out! This will reduce the points to 3.5 per portion.

Puy lentils are very expensive, but if you look for supermarket own-brand French green lentils, or Lentilles Vertes, these are exactly the same as Puy lentils but about half the price. You could probably use tinned lentils instead of cooking them but I don't know how much you would need.