Sweet Potato Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Sweet Potato Lentil Shepherd’s Pie, from Sahara Rose’s new book Eat Feel Fresh
Serves 8

Ingredients
4 large sweet potatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced carrot
3 garlic cloves
41/2 cups cooked lentils
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped basil
1/2 cup chopped spinach
2 tablespoons coconut amino acids or tamari
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, plus more to garnish
2 tablespoons non-dairy milk, plus moe as needed
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425F. Put the potatoes in a large pot of boiling water and boil 15-20 minutes until soft.
2. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the lentils and cook 3 minutes more. Stir in the diced tomatoes, basil, spinach and coconut aminos. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
3. When the sweet potatoes are soft, remove them from the heat and drain the water. Remove the potato skins and return the potatoes to the pot. Add the non-dairy milk and mash with a potato masher or a fork until smooth and thick, adding more non-dairy milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spread the lentil mixture in a greased 9x13in baking dish. Spread the sweet potatoes in an even layer over the top. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving and garnish with thyme.