How do you get your protein?

It won’t take you very long reading my blog before you realize that I like my meat. While I don’t intend on becoming a vegetarian overnight, I am trying to be more mindful of what kinds of things I am eating, and why I am eating them. In an effort to be better balanced, I wanted to stretch myself a little and come up with some vegetarian recipes to throw into the mix. With beans being zero FreeStyle Smart Points, it just makes sense that I would use that to my advantage and let beans/lentils be a complementary source of protein for some of my recipes.

In my quest to find vegetarian options that look satisfying, are low in Smart Points, and that my family would enjoy, I found this Lentil Shepherd’s Pie on ItDoesntTasteLikeChicken.com.

Skip the meat in this shepherd’s pie.

I changed up the recipe a little, but the concept is the same. Lentils are cooked with veggies and broth and are mixed in with BBQ sauce and soy sauce, topped with mashed potatoes and then baked. The flavors go great together, and even my shepherd’s pie-meat-loving husband let me know that, “It would taste better with meat, but for being vegetarian, it’s not half bad”. 🙂  Silly guy. I will call that a win. We’ve got to ease him in slowly, ya know?

With 9 grams of protein in 1/2 cup cooked lentils and 25 grams of protein in 3 ounces of 97% lean ground beef, beef wins when it comes to protein, but our bodies need more than just protein, so…

Forget about protein for a minute. Let’s talk about fat, fiber, and vitamins.

What lentils lack in protein, they make up for in vitamins, nutrients, and fiber. They are a heart healthy food, giving them a one-up on red meat. One half cup of cooked lentils provides 32 percent of the daily value for fiber (which helps you feel full and lowers your risk for heart disease) and only trace amounts of fat. Ground beef has no fiber in it and contains 12% of your daily recommended value of saturated fat.

What that means for you.

Taken from MedicalNewsToday.com, here is what all that fiber can do for you:

“Adequate fiber intake is commonly recognized as an important factor in weight loss by functioning as a “bulking agent” in the digestive system. Fiber in the diet helps to increase satiety and reduce appetite, giving a “full” feeling for longer. This can lower the overall calorie intake. The high fiber in lentils also helps prevent constipation and promote regularity for a healthy digestive tract.”

Eating vegetarian?

I used beef broth in this recipe, so if you are trying to eat vegetarian, you can just swap out the beef broth for vegetable broth.

Not eating vegetarian?

If you are looking at this recipe and asking yourself, “Wait! Where’s the beef!?” no worries… we have a more traditional Shepherd’s Pie recipe that uses ground beef here.

Are you ready to make some yummy Lentil Shepherd’s Pie?

Here is what you need:

1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 minced garlic cloves, divided
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1-1/2 cups lentils, uncooked
3 cups fat-free beef broth (vegetable broth if making vegetarian)
1-1/4 cups water
2/3 cup fat-free milk
2 tablespoons light butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups dry potato flakes (I used Idaho Spuds classic) *affiliate link*
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used Kraft Hickory Smoke) *affiliate link* (Click here for a list of gluten-free BBQ sauces, if you are on a gluten-free diet)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (Click here for a list of gluten-free soy sauces, if you are on a gluten-free diet)

Here is what you do:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add in the onion, carrots, 2 of the minced garlic cloves, and thyme. Sauté for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

While the veggies are cooking, rinse lentils and check for little pebbles.

I know this part does not sound fun, but trust me that you do not want to bite into a pebble, and sometimes they are hiding in with the lentils. One time I skipped this step because I was being lazy and my husband chipped his tooth when he bit into one of the sneaky little pebbles! (He “wasn’t hungry” after that, as you can imagine.) In my little bunch of lentils that I used for this recipe, I spotted three little pebbles, so I was glad I checked this time.

Once you have rinsed the lentils and checked them, add broth and lentils to the skillet. Cover and cook 25-30 minutes or until broth is absorbed and the lentils and tender.

While lentils are cooking, prepare the mashed potatoes. Combine water, milk, butter, salt, 2 minced garlic cloves, and potato flakes in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave, covered, on HIGH for 3 minutes. Remove and stir potatoes with a fork. Set aside.

Add peas, BBQ sauce, and soy sauce to the lentils. Allow to cook for an additional 2 minutes.

Scoop the lentil mixture into an 8×8 casserole dish. Scoop and spread the mashed potatoes over top of the lentil mixture. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the mashed potatoes are golden on top and pie is bubbling around the edges.

Makes 6 servings. The easiest way to divide into 6 servings is to cut the mashed potatoes into 6 equal sections (I just used a spatula, but you could also use a knife) and then scoop one section onto each plate. For us, one serving was about 1 cup.

Makes 6 servings.
One serving is 1 cup.
One serving is 7 Green, 5 Blue, and 5 Purple points.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

7 Green, 5 Blue, and 5 Purple points per serving.

Makes: 6 servings

Calories: 257

Author: Alisha Hughes

Ingredients

• 1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 4 minced garlic cloves, divided
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1-1/2 cups lentils, uncooked
• 3 cups fat-free beef broth (vegetable broth if making vegetarian)
• 1-1/4 cups water
• 2/3 cup fat-free milk
• 2 tablespoons light butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-1/3 cups dry potato flakes (I used Idaho Spuds classic)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce (I used Kraft Hickory Smoke)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add in the onion, carrots, 2 of the minced garlic cloves, and thyme. Sauté for 6-8 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Meanwhile, rinse lentils and check for little pebbles.
• Once you have rinsed the lentils and checked them, add broth and lentils to the skillet. Cover and cook 25-30 minutes or until broth is absorbed and the lentils and tender.
• While lentils are cooking, prepare the mashed potatoes. Combine water, milk, butter, salt, 2 minced garlic cloves, and potato flakes in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave, covered, on HIGH for 3 minutes. Remove and stir potatoes with a fork. Set aside.
• Add peas, BBQ sauce, and soy sauce to the lentils. Allow to cook for an additional 2 minutes.
• Scoop the lentil mixture into an 8x8 casserole dish. Scoop and spread the mashed potatoes over top of the lentil mixture. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until the mashed potatoes are golden on top and pie is bubbling around the edges.
• Makes 6 servings. The easiest way to divide into 6 servings is to cut the mashed potatoes into 6 equal sections (I just used a spatula, but you could also use a knife) and then scoop one section onto each plate. For us, one serving was about 1 cup.