The flavour in this Vegan Quinoa, Lentil and Squash Pie comes from a saute of onions, mushrooms, dried herbs and garlic. The protein comes from the quinoa and lentils. The squash and vegan cheese lattice topping bring it all together for a yummy Meatless Monday or healthful meal anytime.
Like a lot of my recipes, I developed this based on what was staring at me when I opened my fridge one day last week. There was leftover quinoa from another recipe I’ve been working on. A roast dinner contributed an abundance of vibrant orange buttercup squash all mashed. Plus, there was those vegan cheese slices at the back of the fridge. I bought them a while back and really wanted to do something with them. I’m not one to waste food!
I always have a plethora of pulses (peas, beans, chickpeas and lentils) in my pantry thanks to writing one Indian cookbook and having another in the works. It took only 20 minutes to cook up some green lentils while I was chopping onions, garlic and mushrooms.
It didn’t take long to imagine a vegan shepherd’s pie. Not that any of the ingredients have or need shepherds but I loved the idea of layering that squash on top of the rest of all those flavourful goodies. So, if you look at this list of ingredients and think it looks like too much work, do what I did. Make some quinoa one day. Cook up the squash another day. And, bring this Vegan Quinoa, Lentil and Squash Pie all together on a day you’d like to eat vegan. Round out your meal with some green beans on the side or a fresh green salad.
PrintVegan Quinoa, Lentil and Squash Pie
If vegetables needed a shepherd this would be their shepherd’s pie.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Vegan
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: Canadian
Ingredients
3 lbs kombucha or buttercup squash
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
½ cup green lentils
¾ cup red quinoa
1½ cups water
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, finely chopped
2 cups brown button mushrooms, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon summer savory
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon sage
Salt and Pepper – to taste
2 Tablespoons unleashed all-purpose flour
1 cups mushroom or vegetable broth
1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
4 slices vegan Havarti cheese slices
Instructions
1. Peel, seed, chop and boil the squash in salted water until tender; drain and mash with the brown sugar. Set aside. Tip: You can also prepare the lentils and quinoa at the same time.
2. Rinse the lentils and bring them to a boil in a saucepan on high heat then reduce the heat and simmer them until soft – about 20 minutes. Drain and reserve.
3. Prepare the quinoa by rinsing it and then adding it to a saucepan with 1½ cups water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the quinoa has absorbed all of the water, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from heat, cover, and let the quinoa steam for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat, add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the onions are soft and translucent and the mushrooms are beginning to dry out.
4. Stir in the garlic and 30 seconds later, the savory, thyme, sage and salt and pepper.
5. Stir in the flour, mix well and slowly stir in the stock and Worcestershire to make a gravy.
6. Stir in the reserved lentils and quinoa. It should be nice and thick by now.
7. Spread this mixture on the bottom of the pie plate or casserole and top with the mashed squash.
8. Cut the cheese slices crosswise in 5 slices and use those to create a lattice effect on top of the squash.
8. Bake at 400℉ for about 20 minutes and serve piping hot.
9. Enjoy with a green veg or green salad on the side.
Keywords: Vegan Quinoa Lentil and Squash Pie
