Vegan Shepherd's Pie

4 cups cooked lentils, or 2 cans of lentils drained and rinsed
1 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups butternut squash, diced
2 cups hot water
2 Tbs vegan 'beef' bouillon powder, or 2 cubes
1 Tbs cornstarch
salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper
8 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 Tbs vegan margarine
3-4 Tbs unsweetened almond milk
1 tsp salt

1) In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until they start to soften.
2) Add mushrooms and saute until softened and starting to brown.
3) Add butternut squash. Stir to combine. Cover and let cook until almost tender.
4) Add lentils and green peas and warm through.
5) In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix hot water, bouillon and cornstarch. Mix into the lentil/mushroom mixture and stir until thickened. If the mixture gets too thick, you can add more broth or water.
6) Taste and adjust for seasoning.
7) Meanwhile, boil potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover. Once fork-tender, drain and mash.
8) Add vegan margarine and almond milk. Mash until you reach a smooth consistency. If necessary, add more milk to get a smooth, creamy mixture.
9) Add salt to taste.
10) Heat oven to 350F.
11) Transfer lentil mixture to a casserole dish. Top with mashed potatoes. Place uncovered in heated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until completely heated through and topping gets slightly browned.

Review: The only canned lentils I could find were more than $3 a can. Therefore, I opted to buy some dried lentils from the bulk bins and cook them. I miscalculated how many cups I would end up with and had roughly 8 cups of lentils. Eek! So, I had way too much food. I had six very large servings, so I had to freeze some. I also had to skip the oven portion of the recipe, because I didn't want to dirty up two casserole dishes (to fit all the food I made) on top of all the pots and pans I already dirtied!! I do believe I had a similar issue the last time I attempted a shepherd's pie. This version was much better, though. I really loved the fake beef bouillon. It gave it a wonderful savory flavor.

Adapted from:
http://www.theglutenfreevegan.com/2011/11/vegan-shepherds-pie/