This vegan shepherd’s pie recipe is pure comfort food. It’s brimming with nutritious ingredients all snuggled under creamy mashed potatoes. This lentil shepherd’s pie is one hearty, comforting and easy to make veggie-loaded meal that is sure to delight your tastebuds.
This Recipe was first published in April 2020 and updated in July 2021 to include step-by-step instructions, tips and frequently asked questions.
THIS POST IS SPONSORED BY INDIGO HERBS
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Vegan shepherd’s pie with lentils is a dish that I could serve up to my family year-round. It’s hearty and comforting, making it an ideal choice for winter. But served with a crisp green salad it can easily lapse into summer food too.
This is the kind of food that can plant a smile on everybody’s weary midweek faces or make a surprise guest appearance in place of a traditional Sunday meal. If hearty, wholesome meat-free comfort food is what you are craving, this lentil shepherd’s pie should be a pleasing sight.
Why This Lentil Shepherd’s Pie is Worth Making
Shepherd’s pie is a longstanding comfort food classic that many a child has grown up eating. The classic version, sometimes called cottage pie, contains minced red meat and usually a medley of vegetables such as celery, onion, carrot and peas, all cooked in a gravy and topped with mashed potato. Baked until golden, it’s a great recipe to make to satisfy a hungry family.
I’ve kept my vegan shepherd’s pie recipe in tune with the classic version as much as I could. Here are my modifications:
- I’ve removed the meat, replacing this protein source with a blend of plant-based proteins, aubergine & mushrooms instead
- The usual dairy products in the mashed potato topping have been replaced with vegan alternatives
- I’ve created a vegan broth that the base ingredients cook in
The robust texture of this lentil shepherd’s pie is not dissimilar to that of the classic meaty version and the overall result is a nourishing pie that contains plenty of mouthwatering flavour in each spoonful.
Ingredients
With the exception of the protein powder (detailed below) and nutritional yeast, the ingredients for this vegan shepherd’s pie are wholesome, fresh and likely to be hanging around your kitchen cupboards anyway.
I know it’s been around for quite some time, but nutritional yeast is a new ingredient to me. In fact, I purchased my first jar of it just a few months ago. But now I’m hooked.
I use it to add a cheesy, nutty taste to plenty of vegetarian and vegan meals, from a simple meat-free ragu to this vegan pie. It also injects more plant-based protein into vegan meals, which is great news.
Using minced aubergine and mushrooms is my favourite way to create great texture in vegan and vegetarian meals that are adaptations of recipes that would, traditional, use minced meat. It works like a dream in my aubergine pasta bake to create a rich ragu and it works equally well in this lentil shepherds pie too.
Sources of Protein in This Pie
I’m always mindful of incorporating adequate plant-based protein in my vegan main meals. But it can sometimes be a fine balance when using lentils as that protein source:
- Too many lentils piled into a recipe can lead to a stodgy plate that nobody is really excited by
- But leaving them out altogether seems remiss
Indigo Herbs got in touch with me at just the right time. I’d already begun testing the recipe for this vegan shepherd’s pie and the feedback my family delivered was that there were too many lentils in it. So when Indigo Herbs told me about their organic sunflower protein powder, it was the obvious way to take my recipe. I cut back slightly on the lentils and added a little protein powder instead.
Sunflower protein powder is a versatile ingredient with a delicious nutty taste. Along with the protein boost, it serves up plenty of B vitamins and minerals, so it’s a great addition to vegan meals all around. Take a look at their recipe ideas for more ways to incorporate this ingredient into your diet.
For those not able to tolerate seeds in their diet, the sunflower powder can be left out or replaced with mushroom powder. Nutritional content will vary though.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Reduce the aubergine and mushrooms to mince in a food processor. This gives great texture to the pie filling and bulks out the lentils really well
2. Put some olive oil into a cooking pot or saucepan and fry the minced mushroom and aubergine for a few minutes. Add finely diced onion and celery and cook until softened
3. Next toss the lentils, diced carrot, nutritional yeast and sunflower seed powder into the pan along with some thyme. Pour in the stock and simmer for 25 minutes
4. Add the frozen peas and take off the heat
5. Peel and chop the potatoes and cook in simmering water for around 20 minutes until soft. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid
6. Mash the potato, using a handheld masher or a potato ricer then stir in vegan butter, nutritional yeast, seasoning and a little reserved cooking liquid, if required, to create a smooth and creamy mash
7. Spoon the cooked filling into a large pie dish and spread or pipe the mashed potato over the top. Bake for 30 minutes
Expert Tips
- Do not be tempted to use red lentils in this recipe. They break down as they cook and will turn the base mushy. Green or brown lentils work well though
- Pulse the aubergine and mushrooms in the processor until finely chopped but not completely broken down. You may need to do this in batches and any stubborn large pieces of veg remaining should be removed and chopped by hand
- Spread the potatoes over the pie base whilst they are warm – they stiffen up once cool and become harder to spread
- If you don’t fancy piping the potatoes onto the top, add a little rustic charm to the appearance of the pie by dragging a fork across the top to rough them up once they have been spread out. Simple but effective!
- Instead of topping with mash, slice the potatoes thinly, blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and layer them on top of the filling, overlapping as you do so. Brush with melted vegan butter (or oil), season and bake for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes feel tender when poked with a sharp knife
- Scatter grated vegan cheese over the top of the potatoes before baking for an indulgent treat (be sure to choose a variety that you know melts well though)
Frequently Asked Questions
Tinned lentils work fine in this recipe. Simply drain from the can and rinse then add them to the base at the same time as the peas.
Undoubtedly, this vegan shepherd’s pie will always have the best flavour, texture and consistency if eaten fresh. But it is possible to freeze this pie if making in advance.
Please bear in mind that lentils do continue to absorb liquid as they sit and mashed potatoes will dry out if they keep getting reheated. For these reasons, I suggest freezing this pie as soon as it has been fully assembled and cooled, but before it has been baked. Defrost at room temperature for 3-4 hours and proceed to bake as per the recipe instructions.
Leftovers can be safely stored in the fridge (covered) for up to 3 days or frozen for several months. Defrost fully if frozen and reheat either in the oven (covered with foil) or in the microwave. Consider serving with a little vegan gravy to account for any lost moisture during the storing and reheating processes.
Serving Suggestions
This vegan shepherd’s pie is a complete meal in itself, but a crisp green salad would make an ideal side to serve alongside it. Keep the dressing light and to a minimum.
Alternatively, wilted greens make a fine hot side dish. Like the salad, this is not too heavy.
This recipe can also be turned into individual pies – simply divide the filling and potato between 4 smaller pie dishes and cook for 20-25 minutes.
More Vegan & Vegetarian Meals:
If you have tried this lentil shepherd’s pie please give it a rating or leave a comment – I love to hear how you get along with my creations.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils
Ingredients
For the Base
- 1 Onion
- 1 Celery stick
- 200 g Aubergine
- 100 g Mushrooms
- 120 g Green lentils dried
- 300 g Carrots
- 120 g Peas frozen
- 500 ml/ 2 cups Vegetable stock
- 4 teaspoon Nutritional yeast
- 4 teaspoon Sunflower protein powder or mushroom powder (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Soy sauce
- 4 Thyme sprigs
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- Salt
For the Mashed Potatoes
- 1 kg Floury potatoes King Edward or Maris Piper are great
- 2 tablespoon Nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoon Vegan butter e.g. Flora Buttery
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Wipe clean the mushrooms and roughly chop along with the aubergine
- Place in a food processor and process until finely minced
- Put some olive oil into a cooking pot or saucepan and fry the minced mushroom and aubergine for a few minutes
- Add finely diced onion and celery and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened
- Dice the carrot and toss into the pan along with the lentils, nutritional yeast, sunflower protein powder (if using) and thyme
- Pour in the soy sauce and ¾ of the stock and let simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more stock if the pan gets too dry
- When the lentils are cooked through add the pepper and season with salt to taste then toss in the frozen peas and take off the heat
Make the Mashed Potato
- Preheat oven to 200C/ 400F/ GM6
- Peel and chop the potatoes
- Place in a large saucepan and cover with lightly salted water
- Put a lid on the pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for around 20 minutes until tender (poke with a sharp knife to check)
- Drain, reserving the cooking liquid
- Mash, using a handheld masher or a potato ricer
- Stir in vegan butter, nutritional yeast and seasoning to taste
- If the potato is too stiff add a little of the reserved cooking liquid
Assemble the Pie
- Spoon the cooked filling into a large pie dish
- Spread or pipe the mashed potato over the top
- Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven
Notes
- Do not be tempted to use red lentils in this recipe. They break down as they cook and will turn the base mushy. Green or brown lentils work well though
- Tinned lentils work fine in this recipe. Use a 400g tin, drain and rinse the lentils then add them to the base at the same time as the peas.
- Pulse the aubergine and mushrooms in the processor until finely chopped but not completely broken down. You may need to do this in batches and any stubborn large pieces of veg remaining should be removed and chopped by hand
- Spread the potatoes over the pie base whilst they are warm – they stiffen up once cool and become harder to spread
- If you don’t fancy piping the potatoes onto the top, add a little rustic charm to the appearance of the pie by dragging a fork across the top to rough them up once they have been spread out. Simple but effective!
- Instead of topping with mash, slice the potatoes thinly, blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes, then drain and layer them on top of the filling, overlapping as you do so. Brush with melted vegan butter (or oil), season and bake for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes feel tender when poked with a sharp knife
- Scatter grated vegan cheese over the top of the potatoes before baking for an indulgent treat (be sure to choose a variety that you know melts well though)
Claudia Lamascolo
my family absolutely loved this its so flavorful and those potatoes are outstanding!
Jane Saunders
Oh how lovely to hear – thankyou.