This Lentil Shepherd’s Pie comfort food is sure to please even the pickiest of eaters, plant-based or not! You can make this dish easier with store-bought items, such as canned or boxed lentils which I’ve found at Trader Joe’s.
Make this gravy recipe, leaving out the mushroom since they’re in this plant-based shepherd’s pie recipe, to serve alongside. Your guests will be loving and sharing plant-based food before you know it.
Traditional Shepherd’s Pie is made with ground beef or lamb. But, with this version, you’ll get the benefit of eating legumes with potassium, calcium, zinc, niacin, and vitamin K. Also, a particular dietary fiber, lean protein, folate, and iron.
And, we know that the longest-lived communities have beans as part of their daily diets!
Try a few more hearty, plant-based dinner recipes:
- Moroccan Stew with Kale
- Mushroom Burgundy Sauce Over Polenta
- One Pot Thai Coconut Curry Tofu
- Sweet Potato Veggie Lasagna
- Tamale Pie
The Creamy mashed potatoes are made with the skins on from red potatoes and infused with roasted garlic. I like to steam the halved red potatoes to help preserve the nutrients, but you can also boil them until tender.
Prepping Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Lentil Prep
Start by rinsing the lentils under cool water. Add vegetable broth or water, bay leaf, and rinsed lentils to a saucepan. Once it has come to a rapid simmer, reduce heat and cook uncovered for about 20-30 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the lentils covered.
Once they are nice and soft, drain and add salt if you’d like.
Potato Prep
In a preheated oven, place a half head of garlic wrapped in foil on a rack. You’ll roast for about 30 minutes, or until the garlic is tender. Save the other half of the garlic head for another recipe, such as a spread on toast or in an oil-free salad dressing! The roasted garlic flavor is amazing in the potatoes for this veggie shepherds pie.
While the garlic is roasting, and the lentils are simmering on the stove, place your halved potatoes in a steamer or pot of water. Cook until fork-tender, about 10-15 minutes.
Once they’re done, drain and add back to the pot. The residual heat from the pan will also dry the potatoes further. Squeeze in the roasted garlic from their skin into the potatoes along with the non-dairy milk. I prefer to use a hand potato masher, but you can use a hand-held mixer if preferred.
Feel free to add more non-dairy milk if the potatoes seem a bit dry.
Main Prep for the best plant-based shepherd’s pie
While the lentils, potatoes, and roasted garlic are all finishing up cooking, it’s time to start the prep for your lentil-mushroom mix.
In a large pan, add veggie broth (or water) and wine with the onions, garlic, and carrots. Saute this for a few minutes before adding in the mushrooms. Add the seasoning and cook until the mushrooms are tender, the onions are translucent, and garlic is fragrant.
Continue by adding tomato paste and sauteing a few minutes to bring out its flavor. You’ll want it to darken and thicken up a bit. De-glaze this mix by adding in the Worcestershire sauce and remaining wine, or veggie broth.
Finishing touches
Now, to add everything together and start building your lentil shepherd’s pie recipe.
Add the lentils, carrots, and peas to the onion-mushroom mix. In a small bowl, combine the flour with a little bit of veggie broth or water to make a “slurry“. This recipe makes a wonderful gravy which I like to thicken a bit with flour.
Once you have, carefully pour this lentil mix into a baking dish. Follow by layering the mashed potatoes.
Bake for 25 minutes and IT’S DONE!
This Mushroom Lentil Pie is for all to enjoy
That’s right. Even those eater’s who aren’t plant-based can enjoy this hearty, flavor-packed dinner. You won’t miss the meat. It’s great comfort food and is sure to keep you full. I enjoy having a light salad on the side, such as my Arugula, Apple, Beet Salad.
I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below for this Lentil Shepherd’s Pie! If you have a photo, post it on my Facebook page, tag me using the hashtag #plantbasedcooking
Originally posted Mar 1, 2017. Updated with processes and tips.
Lentil Shepherd's Pie
Equipment
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Potato Masher
Ingredients
- 2 cups homemade vegetable broth
- 1 cup uncooked lentils rinsed (or 1, 19-ounce, canned lentils)
- 1 bay leaf
- 10 small-medium red potatoes unpeeled cut in half and steamed until tender
- 1 small head garlic Leave on the papery skin and cut in half.
- 1/2 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (or try 1/2 cup homemade)
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 8 oz. crimini mushrooms or white button, sliced
- 2 cup carrots peeled and diced
- 8 oz. red wine (or 1 cup vegetable broth), divided
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour + 2 Tbl veggie broth or non-dairy milk
- 2 tbsp Vegan Worcestershire sauce
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 °
Lentil Prep:
- Add lentil, vegetable broth and bay leaf, to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 35-40 minutes adding water as needed to keep covered. Drain when tender and set aside.
Potato Prep:
- Wrap the garlic halves in foil and place on a rack in the oven that is preheating. Roast for about 30 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife. Set aside.
- Place the halved potatoes in a steamer or a pot of water and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- When the potatoes are tender, pour off the water and put them back into the same pan. Using 1/2 head or more, depending on your preference, squeeze the roasted garlic from their skins into the pan. You can save the other half, if not used, as a spread on toast or in a roasted garlic dressing. Add the non-dairy milk to the potatoes and mash by hand or use a hand-held mixer. Add more non-dairy milk as needed if they are too dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Main Prep:
- While the lentils and potatoes are cooking, add the 2 Tbl. veggie broth or water plus 2 oz. wine to a large pan and saute the chopped onion, minced garlic, and carrots for a couple of minutes over medium heat. Then add the sliced mushrooms. Season with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper and cook until all is tender.
- Add the tomato paste to the pan and saute for a few minutes to bring out its flavor. Then add the Worcestershire sauce and remaining 6 oz. wine or veggie broth and stir to combine.
- Add the lentils to the sauteed onion, along with the carrots, mushrooms and peas and stir.
- Combine flour and a little veggie broth or water in a small bowl and whisk to remove any lumps. Pour into lentil mixture, combine and cook until thickened a little.
- Pour the lentil mixture into a baking dish, smoothing the top. Top with the mashed potatoes.
- Bake 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling and potatoes are slightly browned.
- This dish can be refrigerated or frozen, but allow more time if dish is cold.
Notes
Salt not included in label.
Nutrition
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I appreciate your feedback! Please consider rating the recipe along with your comment—it helps me and fellow readers. Feel free to share any substitutions, results, or tips. Kind, constructive comments only. Your email won’t be published.
Hi, I’m just about to try this recipe for dinner tonight but I can’t see where you have instructed to include the 6 peeled garlic cloves and 2 minced cloves…I am going to try with 6 in the garlic mash and 2 in the lentil mixture. Hope this is correct 🙂
Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I sure missed that! I updated the recipe to use roasted garlic in the mashed potatoes, 1/2 a small head. You were right to put the 6 cloves in the mashed, however. I hope it worked out for you!
Recipe looks really interesting and I’m going to try it. But I’ll have to try it tomorrow when I go back to the shops since I see now that flour and non-dairy milk are required – but they are not mentioned in the ingredients list. Luckily I have non-dairy milk already but I don’t normally use flour. Would be great if these ingredients could be added to the list. Thanks a lot, Nicola
Yes, I’ve updated the recipe and thanks for bringing that to my attention 🙂 The non-dairy milk is for the mashed potatoes and to thicken the sauce slightly a couple of tablespoons of flour mixed with the non-dairy milk or veggie stock should do it.
Hi,
I made this last night. It was very good. Both my husband and I enjoyed it very much.
I did add some other spices that I know we like and I cooked the vegetables (carrots and peas) a lot longer than a stated in the recipe, because I was afraid the carrots would come out too crunchy. I’m glad I did this as they were perfect when the dish was finished.
One more note, I think you missed when to add the peas in the recipe. Minor issue and I figured it out, but I thought I’de mention it in case you wanted to update the recipe.
Thank you for this recipe. I will be making this again.
Hi, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Good to know about the carrots…it’s important to get them just right, I totally agreed with you. The addition of peas was under #3 on the main prep. I do sometimes miss things, though, and I appreciate when people let me know. All the best.
Ah, I see the peas now! Silly me. Thanks again for the great recipe.
Could you use agar powder as thickener instead of flour? I am trying to have as little flour in my diet as possible. Thanks
Yes, I would probably use cornstarch over agar as I’m not as familiar with agar. After a little research, it looks like you need 1 tsp of agar powder to thicken 1 cup of liquid and it needs to be heated with water first. For cornstarch, use half as much as you would the flour. Don’t add either one directly, but mix in water to dissolve first. Hope that helps 🙂
Tomato paste should be sautéed to bring out its rich flavor. So I recommend Main prep Step 2 be modified to note this step before adding the rest of the liquids.
Thanks for the suggestion. I remember years ago Graham Kerr from the cooking show, The Galloping Gourmet, instructing viewers to do this to bring out its flavor. I didn’t think about it for this recipe, but it’s easy enough to adjust. ???? You’ve inspired me to see if I can find a couple of his episodes 🙂
I cooked my lentils longer and didn’t need any flour because it made it starchy enough to thicken the gravy. This is delicious! Your recipes mean so much to my family and I! Thank you! Thank you!
You’re so welcome. Your comment means a lot to me! ???? Good tip on the lentils and glad you enjoy the recipe!
I love this recipe. I was short on time so I cheated and added a vegan veggie broth with onion soup and left out the garlic which I love, but it was so good it will be my favorite for a long time. The next time I am going to use the mushrooms and garlic to add a healthier flavor than gravy out of a packet. It’s soooo good! thank you again!
I love how you made it quicker. Easy is good. And, I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for your feedback!
This sounds delicious! I do not eat beef and rarely any other meat, so I’m always looking for meatless comfort style meals. I’m highly allergic to mushrooms, though, any ideas on a good substitute for them in this dish?
Thank you!
Hey Sandra, You could try broccoli, corn, parsnips or maybe squash. I think for this dish just about any vegetable would work in place of the mushrooms. I hope that helps.
I’m wondering if anyone has tried this as a make-ahead dish.
I’d like to assemble it at home, then take it to a family gathering the next day, and bake after arrival.
Does anyone have any insight into this application?
I haven’t tried making it ahead, but I think that would work. Just refrigerate it covered and bake it a few extra minutes since it’s starting cold.