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This Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is a tasty, meatless take on the classic shepherd’s pie recipe! It’s made with lentils instead of ground meat and a blend of nutritious veggies, simmered together in a delicious gravy, and topped with the creamiest mashed potatoes. A satisfying and ridiculously comforting dish that will be your new favorite dinner!
Are you ready for all of the best comfort foods that life has to offer? Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie coming right up!
I’ve been VERY MUCH into easy, well-round, one pot type meals lately and this recipe totally fits that bill.
This dish is a traditional shepherd’s pie recipe except that I swapped the meat with lentils to make it veggie-loaded and fully meat-free. It’s still packed with protein AND veggie goodness. Winner winner veggie dinner!
What is shepherd’s pie?
The original shepherd’s pie recipe originates from England and is traditionally made with ground lamb. And the ground beef version is usually known as cottage pie. However, since in the states, ground beef is eaten more than lamb, this meal is usually referred to as a Shepherd’s Pie. The meat is cooked with veggies and a gravy or sauce, topped with mashed potatoes and baked.
We’re changing things up, today! In this vegetarian shepherd’s pie, meat is replaced with lentils. It’s an easy switch that makes this meal completely plant-based, but just as satisfying and comforting as the original, perfect for the winter season.
Ingredients for shepherd’s pie:
This easy, family-friendly recipe, uses common ingredients you may already have in your kitchen. Nothing too fancy here, but so much flavor! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Russet potatoes. The topping of this shepherd’s pie recipe is made with creamy mashed potatoes. Yum!
- Butter. We’re using some of the butter for cooking down the veggies and some for making the mashed potato topping. Feel free to use vegan butter if you’d like.
- Vegetables. Parsnips, onion, carrots, corn and peas are used for the veggie mixture. You can swap out any of the veggies to customize this meal to your taste preference.
- Vegetable broth, tomato paste & Worcestershire sauce. This combination makes the delicious gravy. Super tasty!
- Herbs. Fresh rosemary and thyme are classic herbs used in shepherd’s pie.
- Lentils. You’ll need one cup of cooked lentils to replace the meat.
- Milk. Adds the perfect amount of moisture to the mashed potato topping.
How to Make Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie:
Making shepherd’s pie might seem a little complicated with all of the various components, but it’s really very is easy! Here’s how everything comes together:
- First things first, get those potatoes boiling.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prep the veggies. Sauté the onion, carrot, and parsnips in a large skillet. Add in the garlic before mixing in more veggies, herbs and some other yummy flavors!
- We’re also going to add in cooked lentils for a nice boost of protein and extra comfort! :)
- When the potatoes are done, they’ll get mashed up with a bit of butter, milk, and salt and pepper. The mashed potatoes are piled on top of the veggies and roughed up a bit so that they can get browned, in the oven, along the edges. So easy, right?? Your weeknight is longing for this tasty dinner, trust me!
Make ahead, storing and freezing:
Vegetarian shepherd’s pie is the perfect dish to meal prep!
- Make ahead. You can make this shepherd’s pie meal the night before or the morning of, store it covered in the fridge, and then bake it when you’re ready to eat!
- Leftovers. This shepherd’s pie makes wonderful leftovers. Store leftovers, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days. Pop individual servings in the microwave, cover, and reheat in 30 second intervals and until warm.
- Freezing. You can even freeze shepherd’s pie! Once you’ve cooked the dish, allow it to cool completely. Then, wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and freeze it for up to about three months. Cook the frozen pie at 350ºF for an hour before enjoying.
WELL that’s all I have for you today! As usual, if you end up making this recipe, please snap a quick photo and tag me on Instagram @foodwithfeeling! I always love to see what y’all are making from the blog.
More vegan dinner recipes to try:
- Pineapple Fried Rice
- Easy Vegan Meatballs
- Vegan Pot Pie
- One Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta
- Veggie Enchiladas
- Chipotle Sofritas
- Perfect Baked Tofu
- Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Vegan Stuffed Peppers
- Tofu Tacos
- One Pot Lentil Pasta
- Smoked Tempeh Bowls
See how to make the Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie here:
Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds of russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 6 tablespoons of vegan butter, divided
- 1 cup of parsnips, diced (can sub in more of the other veggies if you can’t find parsnips)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup of carrots, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup of frozen corn
- 1 cup of frozen peas
- 1 cup of vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, check that yours is vegan
- 2 teaspoons of fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme
- 1 cup of cooked lentils
- ¼ cup of plant based milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water and sprinkle in a teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are fork tender (about 20 minutes).
- In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add in the onion, parsnips, and carrots and saute for 8 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute.
- Add in the corn, peas, rosemary, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, veggie broth, and tomato paste and stir to combine. Gently fold in the cooked lentils. Take off of the heat. If baking the pie in a separate dish (I made mine directly in the skillet used to cook the veggies), place the veggie mixture in the dish now.
- Once the potatoes are done, drain and add into a large bowl with 4 tablespoons of butter. Mash the potatoes until creamy and a few small chunks remain. Stir in the milk and season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange the mashed potatoes on top of the veggie mixture. Using a fork, rough up the potatoes a bit so that there are some peaks. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes and until the potatoes have started to brown a bit.
- If you want to get the top a bit browner, similar to in my photos, turn the oven to broil for a few minutes before taking it out of the oven. Watch it VERY closely as every broiler is different and it can burn quickly.
- Top with fresh herbs and ENJOY!
This is a standard for us in the fall and winter! Thank you!
This turned out really good! I have tried several vegetarian shepherds pie recipes and this is my favorite! Our family are the whole pan!
It was more work and dishes than I was expecting but worth it in the end! Very very good. I’m pleased with how it’s held up for leftovers–I like to make one or two things on my weekends and eat them throughout the week, and this dish is perfect! I will definitely be putting this in my rotation. Thanks for the hearty, flavorful, comforting recipe!
Very good recipe for 1 person, the leftovers tasted better and better!
Be sure to get vegetarian Worcestershire sauce as regular is NOT vegetarian.
Just read the labels. MANY of them are made without anchovies or other animal products and I’m able to find them at my local store very easily. Otherwise, there are lots of great recipes online for homemade vegan sauce
This was amazing! The ultimate recipe for comfort food! Love this, thank you! I think the parsnips and the fresh herbs really make the flavors stand out!
Yay! SO glad that you liked it! I made it again this past week and we ate it all so quickly :)