Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie

This vegan lentil shepherd’s pie is warm, hearty, and oh-so comforting for these cold winter months.  Soft and creamy potatoes on top of intensely flavored mushrooms and lentils to warm those bellies. 

This plant-based shepherd's pie would also work well as the main dish for holiday celebrations.  It’s not a quick meal, but it’s flavorful and delicious. If you want to make the dish extra special, add roasted garlic to the mashed potatoes. Here's a detailed post on how to roast garlic without oil. Just add the garlic cloves to your cooked potatoes before you start to mash them. The potatoes can also be swapped with my recipe for rosemary roasted garlic mashed potatoes with coconut milk or mashed potatoes without butter or oil.

The brown lentils and mushrooms give the casserole a meaty texture and the tamari gives it that underlying umami flavor.  If you can’t find tamari you can substitute low-sodium soy sauce (regular soy sauce may be too salty).  Since tamari already has sodium, taste for salt before placing the lentil mixture in the casserole dish. 

The recipe is vegetarian, vegan, and can be made gluten-free.  To adjust, use brown rice flour instead of whole wheat flour and tamari instead of low sodium soy sauce.

Tips and Substitutions for Lentil Shepherd’s Pie (Vegan)

• Canned lentils can be used instead of dry.  Skip the step of boiling with the bay leaves, drain the cans, and add them to the recipe as if you cooked them.  Substitute 1 cup uncooked with about 2 ½ cups cooked.
• I normally just use white button or cremini mushrooms.

How to Make Vegan Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Start with chopping all of the veggies and pre-measure the seasonings. Add the dry lentils, 3 cups of water and 2 bay leaves to a pot, bring to a boil then lower to a simmer for 20-25 minutes. The lentils should be tender when done. Drain the lentils, remove the bay leaves, and set them aside.

While the lentils are cooking, start the potatoes. Add the chopped potatoes to a pot, cover with water, and salt generously. Bring to boil, then lower to a simmer for 15-20 minutes. Cook until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes, add them back to their pot. Set them aside, keep them covered to steam until you’re ready to mash.

When mashing the potatoes, add the milk, nutritional yeast, and salt. Start with 1 cup of milk and mash into the potatoes.  Add more milk if they’re too thick, taste and adjust for salt and nutritional yeast.

I use a large non-stick skillet when I sauté the vegetables to keep the dish oil-free.  Preheat the pan to medium and once the skillet is hot add the veggies and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the onions are translucent, the carrots have softened, and the mushrooms have reduced in size and released their liquid.  

Add a tablespoon of water or vegetable broth to the skillet if the veggies are sticking.  Don’t use too much because you don’t want to boil the vegetables, you want them to brown.  (You can use this method multiple times to alleviate sticking vegetables.)  

Add the minced garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sauté for 2-3 more minutes.  Then, add 2 tablespoons of flour and cook for 1 minute.  Next, stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Then add the vegetable broth and deglaze the pan, scraping off any cooked-on bits with a wooden spoon.

Add the diced tomatoes, tamari, balsamic vinegar, drained cooked lentils, and salt to the vegetable mixture.

Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened, if it gets too dry add a little more vegetable broth or water.

Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the peas, they'll thaw when added to the hot lentil mixture.

Scoop the vegetable mixture into a 9”x13” baking dish, then top with potatoes.  Dropping mashed potatoes in small clumps versus one large one will make spreading them out easier.  Then run the back of a fork across the top to get ridges.  

Bake for 20 minutes at 400 F (200 C), if you want the top to be a little browner, broil for an additional 5 minutes.

Storage

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.  Or, freeze for 2-3 months.  I like to thaw the shepherd’s pie before reheating.  To reheat leftovers in the oven, preheat to 325 F (160 C), cover with aluminum foil, and heat until the filling and potatoes are warmed through.  How long it takes will depend on how much you’re warming up.  Or just use the microwave for small batches.

What to Serve with Lentil Vegan Shepherd’s Pie?

• A simple side salad
• Rustic bread
• Roasted maple dijon Brussels sprouts

More Hearty Vegan Meals

• Slow cooker quinoa chili 
• Red lentil chili (instant pot and stovetop)
• Butternut squash chickpea curry soup
• White bean and potato soup
• Red lentil dahl with coconut milk
• Vegan loaded baked potatoes

I hope you enjoy the vegan lentil shepherd’s pie recipe!  

Originally published on December 23, 2019, updated on February 7, 2022.

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