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Introducing the Best Vegan Shepherd’s Pie! It is hearty, healthy, and flavourful. Plus it’s gluten-free and dairy-free! This Shepherd’s Pie is super versatile and will cost you under £10!
Recipe Difficulty – Easy
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
This Vegan Shepherd’s Pie really gives you that comforting feel you want from a simple healthy dinner during the colder months.
It’s incredibly easy to make and trust me – this lentil shepherds pie will be a massive hit with family and friends. It will easily feed four for under £10!
This vegan shepherd’s pie with lentils is absolutely packed full of flavour and given a real meaty texture from the lentils. For another delicious recipe using lentils try out my Lentil Walnut Sausage Rolls or Lentil Cottage Pie.
This was inspired by the sauce from my Speedy Lentil Bolognese recipe, and pairs well with this amazing Air Fryer Broccoli.
Ingredients to make Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Olive Oil – adds a great flavour to both the mix and the mash.
- Red Onion – Make sure you use a large one and dice it for this recipe.
- Garlic Cloves – need to be crushed.
- Mushrooms – should be sliced. They add a great heartiness to this recipe.
- Carrot – needs to be finely chopped.
- Tomatoes – should also be finely chopped.
- Dried Basil – gives a great, savoury flavour.
- Dried Oregano – adds a good, earthy flavour.
- Tins of Chopped Tomatoes – add some different benefits from the fresh tomato.
- Tins of Green Lentils – Lentils are a great source of protein and can be a great alternative to meat such as ground beef in a meatless shepherds pie. Got any tins spare? Try my 20 Minute Lentil Bolognese.
- Frozen Peas – do not need to be defrosted prior to use.
- Veg Stock Powder – thickens up the dish with a nice flavour.
- Tamari – is basically a gluten-free soy sauce to add umami flavour. I also use this in my Vegan Pad Thai recipe.
- Potatoes – I used white this time, but any potatoes that boil and mash well will work.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions
- Olive Oil – could be replaced with any other oil.
- Vegetables – Feel free to mix up the vegetables with other options or varieties.
- Garlic Cloves – can be substituted with minced garlic or garlic granules.
- Potatoes – I decided to use white potatoes this time, but this recipe is so versatile you could even use pumpkin for some Halloween vibes, sweet potato, or butternut squash if you wanted to. You could even do a cauliflower mash!
- Lentils – If you don’t want this to be a shepherdless pie, you could easily swap the lentils for beef.
Variations
- Spicy – Add chilis and/or chilli powder for a nice spicy bite in this vegetarian shepherds pie.
- Deluxe – Sprinkle some vegan cheese on top and broil for a couple of minutes for a nice addition. You could also sprinkle some herbs on top and/or mix them into the mash to add a little colour.
- Kid friendly – The rich flavours in this vegetarian shepherd’s pie with lentils help to make these vegetables palatable for little mouths. Using their favourite vegetables and allowing them to help with the cooking process can make them more likely to enjoy it. And vegan cheese sprinkled on top certainly wouldn’t hurt!
How to make Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 200C.
Prep the veg per the instructions in the ingredients list.
Place a large pot on medium heat and add olive oil, garlic, onion, veg, and herbs and fry together for a couple of minutes until it softens.
Add the tinned tomatoes, lentils, peas, tamari, and veg stock powder and mix to combine.
Step 2: Cook on medium/high heat for 15 minutes until it starts to thicken, stirring every 5 minutes.
While the vegetables are cooking, boil the potatoes. Once boiled, drain and mash with olive oil or vegan butter and a pinch of salt and pepper.
Add the mix into a deep dish and top with mashed potato.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Hint: No need to skin the potatoes. Save time and add some nutrients by keeping it on.
Leftovers
Leftover vegan lentil shepherd’s pie can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer. It should last in the fridge for 3-5 days and in the freezer for two months. Reheat in the microwave or oven.
Recipe FAQs
A veggie shepherds pie is made of a lot of the ingredients in regular shepherd’s pie! Rather than meat, I use lentils to add a great texture and add protein. It may sound impossible to have a vegan shepherd’s pie, but I promise you it is delicious!
It could be that you had too much liquid in the mix. Allow it to simmer longer to thicken up.
It is! It is full of vegetables, giving you all sorts of nutrients! My vegan lentil shepherds pie uses lentils instead of meat and no cheese on top, making it an even healthier option!
You can! You can choose to freeze it either before or after baking. Store in an airtight container for up to two months. Reheat or cook in the oven. You’ll need to either thaw first or cook for a longer time if frozen.
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Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- red onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 200 g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large carrot, finely chopped
- 150 g tomatoes, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2x 400 g tins of chopped tomatoes
- 2x 400 g tins of green lentils
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 tbsp veg stock powder, (or 1 stock pot/cube)
- 1 tbsp tamari
- 1 kg potatoes, (I use maris pipers)
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 200C. Firstly prep you veg as per the instructions above.
- Place a large pot on a medium heat adding the olive oil, garlic, onion, veg and herbs and fry together for a couple minutes until it softens.
- Then add the tinned tomatoes, lentils, peas, tamari and veg stock powder and mix. Cook on a medium/high heat for 15 minutes until it starts to thicken making sure to stir every 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile boil the potatoes, I keep the skin on to save time. Once boiled simply mash with olive oil or vegan butter and a pinch of salt & pepper.
- Add the mix into a deep dish and top with the mashed potato. Place in the oven for 30 minutes at 200C.
Notes
Nutrition
This meal turned out amazing! It was easy to prepare and perfect for filling up empty bellys on a cold day. I’m glad I made a double batch 🙂
Thank you Cathy 🙂
Absolutely love this, it’s a weekly go-to nowadays! I like to add grated cheese and halved baby tomatoes to the top of the mash.
Yay 🙂 so pleased to hear that Juliet!
The absolute BEST Shepherd’s Pie!! My partner and I have made this together several times to eat fresh. It also freezes and reheats so well. Truly a favourite! Thank you, James!!