Vegetarian shepherd’s pie with lentils is a delicious plant-based twist on a traditional recipe. Warm, comforting and sure to please. Vegan friendly options too.
Lentils are the perfect alternative to make meatless meals healthy and nutritious.
Vegetarian shepherd’s pie is hearty and delicious. Mashed potatoes on top of a delicious lentil filling. Easy to make budget-friendly meal. Perfect for freezing.
In our house, we have turned meatless Monday into a few more days of the week. Lentils are my go to, (along with chickpeas) to add a healthier option to our meals. They come in red, green, black and brown. You can prepare them from dry, or use canned, either way they are economical and easy to use.
You might be surprised at how many delicious ways you can incorporate them into recipes. My meatless tourtiére recipe is a hit during the holidays. Love meatloaf? I promise you won’t miss the meat in this vegetarian lentil loaf. Eggs and lentils are perfect for dinner any night of the week.
Shepherd’s Pie With Lentils
This easy to make cottage pie is just like the traditional, but without the meat. Lentils are so healthy.
- lentils (brown or green)
- onion
- peas and carrots
- crushed tomatoes
- potatoes
- olive oil
- seasonings
- milk
Homemade Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
You can make this lentil shepherd’s pie recipe in under an hour. In fact, it is great for meal prep too. You can make it ahead of time and reheat when needed. Perfect for freezing.
I like to get the mashed potatoes cooking before I start making the filling. Full instructions are in the recipe card. I also have some great suggestions and tips below.
- Cook the onion until soft.
- Add the seasoning.
- Toss in the peas and carrots.
- Add the cornstarch, and mix.
- Add the lentils.
- Add the tomatoes and cook for a few minutes.
Once the filling is ready, place it in a casserole dish and top with the mashed potatoes. Be sure to create some nice ridges with a fork. Bake for about 35 minutes.
The shepherd’s pie is ready when the potatoes are browned with some nice crispy edges, and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and serve. Dinner is ready, and if you are like me, I have already done the clean up while it was cooking in the oven.
Suggestions / Recipe Tips
- Canned lentils are easy and convenient. Be sure to use either brown or green lentils. If you prefer, you can prepare them from scratch. Marinated lentils would be great in this recipe.
- Frozen peas and carrots are my go to for any recipe, but by all means if you want to use fresh that is great too. You may have to adjust the cooking time slightly. You can also used frozen mixed vegetables.
- Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food. You can use plant-based milk if you want a vegan option. Olive oil can be replaced with butter (or vegan butter), but if you really want to add some great flavour, you can use herb cubes. Mashed sweet potatoes would be another delicious option.
- Crushed tomatoes can be replaced with strained tomatoes, but you may need to add a bit more cornstarch so the filling will not be too runny.
- Seasonings can be anything you like. I don’t usually add salt to my recipes since I find using canned items already have enough salt in them. I used dried thyme, but experiment and find what you like best. Want it a little spicy? Add some red chili flakes.
- Cornstarch thickens the filling. Use more for a thicker filling, less for a runnier filling.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat in a baking dish in the oven, or in the microwave.
Freezing Homemade Shepherd’s Pie
This is the perfect recipe for make-ahead freezer meals. I like to use aluminum foil pans, they easily go from the freezer to the oven.
You can bake the shepherd’s pie, cool completely, and cover with plastic wrap and foil. Alternatively you can freeze the pie unbaked.
Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Bake uncovered in a moderate oven (about 350ºF) until the internal temperature is at least 170ºF, this will take around 40 minutes or so.
To reheat from frozen, be sure to remove the plastic wrap, but keep it covered with foil. Bake in the oven at 375ºF for about 90 minutes, or until the internal temperature is at least 170ºF. Remove the foil during the last 15 minutes to allow the potatoes to crisp.
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Looking for more great meatless meals? Give these a try:
Lentil Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
For Potato Topping:
- 2 pounds potatoes any variety
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- ½ cup milk any kind
- chives optional
For Filling:
- 2 cups canned brown or green lentils rinsed and drained
- 8 ounces peas and carrots frozen
- 2 ounces onion chopped
- 16 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400ºF, grease an ovenproof casserole dish and set aside.
Mashed Potatoes:
- Peel and chop potatoes.
- Add to pot, cover with water. Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer.
- Once cooked, drain out the water.
- Mash the potatoes, add the milk, olive oil and chives. Set aside.
Filling: (make this while the potatoes are cooking)
- In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil.
- Sauté the onion for about 5 minutes.
- Add the thyme, salt and pepper and mix.
- Add the frozen peas and carrots, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the cornstarch and mix well.
- Add the lentils and crushed tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute or two.
Assemble:
- Place the filling in the casserole dish.
- Top with the mashed potatoes. Use a fork and spread over the filling, spread to the edges of the dish. Make some nice ridges in the potatoes to create some crispy edges while baking.
- Place the casserole dish in the oven, and bake for about 35 minutes. The potatoes will have some crispy tips, and the filling will be bubbly and starting to leak around the edges of the potatoes.
- Remove from oven and serve.
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