Vegetarian Shepherds Pie with Lentils

This Vegetarian Shepherds Pie with Lentils is the ultimate meat free comfort food with rich saucy filling slathered with soft, smooth and fluffy potato.  This is a dish with lots of personality and big flavours, just like you would get in a Shepherds Pie with Beef.

Recipe Highlights

• There mash is seriously addictive.  Savoury.  Smooth.  Light.
• Its hearty and filling healthy comfort food that's dairy free
• It's reminiscent of a meat dish and has got the tick of approval from my meat loving family
• You can make it with 20 minutes of preparation and then 25 minutes in the oven.
• It freezes well and is great for meal prepping
• Its packed with veggies and fibre so it will keep you fuller for longer
• Its easy to customize with different types and additions to your mash
• Its easy to add a little spice or heat if you want to amplify the flavours even more
• Perfect for healthy meal prepping and its under 500 calories per serve

Ingredients

The lentils have a texture like ground beef and carry the flavour to create a richness and depth with the gravy sauce that makes you forget that you're not eating meat.

Ingredient Notes

• Potatoes:  Russet potatoes or Yukon gold, or red skinned potatoes (if you're in Australia) are all good for mash as they have a nice creamy texture.  Make sure to cut them roughly the same size so they cook evenly.
• Lentils:  My favourite are dry brown lentils when it comes to making vegetarian shepherds pie as they are slightly bigger than some of the other and hold a lot of the flavour from the broth.  However feel free to experiment with other types of lentils. 
• Vegetable Stock/Broth:  you can use either pre bough liquid stock/broth, or make it from a bouillon cube by adding water.
• Tomato Sauce/Ketchup:  Use low sugar, no added sugar ketchup if possible.  There are many healthier brands available in the supermarket, and I also love to make my own healthy tomato ketchup
• Vegetables:  I use onion, carrots, mushroom and peas.  Onion adds a savoury note, carrot and peas add colour and fibre, and mushrooms add fibre and meatiness to the dish
• Garlic:  helps to create a solid flavour base along with the stock/broth and onion
• Olive Oil:  for creating an uber smooth and creamy mash
• Salt, Pepper and Spices:  for flavour, savouriness and balance

How To Make

1. Prepare Mashed Potatoes:  cook chopped potatoes in boiling water until tender, then drain water, and mash until soft.  Season with a little salt and pepper and stir through a hit of olive oil and to create silky smooth creamy mash.

2. Make Lentil Filling:  Heat olive oil in a in a pot of the stove, adding chopped carrots, minced garlic and chopped onion, sautéing until onion is translucent. Add sliced mushrooms and stir until tender.

3. Add Spices and Stock:  Add ground cumin, smoked paprika, tomato sauce, fresh thyme, dry lentils and vegetable stock. Bring skillet to simmer for 30 minutes, then add frozen peas, simmering for 10 minutes until lentils and peas are tender and liquid has reduced completely.

4. Assemble and Cook:  Spread the lentils filling in a rectangle baking tray and top with mashed potatoes, covering evenly.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until Shepherd's Pie edges are golden.

Common Questions

Recipe Tips

• Mashing Potatoes:  There are various ways to get the perfect mash, but one of the quickest and easiest ways is to use a standard potato masher.  If you have a stick blender, that will also work.  Do make sure you're potatoes are cooked and soft before attempting to mash otherwise it will have lumpy bits in it
• Making the Lentil Filling:  Simmer the filling until the liquid is reduced completely, or the shepherds pie will be watery after baking. To get a thicker filling, you can add two tablespoons of corn flour (or cornstarch), mixed with two tablespoons of water to the lentil filling, which will result in more of a gravy consistency.
• Freezing:  Separate portions into freezer containers.  Seal with a lid, mark the recipe name and date made.  It will keep in the freezer for 3 months.
• Reheating:  Put in the fridge overnight to defrost and the reheat in the microwave, or alternatively reheat from frozen in the microwave using the appropriate settings on your microwaves
• Meal Prepping:  As this recipe serves 6 its great for meal prepping.  Make ahead for easy dinners and lunches when you know you'll need a nutritious meal but don't have the time to devote to making it during the week. 

Variations

• Swap white potato for sweet potato
• Do a combination of white potato and sweet potato
• Do a combination of white potato and pumpkin
• Sprinkle with dairy free grated cheese and fresh herbs
• Add some crumbled feta (if you're not worried about dairy free)
• Sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of breadcrumbs on top to develop a nice "Crust"

Instead of making one large shepherds pie in a baking dish that serves 6 people, you could make 6 individual shepherds pies using ramekins and reduce the baking time by about a quarter.

Other Mix Ins

• Curry Powder:  Add a tablespoon of mild curry powder to the lentil mix as it cooks for a subtle curry undertone and a little heat
• Smokey Paprika:  add a teaspoon or two of smoked paprika for additional flavour and to give it richness and body
• Dried Red Chilli Flakes:  add chilli flakes into the lentil mix, or sprinkle on at the end to serve for an additional bit of heat
• Fresh diced Chilli:  if you like a lot of heat its always an option to add fresh diced chilli to serve, especially if you have others in your household that don't like a lot of spice
• Fresh Herbs:  Scatter a variety of fresh herbs on top to serve such as finely chopped chives, parsley, basil, or rosemary

If you're use to making traditional shepherds pie with meat or even a shepherds pie lasagna, you might be surprised to discover that this one doesn't vastly differ in taste, texture or flavour.  It's a perfect alternative if you're still looking to enjoy your comfort foods, whilst cutting back on meat, and a great healthy alternative filled with protein and vegetables to keep you fuller for longer.