Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie is a show-stopping dish featuring a delicious medley of vegetables, a flavorful gravy, and the best mashed potatoes on top.
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
I’ve often made this Shepherd’s Pie (or, more accurately, Cottage Pie) for guests, and it’s always a hit, especially with my boys. With several vegetarians in the family, I decided to create a vegetarian version that’s just as amazing.
This meat-free pie is packed with flavor and will have you craving more veggies while completely missing the meat. It’s perfect for entertaining vegetarian guests and is great as a make-ahead or freezer meal.
Ingredients
Base:
- Olive Oil, Garlic, Onion, Carrots, Celery: Sautéed together for a flavorful foundation.
- Cremini Mushrooms: Adds a meaty texture. I love using baby bella or crimini.
- Seasonings (Thyme, Italian Seasoning, Paprika, Salt, Pepper, Bay Leaves): Enhance overall flavor.
- Flour and Tomato Paste: These thicken the filling and sauté together to balance the acidity of the tomato paste.
- Peas, Corn, Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes: Add the frozen peas and corn directly to the pan—no need to defrost. Also, add the entire can of diced tomatoes without draining.
- Vegetable Stock and Red Wine Vinegar: Create a savory gravy and balance flavors.
Topping:
- Potatoes (Yukon Gold and Russet): Form the creamy topping.
- Heavy Cream, Sour Cream, Butter, Salt, Pepper: Make the potatoes rich and flavorful.
- Optional Fresh Herbs (Parsley, Thyme): For garnish and added freshness.
How To Make A Vegetarian Shepherds Pie
- Prepare the Potatoes: Peel, cube, and rinse potatoes, then boil with salt and a bay leaf, drain, and mash with heavy cream, sour cream, butter, salt, and pepper.
- Cook the Vegetable Base: Sauté onions in olive oil, add garlic, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, and cook until tender, then stir in flour, tomato paste, seasonings, and some vegetable stock.
- Thicken the Base: Add tomatoes, peas, corn, remaining stock, and a bay leaf to the skillet, simmer to thicken, and then stir in red wine vinegar before cooling in the fridge.
- Assemble and Bake: Spread the vegetable mixture in a dish, top with mashed potatoes, seal the edges, texture with a fork, drizzle with olive oil, and bake at 350°F until golden, about 25-30 minutes, optionally broiling for a crispy top, and garnish with herbs to serve.
Quick Tip
Make sure the pan you use for Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie will work with a broiler. Glass pans, including Pyrex®, can’t withstand the 500+ degree temperatures. And if the pan you’re using has plastic or wooden handles, they shouldn’t be broiled. Most other pans are able to stand up to the heat.
Storage
Can You Freeze Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie?
Serve This Dish With
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie is a show-stopping dish loaded with veggies, savory gravy, and topped with the best mashed potatoes!
Equipment
- Large pot
- Large (3.5-quart) oven-safe pan or large frying pan and (1.5 to 2-quart) oven-safe dish
- Potato ricer
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 cup finely diced yellow onion 1/2 of 1 large onion
- 1 cup diced carrot 3 carrots
- 1 cup celery 4 stalks
- 8 ounces mushrooms thinly sliced, (baby bella, brown, crimini)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 cloves
- 1 (15-ounce) can lentils drained and rinsed
- 2 bay leaves divided
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons white flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup corn
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced or crushed tomatoes undrained; I love fire-roasted
- 1-1/2 cups vegetable stock divided, see note 1
- 1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar optional
Topping
- 2-1/2 pounds gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1/2 cup sour cream can use light or fat free
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Fresh parsley or fresh thyme, optional, for topping
Instructions
- Peel and cube potatoes into golf-ball-sized pieces. Place in a strainer and rinse under cold water. Place in a large pot and cover with 1 inch cold water. Add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 bay leaf, stir, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15–20 minutes, then drain potatoes in a strainer and let stand (to dry) 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
- While potatoes cook, add 1-1/2 tablespoons oil to a large, (3.5-quart) oven-safe pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery, and carrot. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, thinly slice mushrooms, then add and cook another 3–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are tender. Add garlic and lentils. Stir through for 30 seconds. Add flour and stir 1 minute to cook off the rawness of the flour. Add tomato paste, thyme, Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. (I add 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper). Stir another 1–2 minutes. Add in 1/2 cup vegetable stock (see note 2) and stir 1–2 more minutes or until thick.
- Reduce heat to medium and add diced tomatoes, frozen peas, frozen corn, and remaining bay leaf. Add remaining 1 cup vegetable stock and stir until combined. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium and cook 25–35 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes, until you have a thickened gravy. Stir in red wine vinegar. Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Remove veggies from heat, cover, and place in fridge until ready to bake (you want the mixture to chill for as long as possible so layers stay separate when baking, 15–20 minutes at a minimum). If not using an oven-safe skillet, transfer to a 1.5 to 2-quart oven-safe dish. Remove bay leaf and discard.
- While potatoes are drying in the strainer, add heavy cream, sour cream, and butter to the pot the potatoes cooked in. Melt on low heat and stir to combine. While potatoes are still hot, put them through a ricer and add into the butter/sour cream mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I use 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Cover and place in fridge until ready to assemble.
- Gently spread potatoes in an even layer on top of the veggies. Use a large spoon or silicone spatula to cover all the veggies and to “seal” the edges with potatoes. Use a fork to add marks onto the surface of the potatoes. Drizzle with remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil.
- Bake 25–30 minutes or until potatoes are golden brown and edges are bubbling. Broil 1–2 minutes on high to get the very tops of the potatoes crispy! (See note 2.) Remove from heat and garnish with fresh thyme or fresh parsley as desired. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Traditional Shepherd’s Pie uses red wine in the gravy. If you’d like to do the same, you can substitute 1/2 cup of medium-bodied red wine, such as pinot noir, for the same amount of vegetable stock.
Note 2: Glass baking pans, including Pyrex®, cannot withstand the high heat of a broiler. Additionally, if your baking pan has plastic or wooden handles, they won’t work either. Most other pans are safe for oven and broiler use.
Storage: To freeze Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie, cool it to room temperature, cover tightly with foil, and freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 67mg | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 1309mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 3976IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Looking forward to trying this. At what stage do you add the lentils? And does it matter that I’m thinking of using dry lentils instead of canned, as I have plenty in my pantry? If using dry, do they need to be pre-cooked or can they be cooked within the recipe?
Thanks!
Patti
Yes, if you use dry you’ll want to cook them first!
Can you prepare it in advance and cooked the next day?
Yes!