Easy Vegan Shepherd’s Pie, featuring a layered casserole of French lentils, vegetables, and mashed potatoes, provides a hearty, enjoyable holiday meal.
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Why You’ll Love Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- One of my kids’ favorite recipes is this vegan Shepherd’s Pie. Made with lentils instead of lamb, no shepherd is needed for this holiday meal.
- This Shepherd’s Pie is a casserole with a layer of French lentils, and vegetables, and topped with mashed potatoes. It is baked in the oven until the potatoes are golden.
- I love the heartiness of this dish with the potatoes, lentils, celery, carrots, peas, and corn. For picky eaters, adding ketchup seems to do the trick!
Ingredient/Equipment Notes
To make this delicious vegan Shepherd’s Pie, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements are in the recipe card below):
- French green lentils
- Russet potatoes
- vegan butter
- plain, unsweetened plant milk
- oil
- yellow onion, diced small
- garlic cloves, minced
- celery stalks, diced small
- carrots, diced small
- dried thyme
- All-Purpose flour
- vegetable broth
- frozen peas
- frozen corn
- salt and pepper
You will also need the following equipment:
- Oven-safe casserole dish
- Potato masher – I like this one on Amazon
How to Make the Best Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Preheat oven to 420 F.
- Place the lentils in a pot. Cover with 1 inch cold water. Cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the lentils and set aside.
- Peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut the potatoes in half to speed up the cooking time. Put in a large pot, and fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the melted butter and warm plant milk, and mix until well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat. Add the 2 Tbsp. oil. Once it shimmers, add the diced onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, celery, carrot, and thyme, and cook 5 minutes more.
- Sprinkle the flour, and stir to combine.
- Add the broth, and stir to combine.
- Add the lentils, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the frozen peas and corn to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the mixture to a 11×7 oven-safe baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up.
- Bake the pie for about 25 minutes until the potatoes begin to brown. Allow the Shepherd’s Pie to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
How to Serve Shepherd’s Pie
This vegan Shepherd’s Pie is delicious on its own, or served with vegan gravy. I like this recipe from Nora Cooks HERE. My kids also like to add ketchup. You can also try these other vegan, kid-friendly holiday recipes on the blog:
Recipe Tips
- A key ingredient is to use French green lentils. They have a different flavor and are smaller than regular green lentils.
Did you make this recipe? Take a picture and tag us on Instagram @plant_basedpersian or share it on Pinterest!
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Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A lentil-based, shepherd-less pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried French green lentils
- 2 pounds Russet potatoes
- 4 Tbsp. vegan butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup plain, unsweetened plant milk (warmed)
- 2 Tbsp. oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced small
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 celery stalks, diced small
- 2 large carrots, diced small
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 cup frozen corn
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 420 F.
- Place the lentils in a pot. Cover with 1 inch cold water. Cover the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain the lentils and set aside.
- Peel and rinse the potatoes. Cut the potatoes in half to speed up the cooking time. Put in a large pot, and fill the pot with water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer until potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. Add the melted butter and warm plant milk, and mix until well incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat. Add the 2 Tbsp. oil. Once it shimmers, add the diced onions and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, celery, carrot, and thyme, and cook 5 minutes more.
- Sprinkle the flour, and stir to combine.
- Add the broth, and stir to combine.
- Add the lentils, and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the frozen peas and corn to the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the mixture to a 11×7 oven-safe baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, starting around the edges to create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up.
- Bake the pie for about 25 minutes until the potatoes begin to brown. Allow the Shepherd’s Pie to cool 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
A key ingredient is to use French green lentils. They have a different flavor and are smaller than regular green lentils.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Holidays
Keywords: Holiday, vegan, vegetarian, Shepherd’s pie, lentils, dairy-free, plant-based