Description
A comforting and hearty Lentil Shepherd’s Pie topped with cheesy vegan mashed potatoes, perfect for a vegan and gluten-free main course that satisfies classic shepherd’s pie cravings with plant-based ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
Potato Topping
- 3 pounds russet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 3/4 cup unsweetened, unflavored cashew milk or other non-dairy milk
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- few shakes black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups vegan cheese shreds, cheddar preferred
Lentil Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups cooked lentils, drained and rinsed (2-15oz cans or see notes for dry lentils)
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- few shakes black pepper
- 2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups frozen pea and carrot mix
- 1 cup frozen corn
Instructions
- Prepare the potatoes: Peel the potatoes and chop them into large chunks. Place them in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes or until fork tender.
- Mash the potatoes: Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pot. Add vegan butter, non-dairy milk, salt, and black pepper to taste. Mash until smooth and creamy. Stir in 3/4 cup of vegan cheese shreds and cover while you prepare the filling.
- Preheat the oven: Set your oven to 400°F to prepare for baking the assembled pie.
- Sauté onions and garlic: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 1 minute.
- Add lentils and seasonings: Stir in cooked lentils, dried rosemary, dried thyme, salt, pepper, vegan Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Cook the mixture for 1 minute, stirring to combine well.
- Incorporate flour: Add all-purpose flour and stir thoroughly until no lumps remain and fully integrated with the lentil mixture and tomato paste.
- Add broth and vegetables: Pour in vegetable broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Assemble the pie: Pour the lentil filling into a 9×13 inch baking dish or cast iron pan. Spread it into an even layer. Spoon the cheesy mashed potatoes evenly on top and carefully spread them out.
- Add cheese topping: Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup of vegan cheddar shreds over the mashed potatoes.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until hot throughout and cheese is melted. Serve immediately and enjoy.
- Store leftovers: Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days or freeze once completely cooled.
Notes
- To cook lentils from dry: combine 1 1/2 cups dry lentils with 4 cups water in a saucepan. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes until tender but not mushy. Drain excess water.
- Vegan cheese can be omitted or substituted with vegan mozzarella shreds for different flavor.
- For a meatier version, replace lentils with 3 cups ground vegan beef substitute such as Impossible or Beyond, cooking it with onions and garlic first.
- To make this gluten free, substitute all-purpose flour with cornstarch or gluten-free flour to thicken the filling.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 350 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 10 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
