I’m sure there are thousands of vegan lentil shepherds pie recipes on the internet, there isn’t anything specific about this recipe that makes it any better, this is just my version that I make in the way that is easiest for me. The potato lentil combination is one of our all-time favourites as a family so this recipe is a comforting family favourite meal. The only thing I don’t like about it is that I do find it quite a time-consuming recipe, it’s not overly hard, it just takes forever to cook. For that reason this is one I keep for special occasions, so share with guests or when I know I have more time to make dinner. I’m not really happy with the way the mashed potatoes worked out in this particular pie when I made it, we had this massive storm go through and the power went off for ages, as a result, I mashed the potatoes after they had cooled because I wanted to wait for the power to go back so I could put the pie in the oven, unfortunately, potatoes that have cooled go a bit slimy so they didn’t turn out as nice as I would have liked… but they usually look better and still taste delicious. It was such a stressful day that I got annoyed and decided to photograph the recipe anyway despite not being perfect just to get it over and done with (it was a rough day).
The recipe is our base shepherds pie recipe. Sometimes I like to add some sweet potato mash on top as well for a little something different. We eat potatoes very often so I sometimes try to switch things up, not gonna lie, I prefer this version best even though a sweet potato version is a little more nutritious. Feel free to use the mashed potato recipe that your own family uses for this recipe and make the consistency as smooth as you like.
The recipe is vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
| Vegan Lentil Shepherds Pie | Print |
- LENTIL LAYER:
- 1 medium brown onion (diced)
- 2 stalk celery finely chopped
- 1½ cups dry brown lentils
- 4 cups vegetable stock (I make my own using dry stock)
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1½ cups frozen mixed vegetable (I used carrot, corn and peas)
- salt and pepper to taste
- MASHED POTATOES:
- 1 kg of potatoes of choice
- 1 TBSP vegan butter (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- ⅓ cup unsweetened soy milk ( more or less depending on desired consistency)
- chopped parsley as garnish
- Add diced onion to a large saucepan and fry in a little oil until translucent. Add lentils and stock and cook until lentils are mostly soft. Add frozen veggies and cook until all the water is absorbed and the vegetables are soft. Mix through thyme and season with extra salt and pepper to taste.
- Press lentil mixture down evenly into the base of dish of choice. I used a large round casserole dish but a rectangular baking dish is also fine.
- Peel and chop potatoes into medium-sized cubes and place in a saucepan. Cover potatoes with water, season with salt and pepper to taste. Boil until potatoes are soft and easily pierced with a fork. Drain excess water and mash potatoes with a potato masher. Add vegan butter if using and mix through. Mix in soy milk until potatoes are creamy. Make potatoes to the consistency you like.
- Spoon mashed potatoes over the lentil mixture and cover evenly.
- Place dish to bake in the oven at 200 C for about 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes start to form a brownish crust on top.
- Remove from oven and garnish with chopped parsley. Serve hot.
