A cozy vegan shepherd's pie made with lentils or chickpeas. This vegan main is perfect for the holidays or for a comforting winter meal. It's packed with vegetables, including mushrooms, carrots, peas and celery, then topped with creamy mashed potatoes. Vegan comfort food at its best!
Course Main Course
Cuisine vegan
Prep Time 40 minutesminutes
Cook Time 20 minutesminutes
Total Time 1 hourhour
Servings 6
Ingredients
Shepherd's Pie Filling
2tablespoonsolive oil
1mediumyellow onion,finely diced
3largegarlic cloves,finely minced
2largecarrots,diced
2mediumcelery stalks,diced
3cups (227g)cremini mushrooms,thinly sliced
2teaspoonssage,dried
1/2teaspoonthyme,dried
1/2-1teaspoonsalt,more or less to taste
Pepper to taste
1 1/2cupvegetable broth, low sodium (divided)
2tablespoonscorn starch or all-purpose flour
1tablespoonsoy sauce,low-sodium
2tablespoonstomato paste
1can (540ml/19oz)lentils or chickpeas,drained and rinsed
1cupgreen peas,frozen
Mashed Potatoes
7-8mediumRusset or Yukon Gold potatoes,peeled and diced (about 8 cups)
3/4-1cupoat milk, plain and unsweetened
4-5tablespoons vegan butter
1teaspoonsalt
Instructions
Prepare the Mashed Potatoes
Peel and roughly chop the potatoes - I chop them into four pieces. The larger the pieces, the longer you'll need to boil them. Boil them until fork tender and easy to mash. Drain and mash the potatoes, along with the oat milk (start with the smaller amount and add more if needed - the potatoes should be thick and creamy), vegan butter and salt. Taste and adjust as needed. Keep covered until ready to use.
Prepare the Filling
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Chop and prepare all of your vegetables.
Heat the oil in a large oven safe pot or 12" cast iron skillet. Add the onions and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Add the carrots and celery and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened. Stir in the sage and thyme, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
In 1/2 cup of broth, whisk the corn starch or flour until well combined. Add the mixture to the vegetables, along with the remaining 1 cup of broth, soy sauce, tomato paste, lentils or chickpeas and peas. Simmer over low to medium heat until it thickens, about 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick, but saucy. If it's thinner and soup-like, add more flour or cornstarch, mixed in a small amount of broth.
Gently spread the mashed potatoes on top of the vegetable filling.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350°F, then broil for a few minutes if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
I love using oat milk for the mashed potatoes, but almond milk, soy milk and cashew milk should also work. Make sure to use plain, unsweetened plant-based milk.If preferred, you can prepare the mashed potatoes in the Instant Pot following this recipe. Feel free to add the roasted garlic as instructed in that recipe.You could try replacing 1/2 a cup of broth with red wine if preferred. I tested this recipe with broth only.This recipe was tested with both canned lentils and chickpeas. Both were delicious, but I personally preferred the lentils. Choose your favorite or what you have on hand.You can use white button mushrooms if you don't have cremini mushrooms.