Easy Lentil Shepherd’s Pie (vegetarian)

This vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie has all of the flavor you’d expect in the traditional version but with all of the hearty goodness of lentils!

Tender lentils are simmered in a rich savory broth, topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked to golden perfection! Serve this easy meal as a meatless favorite any time of year.

Ingredients in Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

A true shepherd’s pie recipe is made with lamb.

If you use ground beef it actually becomes a cottage pie… and in this case, we’re using lentils to replace the meat.

LENTILS Lentils are a yummy, healthy, and inexpensive substitution for meat in almost any ground beef dish! 1 cup of dried lentils can replace 1 pound of ground beef in most recipes.

VEGETABLES If I have them on hand, I use fresh veggies in this recipe. If you don’t have fresh veggies available, use frozen mixed vegetables and add them in along with the peas.

SAUCE The sauce for this recipe starts with a bit of flour and the remaining broth from the lentils. Depending on the type of lentils, you may need to add more or less broth. Start with 3 cups and once you add in the veggies and lentils as it begins to simmer, the sauce will thicken. Add more broth as needed (I add about 4 cups).

If you add too much broth, just let it simmer until thickened. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken further as the dish bakes and as it cools.

MASHED POTATOES Creamy homemade mashed potatoes are the perfect topping for this recipe, simply spread them on or pipe them for a pretty topping. I don’t add cheese to this recipe but you certainly can.

If you’d prefer, use mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes.

Short on Time?

• Swap lentils for canned lentils (drained and rinsed) and skip the boiling step (adding broth for the sauce where needed).
• Skip the homemade sauce and opt for a can of tomato soup, it makes a surprisingly delicious sauce. Simply omit the sauce ingredients in the recipe and add a can of condensed tomato soup directly into the mixture.
• Trade fresh veggies for frozen veggies to skip the washing and chopping.
• Trade homemade mashed potatoes for leftover mashed potatoes or store-bought (or garlic mashed for a flavor boost)!

How to Make Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

This dish is easy to make (although it does take some time). A quick overview of the steps…

1. Simmer lentils in broth.
2. While lentils are simmering, chop and soften veggies (or skip this step and use frozen veggies).
3. Combine lentils with veggies and sauce ingredients. Simmer until thickened.
4. Place in a deep dish pie plate and top with mashed potatoes.

Bake until golden and bubbly! So easy and so yummy!

Is Lentil Shepherd’s Pie Vegetarian?

It can be!

To make this a vegetarian dish, be sure to use vegetable broth and substitute regular Worcestershire sauce for a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce.

More Meatless Mains

• Homemade Lentil Soup
• Roasted Vegetable Lasagna
• Baked Mac and Cheese
• CrockPot Potato Soup
• Creamy Peanut Thai Noodles
• Vegetarian Chili
• Lentil Sloppy Joes

4.95 from 245 votes

Author Holly Nilsson

Easy Lentil Shepherd's Pie (vegetarian)

Author Holly Nilsson

Servings 6 servings

Lentil shepherd's pie has tender lentils in a rich brothy gravy, topped with creamy mashed potatoes and baked until bubbly.

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Servings 6 servings

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

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Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup brown lentils or green lentils
• ▢ 3-4 cups vegetable broth or beef broth if not making vegetarian
• ▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ▢ ½ cup chopped onion
• ▢ 1 cup chopped mushrooms about 4 oz
• ▢ 1 carrot chopped
• ▢ 1 rib celery chopped
• ▢ ½ cup frozen peas thawed
• ▢ ½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3 tablespoons red wine
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce use vegetarian Worcestershire sauce if desired
• ▢ 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• ▢ salt and black pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 ½ cups prepared mashed potatoes

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Combine lentils and 3 cups broth in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook 20-25 minutes or until lentils are tender.
• Meanwhile, cook onion, mushrooms, carrot, and celery in olive oil over medium heat until onion and carrot are softened. Stir in flour and cook 1 minute more.
• Add lentils (and their broth), red wine, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Stir in peas and simmer uncovered 10 minutes adding more broth as needed to create a sauce. Stir in parsley and season with salt & pepper to taste.
• Spoon lentil mixture into a deep-dish pie plate. Top with mashed potatoes and bake 20-25 minutes or until potatoes are browned.

Notes

Fresh vegetables can be substituted with 1 1/2 cups frozen vegetables.

Keep in mind the sauce will thicken while baking and while cooling. I usually end up adding the full 4 cups of broth to this recipe. Simmer to thicken slightly.

4.95 from 245 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 270 | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 907mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2318IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Casserole, Main Course

Cuisine American, Irish

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