Shepherd’s Pie has always been one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s one of those dishes that I used to always go back for seconds. I just couldn’t help it. And even now that I have pretty much succeeded at eliminating this bad habit, Sheperd’s Pie would still be one of the dishes that I have a really hard time resisting. It’s like I can always hear it calling me… even after my tummy is full…
This vegetarian version is no exception. It’s just as good as the real thing… if not better|
Ingredients
(serves 4-6)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 150g button mushrooms, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1½ cup Du Puy Lentils
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1½ tbsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1 large can (16oz) diced tomato
- 2-3 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups frozen corn
- 6 large potatoes, peeled and diced
- ½ cup low fat sourcream
- ½ cup soy milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Cook the onion, mushrooms, garlic, salt, pepper and cayenne in a skillet over medium high heat until fragrant and golden brown, about 3-5 minutes. Add lentils, stir to coat.
- Add canned tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, parsley and 2 cups water. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes, adding more water as necessary, until lentils are tender and liquid is absorbed but mixture is still moist.
- Meanwhile, cook potatoes in salted boiling water until they are really tender. Drain and return to pot. Add sour cream and milk, salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a potato masher until desired consistency is achieved.
- Cook frozen corn according to package instructions.
- Transfer lentils to a baking dish, top with corn and mashed potatoes.
- Cook in the oven for about 20-30 minutes, until it starts to bubble and the top turns golden brown.
this looks great but do you have any advice about how to convince my husband that it’s still Shepard’s Pie without the meat?
Euh… tell him it’s non sacrificial shepherd’s pie? It’s the pie of a shepherd who really really cared for his sheep and figured he wasn’t going to keep them from being killed by wolves only to see them slaughtered by human beings?
Well, ok… that might be overdoing it a little… 
Just tell him it’s the “save a cow today” version of a shepherd’s pie, and that it’s really, really good, even if it has no meat in it. Tell him that even my 19 year old son, who doesn’t care much for “healthy” and “granola” cuisine, ate it and he LOVED it. That oughta do the trick! 
p.s. let me know if it worked!
I made this last night!
I accidentally missed the step where you simmer the mixture for 45 minutes, and I think if I had seen it my husband would have killed me since he was so hungry! ANYWAYS. Needless to say it came out very liquidy. But it was SO SO SO delicious. We had left overs since this recipe made quite a bit, and I even snuck a bite before breakfast this morning.
This is definitely a ”keeper” recipe!
Thank you so much!
Samantha
Samantha, how can I have missed you comment? So sorry about that! Thank you so very much for that great feedback. Good to know that the recipe worked out even though you missed a crucial step. Hope your hungry husband enjoyed it too! Now you need to try it again and let the sauce simmer this time.
It’ll be so much better, trust me! Now you got me craving this dish, I think I’ll be making it this week-end.
would you be able to give me the nutritional contents for one serving?
Unfortunately, Jenna, I do not have that information. Real sorry about that…
I plugged all the ingredients into myfitnesspal and it said it was 520 calories per serving if you consider the entire dish 6 servings. Also, 103 carbs, 5 grams of fat and 20 grams of protein. Not bad for a complete meal.
Hehe! Thanks a bunch for the information Kelly! I appreciate you taking the time to share them!
Hi!
Thanks so much for this recipe!! I am a vegetarian and I am always struggling to find healthy, filling meal options that are also tasty and flavorful! I find so many vegetarian recipes to be bland, and on top of that, many recipes have a lot of hard to find and expensive ingredients. It can be so frustrating!
I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I had most of the ingredients in my cupboard/fridge already (I just had to pick up parsley and lentils)–no expensive grocery trip necessary. This dish had so much flavour! My fiance even enjoyed it, and he is a huge carnivore. I followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly
.
I will definetely be trying more of your vegetarian recipes!
Thanks again!
Oh wow, thank you so very much for your amazing feedback, Ellyse. I really truly appreciate that. So super glad you and your fiance liked this recipe. I hope you like the next ones you try just as much!
Making this right now…smells yummy! Lentils look a little different tho…
What kind of lentils did you use? There are many variety of lentils. Really, they come in all shapes and sizes!
I used DuPuy lentils in that recipe. They are very very tiny and deep, deep green. Hope it turns out good!
I used Du Puy as well, they just werent finished cooking thats all! It turned out fantastic. Have you ever tried to freeze this? I am the only Veg in the house and no body else would eat it so i still have half a casserole left!
YAY! Glad to hear it turned out great! I’ve never tried freezing it, but frankly, I really don’t see why it wouldn’t freeze well. The potatoes might have a slightly different texture when thawed, but still, I don’t think it would be bad. Best way to find out is to give it a try. Better that than to let it go bad in the fridge… that’s what I always tell myself. Hey, if you do try it, let me know the results, will you? I would really appreciate!
So Basically what I did, was cut it up into pieces and froze it. I pulled out a piece today for lunch and microwaved it from frozen, for 1 minute 30 seconds, and it was great! Perfect quick meal for when the rest of my family is eating something i dont want!
Good to know!
Thank you so much for letting me know. That’s super valuable information! 
Made this for dinner this evening & it was loved by all : ) Thanks for sharing!
So happy to hear, and thanks a bunch for letting me know!
So happy to find this recipe and all of the wonderful feedback. I am attending a “meat lovers” Irish Pot Luck, and being the only vegetarian in the crowd I hope to WOW them with this Veg-lovers Shepherd’s Pie!
Thanks for posting, Cheers!
I hope you WOW them too! I would be really honoured if you did, really! Please, let me know what they thought! (fingers crossed that they all really like it… I just absolutely love it when meat lovers happen to really like a vegetarian dish!)
I’m thinking of making this in addition to the ham dinner everyone is expecting. I’m coming off a 20 day juice fast and don’t want to overload my system with the traditional fare, that and my daughter and wife are veg-lovers. I’m wondering if the lentil mix can be smashed with a potato masher to give it a more “meat” look to win over the rest of the carnivores in the family.
I really wouldn’t see why not… or maybe you could try adding a mixture similar to what I used in my vegetarian moussaka right here? I’m sure that it would make for a delicious Shepherd’s Pie base.
Good on you for skipping the ham dinner… your stomach (and body) will thank you for it!
Happy Easter to you, Josh!
I should say the ham dinner everyone is expecting .