Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

This vegan lentil Shepherd’s pie takes comfort food to a new level! Three luscious layers of lentils in a savory tomato sauce, sweet white corn in the middle, and creamy and thick mashed potatoes on top.

I am a sucker for comfort food and this vegan lentil Shepherd’s pie hits the spot every single time. As a teenager, I used to hostess at a British-themed restaurant in Washington, D.C. Without fail, I’d order the Shepherd’s pie for my lunch at least 3 times a week. I would absolutely put this dish as one of my top ten favorites!

Did you know that the origin of Shepherd’s pie is in the region of Northern England and Scotland? It is also very popular in Ireland and the Irish have their own version, as well. Traditional Shepherd’s pie is made with minced lamb or mutton. The ground beef version is traditionally known as Cottage Pie. The name, Shepherd’s pie, has evolved to represent all of these variations.

However here at The Whole Scoop, we’re swapping out the minced meat in favor of a savory plant protein: lentils! If you’re new to my website, you’ll quickly discover that I use lentils a lot. They’re healthy, nutritious, versatile and loaded with plant protein. In essence, they make for the perfect substitute.

The Layers

Shepherd’s Pie is typically a layered dish: one layer of a minced meat concoction, stewed veggies, and a top layer of mashed potatoes. We’re keeping to tradition with only the meat being the significant alteration.

My ragu-like lentil mixture uses mushrooms to lend a slightly chewier texture and to impart a more meaty flavor. In this version, we’re sticking to a sweet corn middle layer, however I have also added peas and carrots with the corn in the past. I will leave that decision up to you!

First, we make all three layers separately. Second, we assemble them in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Finally, we bake them until they’re well incorporated!

One last tip: sprinkle your piece with smoked paprika for next level flavor!

We hope you’ll give this ultimate vegan comfort dish a try. Click here for other lentil recipes!

Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

This vegan lentil Shepherd's pie takes comfort food to a new level! Three luscious layers of lentils in a savory tomato sauce, sweet white corn in the middle, and creamy and thick mashed potatoes on top.

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Course Main Course

Servings 12

Ingredients

  

• 16oz sweet white corn frozen or canned
• 1.5 15oz can of lentils
• 5oz mushrooms, diced shiitake or baby bella
• 1 8oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 15oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup fresh minced parsley leaves
• 1/3 cup veggie broth
• 3 tbsp olive oil

Mashed Potatoes

• 1 3lb bag of yukon gold potatoes
• 1.5 cups oat or other plant milk
• 4 tbsp butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1.5 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Instructions

 

• First, begin by preparing some of your ingredients. Peel and rinse the potatoes. Then cut them into cubes. Dice the onions, mushrooms, garlic, and parsley and set aside. Thoroughly rinse and drain the lentils from the can.
• Set a big pot of water to boil. When boiling, add a pinch of salt, add the potatoes, reduce the heat to medium and boil about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove from the water AS SOON as they are cooked through.
• Fill a medium saucepan 3/4 of the way with water and set aside.
• In a skillet, add the diced onion, garlic and olive oil. Saute until translucent and soft.
• Add the mushrooms to the skillet. Saute another couple of minutes until they're softened.
• Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, veggie broth, lentils, spices and herbs and saute another 3-5 minutes until the sauce has thickened and all ingredients are incorporated. Then set aside.
• Preheat the oven to 400.
• Set the water in the medium sauce pan to boil. Once boiling, blanch the corn for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• In the big pot, mash the potatoes with a masher or big spoon. Add the milk, butter, onion and garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Fold in with a spatula.
• In a 9×13 pan, first add the lentil mixture. Spread it out evenly.
• Then evenly layer the corn on top.
• Then layer the mashed potatoes on top of the corn.
• Add to the oven and bake about 30 minutes until golden brown.
• Remove from the oven and let sit so that the juices can settle. Slice into squares and serve.

Notes

If using dried lentils instead of fresh, soak the lentils overnight and then boil them thoroughly the next day. This should be done prior to making any other portions of the Shepherd’s pie.

It’s really important to remove the potatoes from the water when they’re cooked through and mash them immediately. If potatoes sit in the starchy water, they will become like glue.

If using canned corn instead of frozen, it’s not necessary to blanch it. Just drain, rinse and strain the corn thoroughly. 

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