Lately I’ve been craving some serious comfort food. Blame it on the weather, blame it on the need for sunshine… but I don’t mind. There’s nothing better than warming your body and spirits with a delicious healthy comfort-filling dinner.
This time, I declared it must be : how about a Vegan Shepherd’s Pie?. It’s just what my cravings were calling for…. and a vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie was quickly made up with just a few easy to find ingredient (you may already have in your pantry). Let’s get to it!
Now I don’t like to feel like I’m giving up anything when it comes to comfort food. It’s easy to spot a ‘fake’ dish miles away…. but this, this is a wonderful dish that will heighten all your senses and satisfy all your comfort-food cravings… I may have a few preferences for my ingredients (notice, I don’t dwell on the restrictions here, but keep to the positive). My preferences for a cooked hardy meal were lots of authentic to a Shepherd’s pie veggies, mashed potato layer, and a good protein and fibre source; lentils.
NOTE : this recipe for the Lentil Shepherd’s Pie also inspired this recipe for the Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Pots – a crazy delicious must-try that’s even healthier for you!
Here is the gluten-free vegan recipe for Shepherd’s Pie:
Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
{vegan and gluten free recipe}
Ingredients:
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 1/2 cup sweet peas (frozen are fine)
- 1 stalk of celery (optional)
- 1 can of organic corn
- 1 large can of lentils (or 1 cup dried lentils, cooked)
- 5-7 large yukon gold potatoes
- 1/4 cup rice milk
- sea salt and pepper to taste
- pinch of cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried paprika
- oil for cooking
.
notes : Ok, honestly I was out of sweet peas for this version, so it’s actually without the sweet peas in these photos. Also, you might be raising your eyebrows that the Worcestershire sauce is’t on this list. Well it’s actually a fermented anchovy sauce – so this can be easily skipped if you’re vegan and it tastes great without it too.
Directions:
In a large pot, cook the peeled potatoes in salted water. In a large pan, saute the chopped onions, carrots, celery – cook until golden, add the frozen peas and lentils and cover to cook for a few minutes. Add a bit of water if these veggies start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Add in the corn, soy sauce, and season with cumin and thyme, salt and pepper. Keep covered, turn down the heat to low.
Your potatoes should be boiled by now, drain them leaving some of the water near the bottom, mash them with the rice milk until a puree forms. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
In an oven -safe dish, place in the whole mix of vegetables with lentils into the bottom of the pan and spread out evenly. Add the mashed potatoes on top and smooth out over top with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle the top with dried paprika, and poke through with a fork to make vents in the mashed potatoes.
Bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes. Let it set for 10 minutes before serving, but serve while still hot. Enjoy your delicious healthy Vegan comfort-food.
Changing up a few things for a healthier alternative is easier than you think. I’m not a crazy obsessed vegan, I just eat food that makes me feel good. And meat-less, veggie-rich dishes are what makes me feel good. I also like to make something that the meat-loving other half in the family enjoys as well, and doesn’t feel like he’s fed ‘rabbit food’ all the time (although occasionally, rabbit food it is! ;)
Seriously, this meal is good! You won’t miss any meat with this version, and you’ll feel happier with a lighter plant-based meal. And if you are vegan, than you’ll be oh-so-happy warm comfort food awaits and feeds all your senses and nourishes your body.
Blogger, Recipe Developer, Photographer and Author. Loves healthy food, photography, sunshine and dancing in the kitchen with her two daughters. 
Beautiful photos!
Looks delicious! Beautiful pictures!
wow- this IS true comfort food. i love shepherds pie. it reminds me of my friend for highschool- everytime i ate dinner at her house, we had shepherds pie! i need to make your version soon.. ;)
I love how the potatoes make it look like there is CHEESE on top of this! So so yummy looking. I’m pinning!
This looks lovely, it’s very like the one I make but I use red lentils and green lentils or just red lentils. I sometimes use cauliflower mash on top and mashed swede!
I love your photos! And I love shepherd pie..real comfort food!
Vegan Shepherds Pie is a standby comfort food over at our house, one of Justin’s all time favorite meals. We like to add portobellas to the veggie mix – it truly is a versatile dish that appeals to most.
Loving the photo montage!
Yummy! I agree the photos are fantastic too!
Wow that looks amazing! I was actually planning on making vegan shepherds pie, but the only one I’ve ever tried is from “the gluten-free goddess”. It’s very good, but yours seems much less time consuming. I think I might just make both tomorrow and have some healthy meals in the freezer ;)
This looka awesome, I’m making this this week!
love love love your blog, Ella!!!
we are so on the same page… literally!!
and this recipe gets forwarded to my kitchen computer, too!
(okay… your whole blog may become the home page!!)
thanks, as always… you’re sooo inspiring!!
— S :D xo
Suz, you are so awesome!
Thanks so much for your comments – you just made my day! ;)
♥
That is a beautiful shepherds pie!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. Delicious!
I loved this recipe but mine was a little bit dry. Any suggestions?
Thank you.
Hi Natasha ;)
A little dry you say?… hmmm…
All I can recommend is to keep your veggie and lentil mixture on the moist side by adding in a little water when mixing. Keep your potatoes also on the moist side by keeping some of the water you boil them in inside the pot, than mashing it together. Then you make sure you cover the baking dish when it’s in the oven to prevent further dryness. Hope that helps. Let me know how it goes next time. xo Ella
Made this this evening for dinner and it was magnificent!!!! I added a touch of yellow mustard and a bay leaf and it really brought out the flavor! Thank you!
I made this tonight for my hubby and I – very yummy! I will definitely make this again. Mine also turned out a bit dry – the bottom part. However, I think that this is just a relative observation, as I did grow up with my mom’s tomato-based shepherds pie.
Thanks for this recipe, it was so delish!
Thanks for the recipe I will make a gravy for it also yum!
I can’t find canned lentils, so I made a pound of my own…i just need to know how much to use. Thanks :)
That’s even better Portia!
Dried lentils are always a better choice, so much cheaper and you don’t have to worry about the BPA and other toxins that could be found in the can!
So, dried lentils usually double in size when cooking.
So about a cup of dried lentils cooked should make two cups. And that would be a good measurement for this recipe.
Cooked lentils might become more slushy though but that will just change the texture to smoother in this recipe – which is completely ok and will still taste great! ;)
Enjoy your dinner! Let me know how that works out for you ;) xo ella
Thank you so much! Love your site :)
;)
well thank YOU! <3
hope to see you come by again ;) xo ella
This recipe was sooo good. I wanted to make it for a friend who just had a baby. Do you think it would freeze well?
Thanks!
Thanks! Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe ;)
And Congrats to your friend on having a new baby! <3
Yes, this recipe would definitely freeze well. Great idea for a busy mama ;)
Just cover the top real tight with plastic wrap. I would just press it right into the top and smooth out air pockets. This would ensure there isn't frost bite attacking it.
This could be also good to freeze in smaller batches to quickly thaw out and bake for a much shorter time for a quick individual meal.
I hope this helps and your friend will really enjoy the thoughtful gift (I know I would ;))
Sending big hugs. xo ella
hi! this looks good but I was wondering if you forgotnto include the soy sauce in the directions? because it’s on the ingredients list and I don’t know if I should combine with the potatoes or the veggies?
Hi Kylie,
Yes, you’re right….. I forgot to add it to the directions, I just edited that part now.
Please add it to the veggie/ lentil mix at the end as you season it.
I hope you will enjoy this Lentil Shepherd’s Pie very soon!! ;)
xox ella
can I substitute with sweet potatoes?
Hi Rachel ;)
I think that’s a great idea! I haven’t tried it with sweet potato myself but why now?
More nutrition is always a good thing.
Let me know how it turns out ;)
And I’ll make it like that next time to give it a try myself. xox ella
They make vegan Worcestershire sauce!
Lovely recipe !! But just thought I’d let you know that soy sauce contains gluten so it’s not gluten free :(
Thanks Nuala, but there is gluten-free soy sauce. Look for gf on the label or check the ingredients :)
I will add a note about that to the recipe. Thanks :)
Can you sub out the rice milk for another type of nondairy milk? Say almond or coconut milk?
Hi,
Yes, absolutely. I wouldn’t recommend the coconut milk though as it might leave a coconutty flavour.
But almond would be great ;)
Hi,
This looks fabulous. I have a ton of guests coming in a few days and I want to make it in advance. Have you ever frozen it? Would you freeze it after it’s assembled but before it’s cooked, or after it’s cooked?
Thanks
Happy to hear you like this recipe ;)
I haven’t not frozen it yet, but always plan to – not too many leftover ever left ;)
If you do want to freeze it though, i would make smaller batches so that it thaws quicker. And cook the lentils sauce and mash the cooked potatoes, layer it up and then freeze.
Then, defrost for a few hours in the refrigerator, depending on the size of the container, and place in the oven (in an oven-safe dish) to warm up, for about 20 minutes at 350F. Because everything is cooked anyway, you don’t really need to cook it, BUT a nice oven-baked freshness is so important when it comes to comfort food ;) (ps. if storing in an oven-safe container, like glass or ceramic, do not place in the oven when cold.
I hope you will enjoy this recipe soon ;)
xoxo ella
I want to die and go to heaven inside this Shepperd’s pie!. I had a ton of leeks hanging around so I used one instead of the onion. I had no idea lentils came in cans so I used the dry ones and added a splash of red wine. #todiefor! Will deff make again!
Haha! That’s some new way of looking at ‘comfort’ food ;)
I LOVE your spin on the recipe – Leeks Yes!! Such an underrated vegetable – they must have added a nice zing to the recipe.
Yes, lentils in cans – but dried are way better (and cheaper) so you go!
And yo so win with the splash of red wine…. Brilliant!!! ;)
I’m coming over ;)
xoxo ♥ ella
This looks awesome! If you are preparing this for people with Celiac, make sure you use Tamari Soy Sauce. Most soy sauce is not gluten-free. I can’t wait to try the recipe.
I made this with steamed lentils from trader joes & coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. I also doubled the veggies. All four of my kids loved it, even the 3 year old! Hubby even said it should be part of our regular rotation!
Looks so good but can’t seem to find a printer friendly version anywhere.
I made this one yesterday, and have made before. My family loves it. I also use dry lentils instead of canned. I think they taste better. Here’s a trick I learned from Ohsheglows for mashed potatoes. Add a head of cauliflower (chopped) in with the boiling potatoes about 10 minutes after the potatoes. Mashed potatoes and cauli together. The cauliflower makes the potatoes smoother, whiter, and yummier!
Thanks Anne for this feedback and for Angela’s tip ;)
I love mashed potatoes like that too! For this recipe though I think I’ll keep it as is so it’s one less ingredient and process… but for stand-alone mashed potatoes it’s really great ;)
Thanks for sharing! xoxo ella
Hello :) This recipe looks amazing!
I would like to ask if it’s ok to use any other kind of potatoes. We don’t really have the one you used around here.
Thank you :)
Hi! Yes, of course any potatoes will do.
I have a different recipe coming that uses sweet potatoes even :)
Hi! I’m super excited to make this. I’m not vegan but I’m always looking for delicious healthy recipes :)
How many servings would you say this makes? I like to make ahead meals for the week.
Thanks so much!
It serves about 4-6. I would make it with a couple of sidedishes and it could feed more :)
Let me know how you like it!
ps. to freeze, I would portion it smaller to serve one dinner and place in the fridge from the freezer in the morning so it thaws for a few hours and then bake at dinner time. xox ella
Love your Vegan Shepherd’s Pie. Love your recipes. Love your photos. Love your blog!!!
What about using sweet potatoes on top? Maybe too sweet? xoxo eli