Vegetarian shepherd's pie
Hearty vegetarian shepherd's pie with a rich lentil and mushroom filling, topped with buttery mashed potato and melted vegetarian cheddar.
This is proper comfort food — all the cosy, sticky savoury notes of shepherd's pie, but meat-free. Lentils and chestnut mushrooms give a meaty texture and deep flavour, while buttery mash makes it utterly comforting. Make this for midweek family dinners or to feed a hungry crowd; it reheats brilliantly and freezes well, too.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg floury potatoes
- 75 g butter
- 150 ml milk
- 75 g vegetarian cheddar — grated, optional for a golden top
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — large, finely chopped
- 200 g carrots — peeled and diced
- 2 celery — sticks, finely sliced
- 3 garlic — cloves, crushed
- 300 g chestnut mushrooms — roughly chopped
- 160 g dried brown lentils — rinse before use
- 15 ml plain flour
- 30 ml tomato purée
- 600 ml vegetable stock — hot
- 15 ml soy sauce
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 150 g frozen peas
- salt — to taste
- black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- large frying pan
- large saucepan
- colander
- potato masher
- ovenproof baking dish (about 2 litres)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/220°C conventional.
Peel and cut the floury potatoes into even-sized chunks. Place in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Simmer until completely tender when pierced, about 20 minutes. Drain well.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the brown onion, carrots and celery with a generous pinch of salt and sweat gently until soft and translucent, 6–8 minutes.
Add the garlic and chestnut mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have released their moisture and start to brown, about 5–7 minutes. Season with black pepper and a little more salt if needed.
Stir in the plain flour and tomato purée and cook for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
Add the dried brown lentils, hot vegetable stock, soy sauce, fresh thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook gently, uncovered, until the lentils are tender and the sauce has thickened — about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme stalks. Stir in the frozen peas, check seasoning and adjust salt and black pepper.
Return the drained potatoes to the empty saucepan. Add the butter and milk and mash until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and black pepper. If the mash is too stiff, add a little more milk.
Spoon the lentil and mushroom filling into an ovenproof dish (about 2 litres). Use a spoon to spread the mash over the top, sealing at the edges. Rough up the surface with a fork for crisped peaks and scatter the grated vegetarian cheddar over the mash if using.
Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden and the filling is bubbling at the edges, 20–25 minutes. If you want a deeper colour, place under a hot grill for 1–2 minutes at the end — watch closely.
Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving — this helps the filling settle so it slices cleanly.
Tips
- For the fluffiest mash, drain potatoes thoroughly and mash while still hot — warm milk and butter help keep it silky.
- If the filling looks too runny at the end of simmering, mix 1 tsp plain flour with a little cold water and stir in, cooking for 2–3 minutes to thicken.
- Make ahead tip: cook the filling up to 2 days ahead, cool, then top with mashed potato and bake when needed. For freezing, assemble and freeze before baking.
- Give mushrooms space in the pan to brown properly; if they steam, you lose a lot of flavour.
- If you want a gluten-free version, swap the plain flour for 1 tsp cornflour mixed with a little cold water at the end of simmering (see substitutions).
Substitutions
dried brown lentils → tinned green lentils, drained and rinsed, use 2 x 400 g tins (approx. 480 g drained)
Stays closechestnut mushrooms → mixed wild mushrooms, same weight
Stays closeplain flour → 1 tsp cornflour mixed with a little cold water, added at the end of simmering to thicken
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 780
- Calories
- 26 g
- Protein
- 92 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 900 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this gluten-free?
Yes — swap the plain flour for a cornflour slurry (1 tsp cornflour mixed with cold water) added at the end of simmering. Ensure your soy sauce is gluten-free.
Can I use tinned lentils instead of dried?
You can. Use two 400 g tins drained (about 480 g). Add them later in the cooking process and simmer only until heated through to avoid mushy lentils.
How long will leftovers keep?
Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in a medium oven (about 160°C fan/180°C conventional) until piping hot, or portion and freeze for up to 3 months.
Can I swap the mash for sweet potato?
Yes — roasted or boiled sweet potato mashed with butter and milk works well and adds a sweeter, slightly different flavour profile.
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