Last Updated on June 29, 2024
This Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is not only plant-based, but also gluten free!
It’s a healthy new take on a popular hearty comfort food!
The traditional shepherd’s pie, sometimes called a cottage pie, is an English ground meat pie with a crust or a topping of mashed potatoes. (The latter being the more popular version.)
Most do not realize the main purpose of this dish was to use up left over meat and potatoes.
There are a lot of different variations of this dish, but the defining ingredients are ground meat and onions cooked in a gravy or sauce.
But in this recipe, instead of ground meat, you will find lentils, carrots, green beans, corn, onion, and of course, it is topped with creamy mashed potatoes.
If you like to add a meat alternative in place of, or in addition to the lentils; be sure to saute it with the onion and carrots before adding to the baking dish.
Ingredients needed for a Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Pie filling
- Oil – I used olive oil in this recipe. Use your favorite oil.
- Onion – I like to use a fresh onion in this filling. Substituted with a onion powder, if you prefer.
- Garlic – Use minced garlic or powdered garlic for this recipe.
- Carrots – A earthy root vegetable that adds color and flavor to the pie.
- Lentils – I used a green/brown canned lentil. You can use dried lentils, but it is best to cook the lentils before adding to the pie.
- Corn – I used a canned corn, substitute with a frozen or fresh corn.
- Green Beans – I used a canned green bean, substitute with a frozen or freshly snapped beans.
- Mushrooms – Use your favorite mushroom for this recipe. I have used fresh and canned mushrooms. Use any variety of mushroom, I have used the white button, crimini, portabella, or the shiitake mushrooms in this recipe.
- Flour – To keep this gluten free, I used the King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour in this recipe. Use your favorite flour.
- Tomato Paste – Tomato paste adds a lot of flavor and also will thicken the filling.
- Plant Based Milk – I used a unsweetened plain almond milk. Use your favorite plant based milk.
- Liquid Aminos – I used liquid aminos in my pie. Substitute with a soy sauce.
- Broth – I used my favorite vegetable broth, use your favorite broth.
- Seasonings – The seasonings I used in this recipe are turmeric, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Vegan Ground Meat Alternative – This is optional. I did not use any meat alternatives in my recipe.
Mashed Potato Topping
- Potatoes – I used a red potato for my mashed potatoes. Use your favorite potato in the recipe.
- Margarine – Use your favorite vegan margarine.
- Potato Water – Make sure to save the potato water after you boil the potatoes.
- Salt and Pepper – To taste.
How to make a Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Grease a 2.5 Qt. baking dish, with vegan margarine, and set aside.
Clean and peel the potatoes, cut into small cubes.
Place into a medium saucepan with water, cook the potatoes until they are soft.
When the potatoes are done, drain, but make sure to save about 1/4 cup of the potato water.
Add the potatoes back to the same saucepan, add the margarine and potato water back to the saucepan with the potatoes.
Next mash the potatoes until they are smooth.
Season your potatoes with the salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
Continue by cleaning and chopping the carrots and onions.
Add to a medium saucepan, on a medium high heat, oil, carrots, and onions.
If you would like to add a meat alternative to your dish, add this to the carrots and onions. (Follow package directions to cook.)
Saute the vegetables for about 4 minutes or until the carrots and onions are soft.
Once the vegetables are done, add the lentils, turmeric, tomato paste, aminos, rosemary, flour, mushrooms, garlic, plant based milk, and vegetable broth.
Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until sauce has thickened.
Remove from heat, add the corn and green beans, stir to combine.
Next, pour the filling into the greased baking dish.
Finish by topping and spreading the mashed potatoes over the filling.
Slide the baking dish into oven and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the center temperature reaches about 160° F, and the potatoes have slightly browned.
Once done, remove from the oven and let the pie rest for about 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with your favorite vegetables on the side.
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Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
- 1 2.5 QT. Baking Dish
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes
- 3 lbs Potatoes I used red potatoes, use your favorite potato.
- 2 Tbsp Vegan Margarine Plus extra to grease baking dish
- 2 Tbsp Potato Water
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Filling
- 2 Tbsp Oil I have used olive and avocado oil in this recipe.
- 1 Onion Or 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic Or garlic powder.
- 4 Medium Carrots Chopped
- 1 Cup Pre-cooked Lentils Or 1 Can (15oz.)
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 1/4 tsp Rosemary
- 2 Tbsp Flour I used King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour.
- 1/2 Cup Plant Based Milk I used a unsweetened plain almond milk.
- 1 Can Mushrooms Use any mushroom of choice. I have used 1 tub of fresh white button, shiitake, portabella, and crimini.
- 1 tsp Liquid Aminos Substitute with your favorite soy sauce.
- 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 1/2 Cup Vegetable Broth
- 1 Can (15oz.) Sweet Corn You can use 1 package (10 to 12 oz.) frozen or 1 1/2 cups of fresh corn.
- 1 Can (15oz.) Green Beans You can use1 package (10 to 12 oz.) frozen or 1 1/2 cups of fresh green beans.
- 1 package Ground meat alternative (optional) I did not use any meat alternatives in this dish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Grease a 2.5 Qt. baking dish, with vegan margarine, and set aside.
- Clean and peel the potatoes, cut into small cubes.
- Place into a medium saucepan with water, cook the potatoes until they are soft.
- Once the potatoes are done, drain, but make sure to save about 1/4 cup of the potato water.
- Add the potatoes back to the same saucepan, add the margarine and potato water back to the saucepan with the potatoes.
- Next mash the potatoes until they are smooth.
- Season your potatoes with the salt and pepper to taste, set aside.
- Continue by cleaning and chopping the carrots and onions.
- Add to a medium saucepan, on a medium high heat, oil, carrots, and onions.
- If you would like to add a meat alternative to your dish, add this to the carrots and onions. (Follow package directions to cook.)
- Saute the vegetables for about 4 minutes or until the carrots and onions are soft.
- After the vegetables are done, stir in the lentils, turmeric, tomato paste, aminos, rosemary, flour, mushrooms, garlic, plant based milk, and vegetable broth.
- Bring everything to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until sauce has thickened.
- Remove from heat, add the corn and green beans, stir to combine.
- Next, pour the filling into the greased baking dish.
- Finish by topping and spreading the mashed potatoes over the filling.
- Slide the baking dish into oven and bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until the center temperature reaches about 160° F, and the potatoes have slightly browned.
- Once the dish is done, remove from the oven and let the pie rest for about 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve with your favorite vegetables on the side.
