Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

This vegan shepherd’s pie is full of flavor and surprisingly healthy (but delicious!) ingredients like quinoa, lentils, plenty of vegetables and roasted garlic mashed potatoes for topping.

Shepherd’s Pie is one of those dishes we always forget about, but every time we make it, we wonder why we don’t make it more often. We love these little single serving versions made in mini cast iron cocottes, but you can definitely make this in one larger skillet or baking dish as well. Ramekins would also work – one thing we particularly like about the mini versions is that it helps control portion size (otherwise I could easily eat half of the recipe myself!).

The filling is super flavorful, simmered in vegetable broth and fragrant herbs. It smells so good that even my husband – an extremely picky eater + carnivore – happily ate a full serving. TBH, my mouth is kinda watering right now as I sit here and write this post, and it’s about 6:20AM, so if that doesn’t convince you how good this is, not sure what will.

We all know the mashed potatoes are the best part. Instead of using heavy cream or milk, we actually use vegetable broth in this recipe, along with vegan butter and roasted garlic for extra flavor. The result is a lighter mashed potato, but it’s still perfectly fluffy and delicious. You can even go as far as subbing vegan butter for olive oil – totally up to you.

It’s currently mid-March so what I’m about to say is not currently applicable, but this would be the perfect dish to make with Thanksgiving mashed potato + vegetable leftovers! I’m making a mental note to remember that next year. Much better than eating cold mashed potatoes.

We still have a few weeks of chilly weather left, so before we move on to Spring and Summer produce, enjoy a little more comfort food and majorly improve your weeknight dinner with this shepherd’s pie.

Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

• Author: Lexi
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop, Oven

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Description

This vegan shepherd’s pie is full of flavor and surprisingly healthy (but delicious!) ingredients like quinoa, lentils, plenty of vegetables and roasted garlic mashed potatoes for topping. 

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Ingredients

Filling:  

• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• ¾ cup diced leeks
• 2 cloves garlic garlic, minced
• 1 cup button mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 1 cup diced carrots
• ¾ cup peas (frozen or fresh)
• 1 cup cooked lentils (cooked according to package directions)
• 1 cup cooked quinoa (cooked according to package directions)
• 1 ½ cups spinach
• ¼ cup vegetable broth
• 2 tbsp tarragon, chopped
• ¼ cup parsley, chopped
• 1 ¼ tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• ½ tsp paprika
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• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp gluten free flour
• 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes: 

• 4–5 cups peeled potatoes, cubed 
• 1/4 cup vegan butter
• 1/3 cup vegetable broth (or milk)
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 4 cloves roasted garlic (instructions below)

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. 
2. To roast garlic, cut the top off an entire head of garlic so cloves are exposed. Drizzle with olive oil and salt, wrap in aluminum foil and roast 35-40 minutes, until fork tender and golden brown. 
3. Meanwhile, peel potatoes, dice and boil in a large pot until fork tender – about 20 minutes. When done, drain and set aside.
4. In two separate pots, cook lentils and quinoa according to package directions. 
5. In a large saucepan, sauté onions and leeks in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  
6. Add mushrooms, carrots and peas and sauté about 5 minutes, until tender. Add cooked lentils, quinoa, spinach, vegetable broth, tarragon, parsley, salt, pepper and paprika.
7. In a separate small pan, whisk together oil, gluten free flour and vegetable broth until no clumps of flour remain. Let simmer for a minute or two, then pour into vegetable/lentil/quinoa mixture. Let simmer to absorb most of the broth, but if it starts to dry out completely, add more broth. 
8. When garlic is ready, add to potatoes and mash. Add vegan butter, broth and salt and stir well to combine. Taste and adjust if needed. 
9. Assemble pot pie in a large baking dish, or 6 mini dishes (like the ones pictured here). Add an even layer of vegetable/lentil mix, then a layer of mashed potatoes. Spread evenly. Dust with paprika and bake at 400 F for 25 minutes, or until mashed potatoes are golden brown on top.