Can you prep vegan shepherd's pie ahead of time?

Definitely! You have a few options: - Prep the cooked lentils, quinoa and mashed potatoes ahead of time . You can store these items easily in the refrigerator for several days. When you're ready to make the rest of the dish, this will majorly cut down on prep time. You should be able to finish up the rest of the recipe in just over 30 minutes! - Make the entire dish ahead of time and wait to bake . You can make the lentil shepherd's pie 2-3 days before you're ready to eat it (just be sure to cover tightly), and then bake just before serving.

Can you freeze lentil shepherd's pie?

Absolutely! If you're making this recipe ahead of time to eat at a later date (hello, meal prep!), we suggest freezing before you bake the entire dish. Just pipe on the potatoes, freeze, and finish baking until warmed through and golden brown when you're ready to eat. Alternatively, you can also freeze leftovers for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then microwave or heat in the oven until warmed through.

Can you make this gluten free?

Yes, simply swap the regular all purpose flour with your favorite gluten free alternative.

What to serve with vegan shepherd's pie:

This lentil shepherd's pie is incredible as a vegan holiday main dish. It's filling, as plenty of plant-based protein, and even your non-vegan family members will want a bite! Here are a few of our favorite side dishes to make it a full meal: - Roasted Acorn Squash Kale Salad - Cranberry Sauce - Roasted Carrots - Green Beans with Vegan Bacon

Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Name: Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Cuisine: English
Ingredients: 1 cup cooked French green lentils (cooked according to package directions); 1 cup cooked quinoa (cooked according to package directions); 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 yellow onion, diced (~1 1/2 cups); 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly; 1 cup sliced carrots; ¾ cup fresh or frozen peas; 1 ½ cups vegetable broth; ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped; 1 ¼ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon black pepper; ½ teaspoon paprika; 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (can use gluten free); 4-5 cups peeled, diced yellow potatoes; ¼ cup vegan butter; ⅓ cup nondairy milk; 1 teaspoon salt

Description

This vegan lentil shepherd's pie is the coziest winter dinner! It has a hearty lentil vegetable quinoa filling that's easy to make, and it's topped with homemade mashed potatoes and baked to perfection. It's warming, satisfying and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

Units Scale

Filling:

1 cup cooked French green lentils (cooked according to package directions)
1 cup cooked quinoa (cooked according to package directions)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced (~1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 cup sliced carrots
3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons all purpose flour (can use gluten free)

Mashed Potatoes:

4-5 cups peeled, diced yellow potatoes
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/3 cup nondairy milk
1 teaspoon salt

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 400˚F/205˚C. In two separate pots, cook lentils and quinoa according to package directions.
Bring 3 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil. Add peeled potatoes and cook until fork tender - about 20 minutes. When done, drain potatoes and return to a pot Mash until smooth. Stir in butter and salt. Add in milk and stir (or use a hand mixer) until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.
In a large saucepan, sauté onions in olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms, carrots and peas and sauté for another 5 minutes.
Whisk together 1/4 cup of broth with the flour. Add the broth/flour mixture, cooked lentils, quinoa, 1 ¼ cup of vegetable broth, parsley, salt, pepper, and paprika to the vegetable mixture.
Let mixture simmer, stirring a few times, until most of the broth is absorbed (8-10 minutes). Taste and adjust salt if needed.
Spread lentil mixture evenly in a baking dish, then pipe or spread mashed potatoes over the top. Dust the potatoes lightly with paprika and bake for 25 minutes, or until mashed potatoes are lightly browned on top.

Notes

Lentils: we used french green lentils in this recipe. They tend to be firmer and hold up much better than brown lentils and prevent the dish from becoming too mushy. You can also sub with regular green lentils in a pinch. We don't suggest using red or yellow lentils in the recipe.

Kick up the flavor of your mashed potatoes by adding roasted garlic: To make roasted garlic, slice off the top of an entire head of garlic so the cloves are exposed. Drizzle with olive oil and salt, wrap in aluminum foil and roast at 400˚F for 45 minutes, until golden brown and fork tender. We use about 4 cloves of roasted garlic in these mashed potatoes.

Use a hand mixer: we find that using a hand mixer to whip up the mashed potatoes just makes life easier. No more using an impossible-to-clean masher!

Use a piping bag: we really think that using a piping bag to add the mashed potatoes on top takes this recipe to another level. It looks amazing, but also provides lots of nooks and crannies with additional surface area that become golden brown and delicious, thus adding more flavor.

All purpose flour: this helps thicken up the filling so it's not too runny. If you're gluten free, feel free to sub with your favorite gluten free AP flour. In a pinch, cornstarch will work too.

Storage: store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Category: Dinner
Method: Oven
Cuisine: English

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 336
Sugar: 4.7 g
Sodium: 840.2 mg
Fat: 11.1 g
Carbohydrates: 49.8 g
Fiber: 7.8 g
Protein: 12.2 g