Vegan Shepherds Pie

Vegan Shepherds Pie is easy to make in just 30 minutes and is full of nourishing ingredients. This tasty hearty comfort food brings mushrooms and lentils together under a blanket of crushed potatoes. Vegan and gluten-free.

Easy Vegan Shepherds Pie

In this 30 minute vegan shepherd’s pie, earthy mushrooms and lentils mingle in a sumptuous broth beneath a crown of crushed potatoes.

The potatoes get beautifully crispy on all the exposed edges and make this shepherd’s pie extra special.

Plus, it’s easier than making mash and you can keep the skin on the spuds. And only 313 calories per serving!

This vegan take on the classic family comfort food is packed with veggies with a herb-infused crushed potato topping. It’s perfect for family meals.

Commissioned by Tesco

Family meals

It’s very important to me that we all eat together at the dinner table.

My kids are still in primary school and although they often want plain pasta (why do kids love that so much! Bleurgh!!), I want them to have nourishing home-cooked foods, and for us all to eat together.

This vegan shepherd’s pie is perfect family food – it’s quick, easy and the whole family are guaranteed to tuck in. It’s now a regular on my meal plan along with other tasty vegan dishes like lentil dahl, Spanish beans and lentil soup.

How to Make Vegan Shepherds Pie

Step 1: Cook the baby potatoes until tender, then drain and lightly crush them. 
Step 2: Saute the onions until soft, then add the mushrooms and cook until softened. 
Step 3: Stir in the water, garlic, dried crushed chillies, lentils, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée, then reduce the heat and simmer.
Step 4: Heat the grill/broiler. Add the lentil mixture to a casserole dish then cover with the potatoes. Cook under the grill/broiler for 8-10 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy. 

Veganized Shepherd’s Pie

Typical shepherds pie is made from ground meat topped with mashed potato. But there’s no reason you can’t veganize it!

It’s easy to swap the meat for chopped mushrooms and those luscious legumes: lentils. They give it a great flavour and texture that will even appeal to meat eaters.

The other changeup in this recipe is that instead of mash, it’s topped with crushed new potatoes.

Crushing them allows lots of edges to get nice and crispy while it’s baking, while the insides of the spuds stay soft. It’s a wonderful contrast of texture that works beautifully against the earthy lentil and mushroom filling.

Fresh parsley sprinkled over the potatoes lifts the dish and gives it a fragrant finish.

Get the Vegan Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how this vegan shepherds pie recipe turned out for you! Leave a comment and star rating below and share a picture on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #veggiedesserts and tag @tescofood.

Vegan Shepherds Pie

Ready in just 30 minutes, this vegan shepherd's pie is hearty and tasty. The classic comfort food is elevated to extra-special with crushed new potatoes that get beautifully crispy. 

5 from 12 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British, gluten-free, International, Vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

313 kcal

Author: Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts

Ingredients

• 500 g (3 cups) new potatoes
• 2 tbsp parsley , finely chopped
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 625 g (6 cups) mushrooms , halved and thinly sliced
• 250 ml (1 cup) water
• 2 garlic cloves , finely chopped
• ¼ tsp dried crushed chillies (optional)
• 250 g (1 cup) ready-to-eat puy lentils (pre-cooked packet)
• 1 can chopped tomatoes (400g/15oz can)
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• sea salt and black pepper

UK Measures - << Convert to USA Measures >>

Instructions

• Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling water for 12 mins or until tender. Drain and return to the pan. Season, then lightly crush with a potato masher or fork. Stir in half the parsley.
• Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large, deep frying pan over a medium heat, then add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 2-3 mins. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the mushrooms and fry for 7-8 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened.
• Add the mushrooms and fry for 7 mins, stirring occasionally, until softened and they've released their juices.
• Stir in the water, garlic, dried crushed chillies, lentils, chopped tomatoes and tomato purée, then reduce the heat and simmer for 8-10 mins or until the sauce has thickened, then add the remaining parsley and season with the salt and pepper. Preheat the grill to high.
• Pour the lentil mixture into a large baking dish, then spoon the crushed potatoes over the top. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and grill for 8-10 mins or until the potatoes are golden and begin to turn crispy.
• Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

Freezer-friendly. We would recommend cooling your leftovers as quickly as possible, ideally within two hours before freezing and then eating within 24 hours of fully defrosting.

Adapted with permission from Tesco

Nutrition Information

Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 1302mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 43.3mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 3.1mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts!

The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

Vegan Recipes

I adapted this recipe from Tesco.com. They have an ever-growing range of vegan recipes from breakfast and main meals to vegan desserts. Check out Tesco’s vegan recipes. You’ll find inspiration from mushroom carbonara and oat chickpea dumplings to lemon scones and salted caramel cupcakes. Tesco Read Food’s Vegan Hub.

This vegan shepherds pie recipe was commissioned by Tesco. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to be a UK food blogger and write Veggie Desserts, about vegetable cakes, desserts and meals.