There was a moment where I wasn’t going to post this recipe. After all, there are a TON of lentil shepherd’s pie recipes floating around. It’s not exactly ground-breaking material.
But then something happened… I pulled some of my leftover lentil shepherd’s pie from the freezer, warmed it up, and devoured the whole thing.
So maybe there are a lot of lentil shepherd’s pies out there, but none of them are THIS recipe, and THIS recipe is Seriously The Best Lentil Shepherd’s Pie. I needed to publish this recipe, if for no other reason, but so that I can make it again, and again.
What makes this Lentil Shepherd’s Pie the best?
Why thank you for asking. There are 3 simple and scrumptious reasons.
- These lentils are jam packed full of veggie deliciousness: carrots, mushrooms, peas, and are seasoned perfectly with thyme, onions, garlic, and an extra zing of BBQ sauce. Boom! Simple and totally drool-worthy.
- Garlic mashed potatoes. Those aren’t any plain old regular mashed potatoes, they’re packed full of garlic and creamy coconut milk making them light years above any other mash.
- This hearty meal is perfect for a holiday, weekend, or just something to last you throughout the week. It can be made in advance and then just warmed in the oven. You can serve it in a fancy casserole dish or go rustic like I like to do, and serve it in a skillet. This pie will satisfy anyone and everyone making it a perfect dish for any occasion!
I hope you love it as much as I do.
To make the lentil shepherd’s pie: chop up your veggies, and prep for the mash potatoes.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and thyme and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes until softened and bits are browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.
Return the pan to heat, add in the lentils, and vegetable broth. Cover, and simmer for 25 – 30 minutes until the broth is absorbed and the lentils are tender.
While the lentils cook, prepare the mashed potatoes and try not to eat them all.
When the lentils are cooked through, add the vegetables back to the pan, and add the peas, BBQ sauce, and soy sauce. Heat through. Scoop the mixture into a casserole dish or large skillet and then spread the mashed potatoes on top.
Bake for 10 – 15 minutes until the lentil shepherd’s pie is hot and bubbling around the edges.
Perfect for the holidays or a hearty weekend meal. The garlic mashed potatoes take this from ordinary to extraordinary! Can be made ahead of time and reheated.
- 1 tablespoon oil (olive, canola, vegetable)
- 1 onion , chopped
- 2 carrots , peeled and chopped
- 16 oz mushrooms , sliced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
- 1 1/2 cups brown or green lentils (or 38oz canned lentils, see notes)
- 3 cups vegetable broth (or 1 vegetable bouillon cube, see notes)
- 1 cup peas , fresh or frozen
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/4 cup BBQ sauce (check to make sure it's vegan)
- 1 recipe Vegan Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 425F (220C).
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the onion, carrots, mushrooms, garlic, and thyme and sauté for 6 to 8 minutes until softened and bits are browned. Remove from pan, and set aside.
- Return the pan to heat, add in the lentils, and vegetable broth. Cover, and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes until the broth is absorbed and the lentils are tender. While the lentils cook, prepare the mashed potatoes according to the directions.
- Add the vegetables back to the pan with the lentils, and add the peas, BBQ sauce, and soy sauce. Heat through. Scoop the mixture into a casserole dish or large skillet and then spread the mashed potatoes on top.
- Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until the pie is hot and bubbling around the edges.
For a quicker prep, you can use canned cooked lentils. Just drain and rinse before using and crumble 1 vegetable bouillon cube in with the lentils and stir to combine.
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Hi
Do you think substituting cauliflower or sweet potatoes for the white potatoes would be good? I’m allergic to white potatoes and I’ve been craving a vegan shepherds pie!! This one looks great!!
Thank you
Lynndel
Hi Lynndel, Thanks so much! Yes, I would try a garlic cauliflower mash. Sweet potato would work well too, but might add too many flavours as the lentil mix is already flavour packed. I hope you enjoy it!
Second time making this dish within the month! I found this recipe while searching for some red meat alternative meals for my carnivorous family and honestly it’s so lovely I think I prefer it to the original. Love your page, thank youuuu!
Yay! Thanks so much, Chloe. Thrilled you and your husband love it 🙂
I’m not sure what is meant by “adding the vegetables back to the pan.” I’m confused; when was there an additional pan added to the instructions?
Oh! Nevermind. This is all getting done in one pan and I hadn’t caught on
Haha! No problem, glad you got it 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit with the whole family! I’m always looking for recipes that aren’t too complicated for easy weekday meals. This was fantastic!!!!
Woohoo! So happy you and your family enjoyed it so much, Lauren! Thanks for the lovely comment 🙂
Today is day one of my 30 day vegan challenge, and this recipe stood up to my unadjusted palate! I made it last night and had it today for lunch; it reheats perfectly. I really think it’s the mashed potatoes (I followed the recipe for those as well) that make it so good! I’m so glad I tried this recipe first, it’s given me hope that I will not only survive the 30 days but will enjoy it!
Woohoo! Can’t get a much better review than that! Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe so much, and even more thrilled that you are doing a 30 day vegan challenge! Let me know if you ever have any questions or need any support 😀
We had this for dinner tonight, while I also made a loevely veg pasta sauce and your tofu for the sauce. this recipe is amazing and my SO said “you wouldnt even know” after he finished licking his plate, referring to the lack of meat. we’ve only gone vegetarian and vegan a couple of weeks ago and recipes like this make it very easy not to miss anything! thanks a lot!! i do have a general question though, is there anything that I need to be aware of when switching to vegan from 0 to 100 over night? i’ve been reading up a lot but trying to figure out if I feed us the right things and are not ending up missing anything, do you have any tips 🙂 Thank you x
So very happy you and your SO are loving my recipes! I too went from carnivore to vegan overnight! Woot! You can read my story here if you like. At first, you might make a lot of trips to the bathroom because of the increased fiber, but this is good for you and is cleaning out your body. Your system will settle in about a month, but it sounds like you guys are already well on your way! Other than that, just make sure to eat lots of whole foods (and not too much processed food) and start taking a vitamin B12 supplement. I wrote up a post about FAQ’s of veganism here, and I address all of the health questions, including explaining B12. Hope that helps! Let me know if you have any more questions 😀
Hi Sam just stumbled over your blog and this looks delicious! You mentioned in the led up to the recipe that it freezes well, is this for the whole pie including the mash or just the lentils? Thanks a ton for this lovely looking recipe!
Yes, you can freeze the whole thing. Just thaw, then reheat in the oven. Enjoy!
This was absolutely delicious, but I found that the potatoes changed texture after freezing. Could the variety of potato be the problem? I can never find Yukon Gold (I live in Ottawa), so I subbed Russet. Any suggestions?
Yeah, frozen potatoes do change a bit in texture. Russets are a bit grainier so I imagine the freezer might make them even grainier. Try a waxier potato next time, that might work better. Hope that helps!
Ok. Second recipe of yours I’ve made and both have been the best vegan recipe for both I have ever come across. I’m new to you but I am very happy to have found you! I think I read you have a book coming out soon? I hope I read right.. any way, the pie. Wow. Growing up VERY English and pretty much living off shepherds pie, I have missed it greatly. This, I love. Best vegan shepherds pie I have found, in fact, one of my meatier friends says it’s better than the fleshier version (please dont tell grandma)… thank you, next up.. chili
Oh wow!!! I’m so flattered! Thank you, Rox. 😀 Yes! I have a cookbook that will be coming out in October of this year. So excited about it! So thrilled you loved the pie, I hope you love the chili as well 🙂
Made this and LOVED IT. Those mashed potatoes are my new go-to. For sure.
Why didn’t I think of BBQ sauce sooner? So simple yet gives it such a huge hit of flavor!
I used canned lentils and you know what? I completely forgot the bouillon cube and it was still delicious.
Woohoo! So happy you enjoyed it, Monique! Love that the potatoes are your new go-to 😀
Made this last night. So, so good! Not missing meat at all!
Preparing the vegetables made me eager to taste it!
Yay! So happy you loved it, and that this is hitting the spot for you. I am always tasting my food as I cook.. I just can’t help myself. Haha
I very rarely comment on recipes, I usually just enjoy and move on… BUT this was sooo good I had to come back and say so! I also used your recipe for the mashed potatoes (if you didn’t say so already, you may want to tell people to cook more than the recipe calls for because I could not stop eating while preparing the lentils and veggies!) yum!! I used a copy cat recipe for my fav bbq sauce, OMG… My only suggestion is that if a person really likes bbq sauce, up that to 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup! Soooo good! Thank you!
Aww yay!!! So thrilled you loved it so my Myli! Really flattered that you felt compelled to lave a comment 🙂 That’s a good call on the BBQ sauce. I tend to serve mine with a bit of extra on the side for dipping. I hope you enjoy many more of my recipes 🙂
Oh My Gosh! Seriously the best dish ever. And I’m Italian and have never made Shepard’s Pie. This was delicious and my whole family loved it. I’m so excited I have a recipe that is plant based and can be made as a casserole that I can make for my non-plant family and friends. I put a post on my instagram page about my love of this dish. Thank you so much!
Yay!! So happy you loved it, Janine! Thank you for the lovely comment 😀
Not sure I tagged you correctly on my Instagram post. @bonappetegan?
I’m @itdoesnttastelikechicken on instagram 🙂
I just recently came across this blog. I don’t even remember what I was looking for. I signed up for your emails and was intrigued by this lentil recipe. O.M.G! this is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!
For BBQ sauce, I used sugar free salsa and for soy sauce, I used liquid aminos. I also did half cauliflower, half potatoes to make mashed potatoes.
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Welcome Adriane! So very happy you loved the lentil shepherd’s pie so much! I told you it was seriously the best 😉 hahaha. I hope you enjoy many more recipes, I look forward to seeing you around 🙂
Great idea using cauliflower. After I saw the 75 carbs, I just did the “diabetic sigh of disgust”.
Haha, I guess not everyone is as big as a carb lover as I am. Happy there is an great easy alternative for you dana 🙂
I’m a carb lover too. But diabetics aren’t allowed the luxury of full flavored anything. There’s a lot of “low carb” alternatives that I call “faux food”. *sigh*
Ah, I see. I’m sure you know about Dr. Neal Barnard’s book Reversing Diabetes, his focus is on a plant-based diet, woot! Haha. I have no idea what he says about carbs tho! But just thought you might be interested if you hadn’t heard of it. 🙂
Dr. Barnard is my guru and he would vote thumb’s up on your pie, and a double thumb’s up for the cauliflower/mashed potato combo. You rock!
Haha yay!! That’s awesome to hear dana 🙂
I MADE IT!!! It was fantastic! I also made cauliflower “mashed potatoes” and finally told my husband “It’s delicious cauliflower, but don’t try and pretend it’s potatoes.” So….it was your pie, but without a topping. The next day, I mixed macaroni into it with spaghetti sauce and called it “Meatless Hamburger Helper”. LOL THANK YOU!
Amazing! So happy you loved it dana 🙂
I’ve heard lentil shepherd’s pie referred to as Gardener’s Pie, which I find quite lovely 🙂
Awww that is nice 🙂
Your awesome Sam! Thank you so much for this recipe. This shepards pie was incredible! I haven’t had shepards pie in so many years and was on the hunt for a good recipe. Definitely one of my top favorite vegan meals ever! I also made some homemade sweet vegan BBQ sauce and spread it on top of my shepards pie. So delicious! Keep up the good work my friend!
You are most welcome Tiffany! So happy you loved the recipe so much. Your BBQ sauce sounds like heaven! I am a big fan of eating this with lots of BBQ sauce as well 🙂
Great recipe Sam! Made this last night – made TONS! I took the cue from your pics and just baked it in the Cast Iron pan… super simple. Love the flavours, and the addition of BBQ sauce… thumbs up on that, because, well, any excuse to use BBQ sauce. For the person who inquired about vegan BBQ sauce, we also use the PC brand (specifically the Smoking’ Stampede sauce); but it is so easy to make too.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it! I know, I love excuses to use BBQ sauce too! Haha. 🙂
Made this recipe tonight and I’m really happy that I only used 1 teaspoon of thyme as it seriously overpowered
every other flavour. Fortunately my carni husband said he would have it again with a big reduction in thyme, I’m
thinking maybe 1/4 teaspoon to start. Anyone else think the thyme was too much?
Oh I’m sorry to hear that. Was your thyme ground perhaps? I used dried thyme leaves which would be much less intense than ground.
Yes! Thanks Sam That totally explains it. It was the only thyme available and I never even
thought about leaves. My husband asked me to make it again for the next time he comes
home from camp.
Ok perfect! Glad we figured out the problem. I updated the recipe so it is clearer. Sorry about that Linda! I hope you enjoy it more next time you make it 🙂
This recipe is amazing! My family–and my kids’ friends–all devoured it. I’ve already shared the recipe with friends. Your recipes never fail me. Thank you!!
I’m so very happy to hear that my recipes never let you down! Thanks for sharing and leaving this lovely comment Judy 🙂
My first lentil shepherds pie and it was fantastic! Thank you
Yay!! Thrilled to hear that 🙂
You mention adding BBQ sauce, since going vegan I haven’t been able to find any I like. What brand do you use?
I actually often make my own since I find it tastes so much better! I have a recipe for BBQ sauce included in this recipe. Otherwise, the brand I currently have in my fridge is Presidents Choice which is a Candian brand. Nothing particularly exciting about it, however. Hope that helps!
I want to make it because my cupboard is bursting with lentils. But I only have one cup of green lentils and the rest are red lentils. Can this still work? Or are red lentils too tender?
Red lentils will cook a lot faster than green lentils (in only about 10 minutes). You could try to cook the green lentils for the first 15 to 20 minutes and toss in the red lentils for the last 10. It might be kind of an experiment, but it could work!
Or if you wanted to use all red lentils just cook them for only about 10 minutes. They could work ok, but they might get a bit mushy. Hope that helps!
You know what, I’m gonna buy more green lentils. But I also need a recipe for yellow split peas. Have tons of them as well.
If you want to use up your red lentils you could try my Sweet Korean Lentils (blog favourite), or Lentil Tacos. 🙂
LOOOOOVE this! I just made and it’s amaaaaaaazing!! Your recipes have never let me down and this one is no exception!
Yay!! Love that you made it so quickly Sofia 🙂 and ever more thrilled my recipes never let you down!
That is one good recipe, thanks for posting, just made it and it,s delicish!
Haha! Wow! That was fast. Thrilled you love it as well Bobby 😀
Seriously! Cuz you’re one serious person. :^D
For serious. 😉
Mmmm yummy! I’m definitely saving this in my recipes – looks like the perfect comfort food! x
Yay! I hope you love it 🙂