Usually people think that it’s hard to get your belly full with vegan food. But that’s definitely not true! Also the dishes that in their original version are quite heavy and filling, made vegan can still fill you up very quickly. Just in a healthier way! And without causing any harm to animals, of course. A great example of such a dish is my easy vegan Shepherd’s pie.
Originally this dish is made with meat and vegetables that are covered with mashed potatoes. My vegan Shepherd’s pie is made with lentils instead of meat. In case you wonder, if the flavor is identical to the classic Shepherd’s pie – it’s not. Simply because lentils don’t taste like ground beef, ha ha! But at the same time, I can reassure you that the flavor of this vegan Shepherd’s pie is so rich, that you will be more than satisfied with the outcome!
How to prepare easy vegan Shepherd’s pie
This recipe contains quite a lot of ingredients, so you might think that it’s hard to make it, but that’s not true! All the ingredients are easy to be found in any supermarket or local farmers’ market. Of course, it takes some time to prepare this vegan Shephard’s pie, but at the same time it’s not a dish that you’ll prepare every day. It’s perfect for holidays or special events where you need to demonstrate your cooking skills. And not just that! You can also demonstrate your creativity by making a nice “drawing” in the mashed potato layer. Sounds confusing? Well, then let’s find out how to make this easy vegan Shepherd’s pie!
First, you’ll need to prepare the mashed potatoes, by mashing boiled potatoes together with vegan butter or margarine, rosemary, lemon zest and salt. Then you’ll cook all the vegetables together with mushrooms, herbs, balsamic vinegar and tomato sauce. At the end you’ll need to mix in the lentils, flour and vegetable stock and cook all the mixture until it turns slightly thick. After that it’s time to make your oven do the magic. In a baking dish as the first one you’ll put all the lentil and vegetable mixture, which then you’ll cover with the mashed potatoes. Here you can choose either you want to create some pattern in your potato layer with a spoon or fork, or simply leave it evened out. The baking dish then goes in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the mashed potato layer becomes golden brown.
Other simple and mouthwatering vegan recipes
Like I said, my easy vegan Shepherd’s pie is a very rich and flavorful dish that will definitely leave your guests impressed by your cooking skills. But there are also many other vegan dishes that are not just filling, but also very delicious and easy to make. For example, if you love potatoes, you will probably like my recipe for crispy garlic Hasselback potatoes with spicy bell pepper dip. Or maybe you’re more a pasta lover. In that case you should try my vegan cannelloni with roasted bell peppers. Or, if you prefer a juicy and visually beautiful vegetable dish, I suggest you my easy vegan Ratatouille. All these recipes have one thing in common – they all contain simple ingredients. And according to Specky, the simplest things (or vegetables) in life are the best ones… or in this case – the tastiest ones!
Dedicate a bit of your free time to make my vegan Shepherd’s pie – you won’t regret it! Because this Shepherd’s pie is:
-
vegan
- easy to make
- juicy
- flavorful
- filling
- creamy
- full of plant-based protein
- deliciously aromatic
- visually appetizing
- and simply yummy!
Let me know, if you try this recipe! Leave a comment or even more – make Specky happy! Snap a picture of your masterpiece and post it on Instagram or Facebook by tagging @bunnymommycooks. And feel free to let your animal family members join in the picture!
| Prep Time | 30 min |
| Cook Time | 45 min |
| Servings |
* (check notes)
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- 2300 g of potatoes
- 100 g of vegan butter or margarine
- 2 teaspoons of fresh or dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons of lemon zest
- 1 onion
- 2 carrots
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 3 stems of celery (without leaves)
- 300 g of white button mushrooms (or other mushrooms of your choice)
- 100 g of cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley
- 450 g of cooked or canned lentils
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (optional)
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 200 ml of vegetable stock (or more, if necessary)
- pinch of salt
Ingredients
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- peel the potatoes, cut them in smaller pieces and put to boil until soft (approximately 10 – 15 min);
- meanwhile cut onion, celery and carrots in small pieces and cook them in frying pan with a bit of oil by mixing from time to time;
- cut cherry tomatoes in four pieces and mushrooms in small strips and add them in the frying pan together with crushed garlic, balsamic vinegar, tomato sauce and chopped parsley. Mix well, cover the frying pan with a lid and let it cook on a medium heat/flame for some minutes;
- heat the oven to 200°C/390°F;
- at this point the potatoes should be soft, so pour off the water and add vegan butter/margarine directly in the pot. By using a fork or potato masher, mash the potatoes together with the vegan butter/margarine. Then add chopped rosemary, grated lemon zest and salt and mix it in the mashed potatoes;
- when all the vegetables in the frying pan are soft, add the lentils. Then sprinkle over all the ingredients in the frying pan the flour and mix everything well together until you don’t see white flour anymore;
- set the flame/heat to medium high and gradually add vegetable stock in the frying pan by constantly mixing everything together. You’ll see that the liquid starts to thicken. At that point remove the frying pan from the flame/heat;
- in your chosen baking dish put all the content of the frying pan and spread it out evenly. Then take the mashed potatoes, put them in the baking dish and spread them out evenly over the vegetable and lentil layer. At this point, if desired, by using a fork or a spoon you can create some pattern in your mashed potato layer;
- place the baking dish in preheated oven and cook for about 15 minutes. Then switch the oven to the grill function and cook for some extra minutes until you see that the mashed potato layer starts to become golden brown.
* size of the baking dish used for 8 servings: 30x23x5 cm/11.8x9x2”
Hi there, Sarah here! I just had to drop by and say how impressed I am with your easy vegan Shepherd’s pie recipe. It’s incredibly satisfying, flavorful, and the perfect dish for us plant-based eaters. The combination of juicy, deliciously aromatic flavors and creamy texture is pure perfection. It’s visually appetizing too, making it even harder to resist. Keep up the fantastic work, and thank you for sharing this mouthwatering recipe with us! Absolutely loved it!