I learned to make vegetarian shepherd’s pie in a London kitchen that wasn’t mine, from a friend who put brandy in the filling and then explained why. My version keeps the brandy, though it’s optional, under a mash browned hard enough to crisp at the ridges. Toddler approved!
Brandy makes this lentil shepherd’s pie taste like more than lentils
A friend in London made this for me the first winter I lived there. He put brandy in the filling, which I had never seen anyone do, and then talked me through what it was doing while we ate. The short version is that alcohol dissolves flavor compounds that water and fat leave behind.
A splash of brandy carries the mushroom and tomato notes further than broth manages on its own. This is optional, but highly recommended and the alcohol cooks out for the most part. The other half of this is the mushrooms. Brown them until the pan looks dry before anything wet goes in, because mushrooms that hit the liquid still wet will hand you a watery filling under the mash.
Strictly speaking this is closer to a cottage pie. Shepherd’s pie means lamb, cottage pie means beef, and neither is happening here. The red lentils can come out if you would rather use canned brown ones, and the butter and milk swap for vegan versions without changing a single step.
What goes in the filling
Full ingredient list and detailed instructions in the recipe card.
- Red lentils do the work of mince here, which is why they are meant to collapse rather than hold their shape. If you want them intact, you want a different dish. They behave the same way in Ethiopian red lentil stew, where the softness is also the point.
- Mushrooms need to brown properly instead of going in with the liquid. Eight ounces looks like too many in the pan and cooks down to about the right amount. Cremini give you more depth than white, though either works.
- Brandy sets this apart from every other version I’ve made, and a quarter cup is enough. If you don’t keep brandy, dry red wine is the closest swap. Dry sherry, or a splash of balsamic with an extra half cup of broth, will get you most of the way. Skip cooking wine, which is salted.
- Vegetarian Worcestershire sauce matters because most standard bottles contain anchovies. That catches people out constantly in dishes that are otherwise entirely meat free.
- Tomato paste at one tablespoon sounds like nothing and does a surprising amount, so measure it rather than eyeball it. If you are out of tomato paste, there are a few swaps that work here.
- Russet potatoes mash lighter than waxy potatoes and hold a fork ridge better under the broiler. Which potatoes hold their shape is a different question with a different answer.
Shruthi’s Top Tips
Getting the shepherd’s pie filling and the mash right
Four things that took me a few rounds to get consistent.
- A watery filling almost always comes from the mushrooms. If the pan still looks wet when you add the lentils, keep cooking before you move on.
- Red lentils simmer slower in acidic liquid than in plain water, so tomato in the pot means 25 to 30 minutes rather than 20. If it tightens before they soften, add broth a splash at a time.
- A shepherd’s pie needs about 20 minutes at 400°F to bubble at the edges, then 2 to 3 minutes under the broiler to brown the top. The broiler turns fast, so stay in the kitchen for it.
- Spread the mash to the very edges of the dish. Sealing the filling in stops it bubbling up over the top and keeps the ridges clean for serving.
How to make vegetarian shepherd’s pie
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash with the milk, butter, and salt until smooth and spreadable.
- Cook the onion, celery, and carrot in the olive oil over medium heat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid evaporates and the pan looks dry, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Stir in the cumin and Italian seasoning for 30 seconds. Pour in the brandy and cook about 1 minute, scraping up anything stuck to the pan, then stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar.
- Add the lentils, diced tomatoes, and broth and bring to a boil. Cover loosely and simmer on low until the lentils are soft and the sauce has thickened, 25 to 30 minutes, then stir in the peas for the last 2 minutes.
- Heat the oven to 400°F. Transfer the filling to an 8×8 baking dish, drop the mash over the top in spoonfuls, spread it to the edges, and drag a fork across in waves.
- Bake until the filling bubbles at the edges, about 20 minutes, then broil on the top rack 2 to 3 minutes until the ridges brown. Rest 5 minutes before serving.
How to serve vegetarian shepherd’s pie
Mash, filling, and vegetables are already in one dish, so what it needs alongside is something green and sharp. Buttered greens, a bitter leaf salad with a mustardy dressing, or roasted broccoli all cut through it. For a proper sit-down dinner, spoon mushroom gravy over the top. It doubles down on the mushroom in the filling.
At a mixed table this holds its own next to a roast, which is why it ends up on my Christmas table most years. If you are cooking for a crowd, vegetarian stuffed portobello mushrooms give the table a second vegetarian main so the pie isn’t carrying the meal alone.
Variations
- Without red lentils, use two cans of drained brown lentils or 3 cups of cooked green lentils and cut the broth to 1 cup. The filling goes chunkier and holds its shape more.
- To make it vegan, swap the butter for vegan butter and the milk for any unsweetened plant milk. Nothing else changes.
- Sweet potato mash works on top instead of Russet. It browns faster under the broiler, so watch it closer.
- Vegetarian moussaka takes the same layered lentil bake in a different direction, with eggplant and béchamel.
Storage and reheating
Assemble it up to two days ahead and keep it in the fridge unbaked, then bake from chilled with an extra 10 to 15 minutes. It also freezes unbaked for up to three months, so make one in October if you know December is coming. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for 4 days. Reheat at 350°F until hot through, about 20 minutes, and give it a minute under the broiler if you want the top back.
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
- large skillet
- 8×8 Baking dish
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 large celery stalk, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 8 ounces white mushrooms, or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup brandy, or dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons vegetarian Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1¼ cups dried red lentils
- 1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes, fire roasted
- 1½ cups vegetable broth, low-sodium preferred
- ¾ cup frozen peas
For the topping
- 1¾ pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
For the topping
- Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork tender, about 20 minutes, then drain.
- Mash with the milk, butter, and salt until smooth and spreadable. Set aside.
For the filling
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid and it evaporates, 6 to 8 minutes. The pan should look dry and the mushrooms browned before you go on.
- Stir in the cumin and Italian seasoning and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the brandy and cook until the alcohol cooks off, about 1 minute, scraping up anything stuck to the pan.
- Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and balsamic vinegar and cook 1 minute.
- Add the lentils, diced tomatoes, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover loosely, and simmer until the lentils are soft and the sauce has thickened, 25 to 30 minutes. Add more broth a splash at a time if it tightens up before the lentils are done.
- Stir in the peas and cook 2 minutes more. Taste and adjust the salt.
To assemble
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- Transfer the filling to an 8×8 baking dish. Drop the mashed potato over the top in spoonfuls, then spread to the edges with a spatula and drag a fork across in waves.
- Bake until the filling bubbles at the edges, about 20 minutes.
- Move to the top rack and broil 2 to 3 minutes until the ridges brown. Watch it, it turns fast.
- Rest 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- Brown the mushrooms until the pan looks dry before adding liquid. Wet mushrooms give you a watery filling.
- Red lentils are meant to break down here. That soft, mince-like texture is the point.
- To make it vegan, swap the butter for vegan butter and the milk for any unsweetened plant milk.
- To make it without lentils, use two cans of drained brown lentils or 3 cups of cooked green lentils, and cut the broth to 1 cup.
- Check your Worcestershire bottle if you need this gluten free. Some formulations use malt vinegar.
- Assemble up to two days ahead and refrigerate unbaked, or freeze up to three months. Bake from chilled, adding 10 to 15 minutes.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 4 days. Reheat at 350F until hot through, about 20 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What a delicious version of Shepherd’s Pie. We love lentils and use them in so many other dishes. We’re over the moon for them in Shepherd’s Pie! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I am not vegan, but I prefer the lentil version to minced beef. This is a great recipe full of flavors.
This was so comforting and packed with flavor. We used a combo of Russet and Yukon Gold and it was divine. 🙂
This was the perfect comfort food dinner for my family! So hearty, savory and flavorful!