Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 393kcal
A lentil and mushroom shepherd's pie under a deep layer of buttery mashed potato, browned until the ridges crisp.
Print Recipe
Add to Collection
Equipment
- large skillet
- 8x8 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 8x8 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
Calories: 393kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 697mg | Potassium: 1212mg | Fiber: 15g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 2529IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 5mg
