Recipe: The Best Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Photos by Mat Porporato

For Christmas, I prepared this vegan shepherd’s pie. Even though I did it for the vegans and vegetarians of the table, everyone had a bite. This dish is the symbol of sharing. If new guests are added to the list, it’s not difficult to increase quantities and make room for everyone. You can just add more ingredients, use a bigger baking pan, or make several pies.

It reminds me of the holiday season, but this plant-based shepherd’s pie can be made year-round (especially in Miami, where we don’t have many winter days, if none). To me, what gives this recipe a unique taste is the wine, although you could skip it if you’d rather not use it. Since not all wines are vegan, I made sure I used a vegan-friendly wine.

In my recipes, I always talk about versatility. I believe we can get creative with any recipe, and swap ingredients, add new ones, defy the structural aspect of a list of instructions. For instance, why not use sweet potatoes instead of potatoes? Go crazy if you want! Use this vegan shepherd’s recipe as a mere guide.

VEGAN SHEPHERD’S PIE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE YOUR PLANT-BASED SHEPHERD’S PIE

• Lentils

• Beans

• Mushrooms

• Kale

• Onion

• Garlic

• Tomato Sauce

• Vegan Wine

• Potatoes

• Vegan Butter

• Vegan Milk

• Salt, Pepper, Spices

The lentils and the beans give the base of the pie a good texture and consistency. You can use any kind of beans (I used pinto). Another option would be to use vegan meat instead, but I preferred to stick to whole foods mostly (the only exceptions being the butter and the milk). The mushrooms I used were Portobello, and organic red kale.

Another thing you can play with, depending on your preferences, is the consistency of the mashed potatoes (or you can make mashed sweet potatoes, if you prefer). Personally, I like it not too chunky but also not too watery. To achieve your desired consistency, add milk slowly, and add more if the amount I suggest is too little for you. As for condiments, I generally use iodized salt to make sure I meet my intake recommendations.

You will want to start cleaning and cutting your potatoes, so that they can get cooked while you prepared the base layer of the pie. I always leave the peel, because it’s loaded with nutrients, and removing it would mean throwing them away. It also gives the mashed potatoes an extra flavor and more interesting consistency. Cut them in small cubes, and throw them into boiling water.

In a pan, heat some olive oil. Throw in the garlic and onions, and once they’re a bit brown, add the kale.

Add each ingredient when the previous one starts to look cooked. After the kale, add the mushrooms, and then add the previously-cooked lentils and beans, followed by the tomato sauce and the wine. You can also condiment it to taste. I added salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary.

When everything has been cooked, mix it together and add it to a baking pan that’s deep enough to carry everything. Meanwhile, prepare the mashed potatoes. Remove them from boiling water, add the vegan butter, vegan milk, salt, pepper, and mash. Then, add it on top of the layer you just prepared.

Vegan Shepherd's Pie Recipe

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━


┃Entrée ┃

• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 8-12
  
  
  

Ingredients:

• 3 big potatoes
• 2 tbsp plant-based butter
• 1 cup plant-based milk
• 3 cups cooked lentils
• 1 cup cooked pinto beans
• 5 leaves red kale
• 6 medium-sized Portobello mushrooms
• ½ onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• Wine to taste
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika, Rosemary (optional)

Instructions:

1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add cut potatoes.
2. In a pan, over medium heat, add olive oil, and add the garlic and onions. Sauté for a few minutes, until golden.
3. Start adding the other ingredients when the previous one's mostly cooked. First, add the kale, then the mushrooms, followed by the lentils and beans that have been previously cooked. Add tomato sauce. Add wine. Add condiments. Mix everything and cook until the wine has evaporated.
4. Transfer it to a baking pan.
5. Once the potatoes are cooked (you can pinch them with a fork), remove them from water. Add the vegan milk and plant-based butter, as well as salt and pepper, and mash.
6. Add the mashed potatoes on top of the lentil mixture.
7. Broil in the oven until the mashed potatoes are brownish.
8. Serve hot with a spatula, so the pie doesn't break. Enjoy!
   
   
   

If you’d like to see more vegan recipes, please don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter!

Hi, I’m Melina

I’m the creator of Sustainable Rookie, and my goal is to share what I learn throughout my sustainability journey, so that I can help other people live a more conscious life.

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy: