Comforting, Easy & Hearty Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Name: Comforting, Easy & Hearty Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion (-roughly chopped); 3 cloves garlic (-minced); 340 g soy-based crumble/veggie ground round (-I used Yves Veggie Ground); 2 carrots (-chopped); 1 tbsp fresh thyme (-minced, or 1 tsp dried); 1/4 tsp chili flakes; 1 tsp salt (-divided); 3/4 tsp black pepper (-divided); 2 tbsp tomato paste; 19 oz can lentils (-rinsed and drained); 2 cups mushroom broth (unsalted) (-or vegetable broth (unsalted), divided); 1 cup frozen peas; 1 cup frozen corn; 2 tbsp all purpose flour; 2 lbs sweet potatos (-cut into chunks); 1/4 cup almond milk; 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (-optional); 1/4 tsp nutmeg

January 27, 2019 Updated: April 18, 2019 By Dawn Coombs 31 Comments

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This super hearty Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is packed with protein, fibre and veggies. It’s baked up bubbling hot in a cast iron skillet for one comforting and delicious meal!

A little while back I shared a traditional shepherd’s pie with lamb and a lovely horseradish mash. Today I’m mixing things up a bit with this vegan shepherd’s pie. If you’re a ‘meat-n-potatoes’ kinda person, honestly, you’re not gonna miss the meat at all! This one is super hearty and always hits the spot on a cold day….and we all need food like that this time of year, don’t we?

What Goes in a Vegan Shepherd’s Pie?

For the ‘meaty’ component of this vegan shepherd’s pie I used a combination of lentils and a veggie ground round (‘Yves Veggie Ground Round’ (not sponsored, just a product I legit enjoy to use and eat)). You can find the ‘ground round’ in your grocery store typically where you would find tofu. The lentils and ground round really add a substantial base to this shepherd’s pie.

Other ingredients are –

Olive oil
Onion
Garlic
Carrot
Peas
Corn
Sweet Potato
Seasonings/herbs
Mushroom stock
Tomato Paste
Flour (to thicken)
Almond milk and nutritional yeast (for the sweet potatoes)

How to Make Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

You would make a vegan shepherd’s pie much in the same way you would a classic shepherd’s pie….just instead of using a protein like lamb, you would use a vegan alternative. So, to make this vegan shepherd’s pie you simply –

Cook onions for a few minutes. Then, add garlic and cook for a minute.
Add veggie ground round, carrots, thyme, stock, chili, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until carrots start to get a lil’ tender.
Add lentils, peas and corn.
Stir in flour.
Pour over remaining stock and cook for a a couple minutes.
Spread sweet potato mash over top and bake!

I love to have some textural interest to the sweet potato mash, so I don’t smooth them out. Run a spoon over top so there’s peaks and valleys in the mash.

Tips for Making this Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato

Don’t chop the carrots too thick ’cause you want them to cook tender. You want ’em about this big—>

I used sweet potato mash here, but you could use regular tatos if you like.
Speaking of mash, I just used salt, pepper, nutmeg and almond milk If you want them a little richer, feel free to add a dab or two of vegan butter.
I used mushroom broth here from dehydrated mushrooms. This really adds a rich punch of savoury flavour. All you do is soak about a cup of mushrooms in some water for about 15 minutes or so. Strain mushrooms and use stock. If you don’t have mushroom stock (or prefer not to use it), veggie stock always works good.
Place a sheet pan under the cast iron pot when you bake this vegan shepherd’s pie. It will catch any mess that may bubble over. Ain’t nobody got time for cleaning a messy stove, am I right?

Variations for this Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Mash

Other veggies could be substituted or added to the mix, like celery or mushrooms.
Don’t have sweet potato or prefer not to use? Try regular potato.
Sub the mushroom stock with veggie stock.

Other Easy Comfort Food Recipes you May Enjoy

Hope you love this vegan shepherd’s pie as much as I do!

Until next time, take care and chit chat again soon 🙂

~Dawn

P.S. If you think this vegan shepherd’s pie will make your belly happy too, please be sure to hit that Pin button. Many thanks, you guys! XO

An overhead shot of a skillet of vegan shepherd' pie garnished with fresh thyme.

5 from 13 votes