This vegetarian lentil shepherd's pie replaces the traditional meat with legumes and keeps all the umami flavor of a meaty dish with caramelized onions and mushrooms. The topping is a combination of cauliflower and potatoes mashed with butter, sour cream, and heavy cream.
There are lots of make-ahead options to serve this as a week-night dinner. Or make it for Sunday dinner or a St. Patrick's Day vegetarian main dish.
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This vegetarian lentil shepherd's pie is all about comfort food. It's hearty, filling, and packed with flavor. It's perfect on chilly nights or for a vegetarian main dish on St. Patrick's Day. And if you're planning a vegetarian St. Patrick's Day dinner, check out this articles for loads of ideas.
This dish is enough of a dinner to stand on its own, but it's also great served with roasted carrots and potato dinner rolls.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- Deeply flavored with lots of umami flavor from mushrooms, caramelized onion, and tomato paste.
- Make the lentil filling ahead to make this a quick weeknight dinner.
- Comfort food the whole family will love.
- Excellent protein from lentils.
🧅 Main Ingredients + Notes
The secret to faster and easier meals often lies in the ingredients. For example, store-bought items and ingredients you make ahead and store in the refrigerator (or freezer) can turn a 60-minute recipe into a 30-minute meal or less.
For all of the ingredients, measurements, and directions, go to the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie Filling
- Green (French) lentils - these lentils are best as they hold their shape well during cooking.
- Fresh thyme
- Yellow onion
- Cremini mushrooms - also called button and baby bella mushrooms.
- Beer - use an amber ale or Guinness
- Vegetarian broth - or Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Paste.
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Tomato paste
- Dried thyme
Mashed Potatoes Topping
- Russet potatoes - Yukon gold potatoes are fine too.
- Cauliflower
- Unsalted butter
- Sour Cream
- Whipping Cream
- Parsley
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🔪 Recommended Equipment
Having the right equipment for recipes makes prepping much easier. For more fuss-free prepping and cooking, check out my updated list of favorite kitchen tools and equipment.
- Dutch oven or heavy pot to cook the lentils
- Oven-proof deep skillet or Dutch oven to cook the filling
- Vegetable peeler
- Chef's knife
- Large pot to boil the potatoes and cauliflower
- Colander
- Potato masher
- Wooden spoon
📝 Instructions Overview
Detailed instructions for making this vegetarian lentil shepherd's pie are in the recipe card below, but here's an overview!
Step 1
Cook the lentils. Cook the green lentils on the stovetop or in your Instant Pot. Cooking them in broth infuses great flavor into the legume.
Step 2
Caramelize the veggies. While the lentils cook, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed deep skillet that's oven-proof. Add the onions and cook until they begin to caramelize. Add the mushrooms, toss, and cook until they begin to caramelize with the onions.
Step 3
Finish the filling. Add the beer, broth, carrots, cauliflower, tomato paste, and dried thyme to the caramelized onions and mushrooms. Scrape up any font (dark crust) that may have developed on the bottom of the pan for concentrated flavor. Simmer until the carrots are tender.
Step 4
Make the topping. While the filling simmers, bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook the potatoes and cauliflower until tender. Drain and return the potatoes and cauliflower back to the pot with butter, sour cream, and heavy cream. Mash until smooth, and season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Step 5
Broil. Spoon the mashed potato-cauliflower topping onto the stew and gently spread with a silicone spatula. Slide the skillet under the broiler to lightly toast the top.
🎯 Why This Recipe Works
- Caramelized onions and mushrooms add a ton of umami to the shepherd's pie filling.
- Cauliflower reduces the carbs of the mashed potato topping and lightens it.
- French lentils, also called green lentils, hold their shape through cooking and don't become mushy.
- Baking this lentil shepherd's pie in the oven for too long can dry it out, so I prefer to cook it on the stovetop and just use the broiler at the end. If you opt for baking it to cook the carrots and cauliflower, you may need to add additional broth to the filling.
⏰ Tips to Simplify and Save Time
- Cook the lentils in advance, or use the Instant Pot to save time.
- Caramelize the onions and mushrooms in advance and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the skillet before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Make the entire filling and topping ahead of time and refrigerate separately for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Warm them on the stovetop or in a microwave oven, assemble them, and broil the casserole as a finishing touch.
👩🍳 Do
- When caramelizing the onions and mushrooms, don't move them around the skillet very much. Only toss them around every 3 - 4 minutes so that they have good contact with the skillet. They need that consistent contact to caramelize.
- Adjust the amount of broth for how soupy or thick you prefer the filling.
- If you use unsalted vegetable broth, you will need to add salt. If you use Better Than Bouillon instead, no additional salt may be required.
💡Ideas for Possible Variations
- Use all potatoes or all cauliflower instead of making the topping with a combination of both.
- Add Parmesan cheese to the topping.
- Substitute Colcannon (Irish Mashed Potatoes with Cabbage) for the topping.
- Substitute red wine for the beer.
- Experiment with other kinds of mushrooms.
- Top with chopped parsley or chives before serving.
Don't have time to run to the grocery store? Order the ingredients for this recipe using Instacart (affiliate link). Just click on the Instacart button in the recipe card below, and the ingredients will all be organized for you on their site. Plug in your zip code, choose the store you prefer, and select the ingredients you want delivered to your home.
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Best Ever Vegetarian Lentil Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
Lentil Shepherd's Pie Filling
- ¾ cup dried French Lentils also called green lentils
- 5 cups water, divided
- 4 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon Roasted Vegetable Paste, divided
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup beer, preferably an amber beer or red wine
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- ¾ cup sliced cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
Shepherd's Pie Topping
- 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and quartered 2 medium potatoes
- ½ pound cauliflower florets 3 - 4 large florets
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or chives
Instructions
- Cook the lentils. Rinse the lentils and bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil in a medium heavy-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven. Reduce to a simmer and add the lentils, 2 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon Roasted Vegetable Paste, and the sprigs of fresh thyme.Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Check on the pot periodically to ensure the liquid doesn't completely boil off. Add and additional ½ cup of water if needed. Set aside.A little liquid will likely be left over when the lentils are done.
- Caramelization. While the lentils cook, melt the butter in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and sauté until they become lightly browned. Reduce the heat to medium, and continue to cook until parts of the onions are a darker brown, about 20 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté for another 15 minutes. The entire mixture will be deeply aromatic with the caramelization, and a brown fond, or coating, will develop on the bottom of the pan.
- Simmer. Add the beer and simmer for a few minutes until most of it has been absorbed or cooked off. Add the remaining 2 ½ cups of water and stir in 2 teaspoons of the Better Than Bouillon Paste. Bring to a low simmer.Add the carrots, cauliflower, tomato paste, and dried thyme. Simmer until the carrots are tender. Add all of the beans and any remaining liquid (there shouldn't be more than a couple of tablespoons of liquid).
- Make the topping. Bring a medium-sized pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the quartered potatoes and cauliflower florets. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender.Remove ½ cup of the potato water and drain the potatoes and cauliflower. Return them to the pot. Over low heat, add the butter and sour cream. Mash the potatoes and cauliflower into the butter and sour cream using a potato masher. Add the heavy cream or reserved potato water if the potatoes need it.
- Assemble. Drop spoonfuls of the mashed potatoes over the shepherd's pie filling, and gently smooth it using a silicone spatula. Turn on the broiler, and slide the skillet under it for 5-10 minutes to brown the top.Sprinkle the top with chopped parsley or chives and serve warm.
Gisela
My vegan family arrives on St. Patrick's day. This recipe, with vegan ingredients fits the bill.
Thank you, Susan.
Linda ONeill
Definitely going to make this. Thank you for including it. As an aside, may I say I'll be so happy when the cauliflower-in-everything madness has subsided.
Lisa
I left out the cauliflower in the pie and added carrots and green peas just because I was craving a pot pie. The carmelization process at the beginning added so much flavor. My carnivore hubs liked it too. Thank you
Rebecca
This is soo flavorful. Better Than Bouillon is incredible at adding flavors and the caramelized onions and mushrooms seal the deal. I had enough to make two pies!
I ended up with some extra liquid when all the filling came together so I ended up dropping about a cup of a frozen veggie mix (broccoli, cauliflower florets, and more carrots) and it added the bulk I was looking for. But without, it would've been juicier, so I think the recipe is fabulous as-is.
Susan Pridmore
Great feedback!! Thank you so much for letting me know the changes you tried. I agree there was extra liquid making it more stew-like and when I reheated it the next day it had been absorbed some. I'm so happy you liked it. And yes Better Than Bouillon is amazing!!