Forget any stereotypes that vegan food is boring! This vegan shepherds pie recipe is bursting with flavour and is a great family dinner.
What’s great about this meal is that you don’t have to be vegan to enjoy it.
We asked meat eaters what they thought about the flavour and texture of the pie and the feedback was that it was a great alternative.
What to make a vegan for dinner
This shepherds pie is a really tasty option, any vegan will really appreciate the effort you’ve made.
They will be delighted to see that they are not presented with just a plate full of vegetables!
We know it’s not your traditional shepherds pie which is made with lamb, hence the name, it was a pie made for the shepherds tending to the sheep.
But you genuinely don’t need lamb for a tasty vegetarian dinner.
If you are taking part in Veganary (in January) then this will definitely satisfy a healthy appetite.
You may want to take a look at some other options for when you are cooking for vegans.
Our tasty jackfruit curry and saag aloo make a lovely meal, add in rice and you’ve got a real winner there!
I’m not a vegan, can I have a vegetarian version of this shepherd pie recipe?
Of course you can. That’s no problem and it’s very easy to switch this recipe to a vegetarian one.
All you need to do is use butter rather than dairy free butter and dairy milk rather than plant based milk – that’s it – simple eh?
What can I serve with vegan shepherds pie?
Many vegetables work very well with this shepherds pie so you’re able to choose what you personally enjoy eating or whateer is in season.
Vegetables such as peas, carrots, courgettes (zucchini), broccoli, Brussel sprouts or cauliflower all add to this delicious hearty meal.
How do I make vegan shepherds pie from scratch?
We’re glad you asked! Below you will see a very easy to follow guide, which will take you through the whole process.
Enjoy your meal!
Vegan Shepherds Pie
Utensils
- Oven
- 2 x Large pans (we used one saucepan and one wok)
- Lasagne dish approximately 32cm x 20cm
- Food processor
- Chopping board
- Sharp knife
- Potato masher or ricer
- Colander
- Garlic mincer
Ingredients
- 2 Red onions
- 2 Sticks of celery
- 4 Sun dried tomatoes and 2 tablespoons of the oil
- 4 Sprigs of thyme
- 2 Sprigs of rosemary
- 1 Carrot
- 550 g Mushrooms
- 2 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1 tbsp Yeast extract we used marmite
- 250 ml Red wine if you've an unfinished bottle, use this
- 100 ml Vegetable stock
- 500 g Puy lentils precooked
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 kg Potatoes Maris Piper are ideal
- 40 g Dairy free butter
- 150 ml Unsweetened plant based milk
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 Clove of garlic
- 3 tbsp Madras powder
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 180°C
For the topping
- Peel your potatoes and then chop them into chinks
- Place them into a saucepan and cover them with cold water and a pinch of salt
- Bring the water to the boil and then cook them until they are soft – approximately 12 minutes
- Now drain them and place them back in the pan with the lid on
Prepare your vegetables
- Remove the ends and leaves and chop the celery finely
- Peel and and chop the onions finely
- Chop the sun dry tomatoes in to rough small pieces
- Now remove the leaves from the stalks of the rosemary and thyme, you can do this by holding the bottom end of the sprig and firmly running your forefinger and thumb to the top, then chop all of the leaves finely
- Remove the ends of the garlic and then peel them
- Remove the ends, peel the carrot and then finely chop it
- Ensure the mushrooms are clean and then place them in your food processor and blitz them until they are well minced
Cooking the filling
- Now place your saucepan on a medium heat and then use the sundried tomato oil
- Place in the onion, stir and fry them for 5 minutes
- Then mince in the garlic, thyme, rosemary, a pinch of salt and the madras powder and give it a good stir and fry for 2 minutes
- Then add in the celery and carrot and keep stirring for 4 minutes
- Add in the minced mushrooms and now you need to turn up the heat and cook them until they start to sweat
- Then turn down the heat and cook them for a further 5 minutes, making sure you give them an occasional stir
- It's now time to add in the tomato puree, the balsamic vinegar and the yeast extract, give it a good stir to blend the ingredients together and cook for 1 minute
- Now add in the lentils, stock and the red wine, once again give a good stir and turn the heat up and leave it simmering for approximately 9 -11 minutes until most of the liquid has gone – be careful not to let it go too dry though, you do need a moist filling
- Season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from the heat
- Take your potatoes and add in the milk, mustard and butter and mash them, then smoother you can get the mash, the better – don't forget to season
- Take your lasagne dish and fill the base of it with the filling mixture
- Then spoon the mashed potato on top and try to get it as evenly distributed and then take a fork and use the back of the prongs to draw lines lengthways down the pie topping, this means that the lines will becoming lovely and brown
- Place the dish in the oven and then bake it for around 30 minutes but do keep an eye on it and when it's looks deliciously golden brown you can take it out
- Serve with vegetables
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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