Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Easy Lentil Shepherd's Pie (vegetarian)
Lentils and mushrooms beneath a browned potato topping make a pie with plenty of savory appeal. The sauce gathers around the vegetables, ready for a generous spoonful of mash alongside. It's a welcoming dinner to settle into when you want something substantial and comforting.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 60 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Original yield
- Serves 6
- Ingredients
- 16 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Beans & lentils
- Cuisine
- American · Irish · British & Irish
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 16–30 minutes · Total: over 60 minutes
- Dish type
- Casseroles
A few quick notes
1. Keep the lentil broth
Add the cooked lentils with their broth to the vegetables so that liquid becomes the sauce.
2. Simmer uncovered
Let the filling simmer uncovered, adding broth as needed to maintain a sauce around the lentils.
3. Brown the potato top
Bake the filled pie until the mashed potato topping has browned before serving it.
Get to know the ingredients
Lentils
Brown or green lentils work; simmer them covered in broth until tender before combining the filling.
Peas
Thaw the frozen peas before stirring them into the lentil and vegetable sauce to simmer.
Mashed potatoes
Use prepared mashed potatoes for the topping, spreading them over the filling in the deep-dish pie plate.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 6. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Easy Lentil Shepherd's Pie (vegetarian)
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
A browned finish
Finish the bake with browned potatoes above the lentil filling, which thickens further as it cools.
A little more help as you go
Flour after softening
Stir the flour into the softened vegetables and cook it briefly before adding the liquid ingredients.
Broth for the sauce
The sauce thickens during baking and cooling, so keep the filling saucy before adding the potatoes.
A few questions you might have
Can I use frozen vegetables?
Yes, the fresh vegetables can be replaced with the frozen vegetable amount given for this filling.
Which Worcestershire should I choose for a vegetarian pie?
Choose vegetarian Worcestershire sauce and the vegetable broth option to match the vegetarian ingredients.
When does the parsley go in?
Stir it into the simmered lentil filling before seasoning and transferring it to the pie plate.
Do I drain the lentils?
No, their cooking broth goes into the filling along with the tender lentils themselves.
Should the onion and carrot be fully crunchy?
Cook them until softened before stirring in the flour and combining them with the lentils.
Any more cooking tips?
Fresh vegetables can be substituted with 1 1/2 cups frozen vegetables. Keep in mind the sauce will thicken while baking and while cooling. I usually end up adding the full 4 cups of broth to this recipe. Simmer to thicken slightly.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: spendwithpennies.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
