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Autumn Veggie Shepherd’s Pie

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Autumn Veggie Shepherd's Pie | Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly
Comfort food is my favorite. I love the classics, but I also like to make my own variations of some of my favorite dishes. I’ve been making shepherd’s pie for my family for years. I usually make it lighter by using ground turkey instead of the traditional beef or lamb, but this time I wanted to make a veggie-rich, meat-free version to enjoy throughout the fall and winter season. 

Autumn Veggie Shepherd's Pie | Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly
The great thing about this dish is that it uses many ingredients that I always keep on hand, like dried lentils and an assortment of veggies. The lentils and mushrooms make a great meat alternative in this hearty dish and the blend of butternut squash, carrots, and sweet potato also help to make this meal both wholesome and satisfying.

Autumn Veggie Shepherd's Pie | Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly
This dish makes about 4 to 6 servings, depending on your appetite. You can serve it in a large casserole dish or in individual ramekins, as I like to do.

Top with the mashed potatoes and bake until bubbly. The nice thing about this humble pie, is that you can substitute any of the ingredients out for whatever you have on hand. Use white potatoes instead of the sweet potatoes or in place of the butternut squash. Add corn or green beans instead of peas or add a different bean in place of the lentils. You can even add ground meat for extra protein, although my meat-loving family thoroughly enjoyed this vegetarian meal. 🙂

Autumn Veggie Shepherd's Pie | Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly
Autumn Veggie Shepherd's Pie | Gluten-Free and Vegan Friendly
I hope you enjoy this fall-inspired shepherd’s pie! If you do, please let me know how you liked it in the comments below! 

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Autumn Veggie Shepherd’s Pie

  • Author: Joscelyn Abreu
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 mins
  • Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
Print Recipe

Description

A gluten-free, vegetarian version of the classic dish using hearty lentils and autumn veggies. Wholesome, healthy, but still equally delicious!

Ingredients

Scale

COOK LENTILS:

  • 1 cup dried green or brown Lentils
  • 4 cups water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 bay leaf

MASHED SWEET POTATOES:

  • 4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2–4 tablespoons butter (dairy free can be used)
  • 1–2 tablespoons Maple Syrup (honey, coconut sugar, or brown sugar can be used instead)
  • couple dashes of cinnamon, optional
  • pinch of salt

FILLING:

  • 2 tablespoons butter or oil of choice
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery chopped finely, (about 1/4 cup)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and chopped small
  • 1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped small
  • 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, stems removed and chopped
  • drained half-cooked lentils
  • 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence (can use dried thyme instead)
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper, or more to taste
  • 1 Bay Leaf, optional
  • 1–2 cups low sodium vegetable broth, more may be needed (adjust salt depending on sodium in broth)
  • 1/4 cup red wine (or 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar)
  • 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
  • few dashes of soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

COOK LENTILS:

  1. In a medium sized pot, combine 1 cup lentils, water, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, strain, discard bay leaf, and set aside to add to filling later.

MASHED SWEET POTATOES:

  1. Meanwhile, put peeled and chopped sweet potatoes into a large pot and cover with water. Place on the stove and bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and continue to simmer for 15–20 minutes, depending on how small you cut them, until tender. Drain water and return potatoes to the pot. Add butter, a pinch of salt, maple syrup, and cinnamon. Use a potato masher or mixer to blend potato mixture until fluffy. Cover and set aside for later.

FILLING:

  1. In a large pot or dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons of butter/oil. Add onion and celery. Sauté for 3-4 minutes and then add the garlic, squash, carrots, and mushrooms. Continue to cook until garlic and mushrooms are softened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in drained lentils, herbs, seasonings, 1/2 cup broth, red wine, tomato paste, and a few dashes of soy sauce. Cover pot and let cook over med-low heat for 5 minutes or so. Taste filling and add salt to taste. Continue to cook, adding broth little by little, to keep mixture moist. Right before veggies are almost tender, add frozen peas and additional broth, as needed. Cover and simmer 5 more minutes, or until lentils are tender.

PUTTING SHEPHERDS PIE TOGETHER:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F. Pour filling into a 2.5 quart oven safe dish or into 4-5 individual ramekin dishes. Top with sweet potato mash and spread evenly over filling. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until thoroughly heated and top is lightly browned.
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 60 mins
  • Category: Meal, Vegetarian, Vegan

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cathleen says

    Thank you! Had some picky eaters, so made both kinds of potatoes. Regular mashed (white) a nd brown butter. I preferred the regular with th err pie, but loved the brown butter mashed potatoes. Thank you for all of these flavorful recipes!!!

    Reply

  2. Cathleen says

    Thank you for tge quick respinse.I did make the brown butter mashed potatoes, which were amazing, as was the shepherd’s pie. I made regular mashed potatoes, too, nd preferred the regular with the pie. Thank you for these flavorful recipes!!!

    Reply

  7. Ashlyn @ A Mom In Training says

    Oh my, your pictures, the recipe, and the total presentation of your post is BEAUTIFUL, Joscelyn! How in the world did you manage to make everything look yummy AND take photos of them?! Genius. I’ve actually never tried lentils before. From the comments, looks like I’ll have to give them a try! I’m a horrible cook {my poor husband…} so it always amazes me to see food bloggers whip up some yummy goodness!

    Reply

    • Joscelyn | Wifemamafoodie says

      Aww, you’re so sweet! Thank you for the kind words, Ashlyn! I’ve only begun using lentils more in the last few years, but I love how much quicker they cook compared to regular dried beans. I love adding them to soups and stews for the extra fiber and protein. I haven’t always been the best cook, but I’ve learned so much over the years just by trying new recipes and because I love to eat 🙂 I’d say, just pick a recipe that looks good and go for it! Once you see how easy it is to make something you thought you could only get at a restaurant, it’s hard to stop! 😉

      Reply

  9. Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says

    I feel like we HAD to have cooked this on the same day, because lately I’ve been whipping up sweet potato/ground turkey shepherds pie like it’s my JOB. My son really loves it. My version is a little different but I am excited to try yours. You have a lot more filling in it than I do! YUMMMM!

    Reply

  18. Harriet Emily says

    This looks amazing Joscelyn! One of my favourite meals to make at home is a shepherd’s pie! I love how this is a lentil and veggie version – so healthy and delicious! I wish I could take one of those cute pots of this out of my screen so I could eat it right now! The sweet potato on top looks beautiful <3

    Reply

  20. Stacey @ Stacey Homemaker says

    I love every single ingredient in this recipe! Especially the lentils! They’re such a delicious meat replacement, and so affordable, too! I love how you serve them in individual ramekins, it makes the dish feel extra special! YUM!

    Reply

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