Need a hearty, flavorful, meatless dinner? Lentil Shepherds Pie is simple to make (one hour start to finish!), made with real food, and you can make it vegan or add some meat and use the lentils to stretch it!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.
This cozy, frugal Lentil Shepherds Pie meets two of my goals in the colder months:
- Find hearty meatless dinner recipes
- Find potato recipes both Chris (potato-lover) and I (not-such-a-potato-lover) enjoy
I first made it on a whim when I ran across the original recipe on Simple Bites years and years ago. This is my version, and not only is it a frugal, whole food meal for a cold winter night (or balmy southern winter night, in my case), its also easy to whip up from basic pantry staples.
Lentil Shepherds Pie is also a fairly quick, budget-friendly dinner. It only takes one hour, start to finish!
Vegan or Meatless Shepherds Pie
Just in case you need one more reason to try it, this recipe is easily adaptable for dairy-free or vegan diets. Coconut milk and almond milk work like a dream.
Not-Vegan Shepherds Pie
If you are not vegan or vegetarian, but you want to stretch your meat a little further, try this recipe and add a little browned ground beef to the lentil mixture! See the recipe for more detailed instructions.
Lentil Shepherds Pie
Get the recipe below (I wont make you scroll through paragraphs of backstory you dont care about). But check below it for nutrition information, tips, and ways this recipe helps us save money and eat healthy!
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo #cheapskatecook and @cheapskatecook on Instagram.
Lentil Shepherds Pie
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry green lentils, rinsed
- 2 lbs combination of potatoes and sweet potatoes, washed, peeled, and chopped (or pumpkin puree!)
- 2 tbsp butter (optional)
- 1/4 cup milk or dairy-free milk
- 1 tbsp oil or butter
- 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or other vinegar
- 1 tbsp ketchup or tomato paste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or a few drops of hot sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn (optional)
- 1 cup frozen green peas (optional)
Instructions
-
Pour lentils into a small saucepan and cover with broth or water (this is one of those few recipes in which itll be okay to cook lentils in just water) until broth or water level is one inch above lentils.
-
Turn burner to high and bring lentils to a boil Reduce heat, cover and allow lentils to cook for 20 minutes, until nearly soft but not quite.
-
Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium-sized saucepan, cover them with water, add a teaspoon of salt, and bring them to a boi. Reduce heat and simmer potatoes until they are tender and pierced easily with a fork.
-
Drain the lentils in a colander. Place the oil in the small saucepan the lentils cooked in and saut the onion until soft. Add oregano, spices, drained lentils, vinegar, ketchup and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the onions. Stir to combine. Add a splash of broth or water to the lentil mixture and allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
-
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
-
When potatoes are tender, drain them, transfer them to a large bowl and mash them well, blending together the sweet potatoes and regular potatoes. Stir in butter, milk, salt, and pepper, to taste.
-
Evenly spread the lentil mixture into a pie pan or 88inch baking dish, Sprinkling in the corn or peas, if using. Spread potatoes evenly on top of the lentil mixture. Bake the pie for 20-30 minutes, until heated through.
Notes
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn (not technically a vegetable, but whatever)
- 1 cup frozen mixed veggies
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1 cup riced cauliflower
- Substitute some of the potato mixture with steamed and pureed cauliflower
More Meatless Meals You Might Like:
- Cheesy Lentil Pie
- White Bean Chili
- Mostly Meatless Nacho Dip
- Egg & Cheese Muffins
- Clean-Out-The-Fridge Frittata
- Cumin Beans (Learn to Cook Dry Beans)
- The Cheapest One-Pot Macaroni & Cheese
- Githeri (Kenyan Corn & Beans)
Veggie-Loaded Plant-Based Shepherds Pie
This recipe is very carb-heavy, but you can add more veggies to it to help round out the meal! Try one or two of these ideas:
- 1 cup frozen sweet corn (not technically a vegetable, but whatever)
- 1 cup frozen mixed veggies
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1 cup riced cauliflower
- substitute some of the potato mixture with steamed pureed cauliflower
Muffin Tin Vegetarian Shepherds Pie
Want to make the shepherds pie for packed lunches or just something fun? Bake it in a muffin tin. Simply line the muffin tins with paper liners, divide the lentil mixture (try adding different veggie combinations from the list above to each mini pie!) among the 12 muffin tins, then top them with the potatoes. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through.
This Recipe Is:
Budget-Friendly
Real Food
Flavorful
Simple
Meatless
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten-free
Dairy-Free
Egg-Free
Plant-based
Kid-friendly
Make-Ahead
How Lentil Shepherds Pie Helps Us Save Money & Eat Healthy
Yay for plant-based meatless meals that still taste hearty! The vinegar, ketchup, and other seasonings make this Lentil Shepherds Pie filling and flavorful.
What You Can Do Now:
Do you like shepherds pie? Would you try a meatless version?
If you found this post helpful, let us know! Leave a comment, share it on Facebook or Pinterest, and follow us on Instagram or YouTube for more!
Slash your grocery budget and feed your family real food! Get simple, frugal, real food menu plans every month for FREE in the Cheapskate Cooks 1-Min Email. Get the next one here.
This post Simple Lentil Shepherds Pie appeared first on Cheapskate Cook.