A warming vegan shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash and filled with plant based goodness. This is a homecook classic made with earthy lentils and vegan mince in a rich, red wine sauce and lovingly topped with a buttery mash.
The filling
Onion, garlic and carrots form the basis of all good pies and stews. Add a generous splash of wine and you have a rich, full flavoured sauce in minutes. Use both lentils and vegan mince for a shepherd’s pie with substance. Woodsy green lentils retain their shape well and add a pleasant plant based meatiness to the dish.
The topping
The sweetness of the mash is balanced with the warmth of the cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix in margarine and oat milk for an irresistibly creamy topping. Replacing white potatoes with the sweet variety produces a lighter, more elegant shepherd’s pie. The sweet potato mash is a pleasure to work with, being playfully whipped and molded to form soft peaks over the meaty filling. Scatter over a mix of golden breadcrumbs and nutritional yeast and pop under the grill for a slightly cheesy crisp crust.
The method
Simmer the mince and lentil filling uncovered for at least 15 minutes; this allows the flavours to develop and the sauce to reduce. Then scoop out into a rectangular casserole dish. I always spread the sweet potato mash in two stages. The first layer inevitably gets mixed with the mince filling and doesn’t look all too appetising. Spreading over the second layer and forking over a pattern, albeit a very basic pattern, goes a long way in satisfying the perfectionist in me.
Minimise on food waste
This vegan shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash does call for a lot of halving of foods and tins so why not double up and make two shepherd’s pies? Freeze one and save for next weeks dinner. This saves time on cooking and reduces food waste. A win win scenario.
Let me know how you get on making this recipe by leaving a comment. I’d love to see your creations over on instagram!
More autumnal dinner recipes
Shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash
Ingredients
For the topping
- 650 g sweet potatoes (approximately 2 large potatoes) peeled and chopped into large chunks
- 25 g dairy free margarine
- 4 tablespoons oat/almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Good pinch of nutmeg
- 10 g breadcrumbs
- 1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast
For the filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 brown onion finely chopped
- 1 carrot diced
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 200 g vegan mince
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 100 mls red wine
- 1/2 vegetable stock cube in 550mls boiled water
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 200 g tinned green lentils drained and rinsed
- 200 g chopped tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan sauté the onion, garlic and carrot for 5 minutes over a moderate heat.
- Add the tomato purée, vegan mince, herbs, paprika and cook for a further minute.
- Pour in the wine and allow to reduce over a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and soy sauce. Add the green lentils, tinned tomatoes and bay leaf and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan boil the potatoes until softened, approximately 15 minutes.
- Pre heat the oven to 200°C/ fan 180°C / gas 6.
- Drain the potatoes and mash along with the milk, margarine, nutmeg and cinnamon.
- Return to the mince. Season generously with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaf. Spread the mince and lentil mix into a rectangular casserole dish. Spread half the mashed potato over the top and smooth into an even layer. Then spread the remaining mash and use a fork to form soft peaks. Scatter over the breadcrumb and nutritional yeast.
- Cook in the oven for 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Then place under a hot grill for 3-5 minutes to allow the top to brown and crispen.