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Lazy Cat Kitchen

A food blog with plant-based recipes from all over the world

Vegan shepherd’s pie

November 2, 2019 by Ania - 27

comfort food, easy, gluten-free, healthy, wintergo to recipe

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vegan shepherds pie cutting

This weekend, we are finalising our paint choice for the living room as builders will start knocking down the dividing wall on Monday. I realise that I have made some bold claims about painting the room dark teal, then I moved on to just middle of the road (known as midtone in paint speak 😉 ) blue or blue-green and now I’ve done the exact opposite and retreated to safe greys. Yup, I am not proud! I will tell you why – cos I don’t have the courage to paint my essentially north facing (although a bit east facing too) living room any of the cold colours I so love. I will need to wait with that till I move to the sunnier part of the house, AKA the kitchen and my future office.

For now, it’s all about warm grey, i.e. grey without any blue or green in it and with a touch of pink or yellow instead. Not my favourite colour on its own by any means – in fact, I find it a bit dull, but when you put it in the actual living room it sort of comes to life, it suddenly becomes a bit cooler yet still inviting. It’s possibly a touch darker than I would like and a touch lighter than Duncan would like so we settled on that happy medium. It will create a soft contrast with the cornice and will hopefully bounce the light around the room a little and won’t jar with the newly opened kitchen-diner. Time will tell if this vision comes to fruition, but we are hoping that a funky sofa, good lighting, nice window dressing and some artwork should hopefully banish any ‘greige’ (grey beige) dullness we are so afraid of.

Foodwise, I continue my need for comfort food with a quintessentially English bake – vegan shepherd’s pie (also known as cottage pie to some, I think). As opposed to an actual pie, it is actually really easy to make as making decent mashed potatoes isn’t anywhere near as challenging as making good pastry. I made it for my lovely Scottish cousin Thea (whom I last saw 8 years ago, unforgivable!) and her two boys a few weeks ago and it went down a storm. I tinkered with the recipe a bit more and here it is.

The original Shepherd’s pie features meat mince but since we no longer consider animals food in this household, I’ve swapped up mincemeat for ground up chickpeas so that not one more “gunning for vegans” person can ask me where I get my protein from…I used raw, soaked overnight chickpeas and allowed them to cook in the sauce, but if that doesn’t appeal to you for whatever reason, feel free to use cooked chickpeas (undercooking them a little is a good idea as you don’t want them overcooked by the time the bake comes out of the oven) or small, firm (not mushy) lentils like Puy or speckled brown lentils or good soy mince. Lots of options here so use whatever takes your fancy.

PS: If you make vegan shepherd’s pie, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram as @lazycatkitchen and use the #lazycatkitchen hashtag. I love seeing your takes on my recipes!

vegan shepherds pie proccess

vegan shepherds pie assembly

vegan shepherds pie baked

vegan shepherds pie close up

vegan shepherds pie table

5.00 from 7 votes
Print
  • makes: 1 large tray
  • prep: 30 min
  • cooking: 120 min

Ingredients

MINCE LAYER

  • 12 g / 0.4 oz dried porcini mushrooms (optional, but recommended)
  • 2 tbsp / 30 ml olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced*
  • 3 large garlic cloves, finely diced*
  • 2 celery stalks, very finely diced*
  • 1 large carrot, very finely diced*
  • 250 g / 10 oz chestnut mushrooms, finely diced*
  • 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves chopped finely
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/3 tsp grated nutmeg
  • a good pinch of chilli (optional)
  • approx. 1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
  • 120 ml / ½ cup vegan red wine (or vegan stock)
  • 2 cups soaked overnight (raw) chickpeas or cooked chickpeas (I recommend undercooking a touch)**
  • 2 x 400 g / 14 oz tins quality peeled plum tomatoes
  • 1 tsp date syrup or sugar (optional, adjust to taste)
  • black pepper, to taste

POTATO LAYER

  • 1.2 kg / 42 oz starchy potatoes, I used Maris Piper
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or vegan butter, plus extra to drizzle
  • approx. 240 ml / 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or cashew cream*** (for extra indulgence)
  • approx. ½ tsp salt, more to taste
  • a good pinch of grated nutmeg, adjust to taste
  • black pepper, to taste

Method

MINCE LAYER

  1. Rinse the dried mushrooms well to get rid of any grit and place them in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water.
  2. Heat up the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the diced onion and sauté on a low heat for a few minutes, until the onions are almost translucent, but not coloured.
  3. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes.
  4. Finally add the diced celery, carrot and chestnut mushrooms. Sauté, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes or so.
  5. Meanwhile, chop the rehydrated dry mushrooms (do not throw the liquid away) very finely.
  6. Add the diced dry mushrooms to the pan, together with the chopped rosemary leaves, whole thyme sprigs, bay leaves, smoked paprika, nutmeg, chilli (if using) and 1 tsp of salt. Stir everything around for a minute or so.
  7. Add the mushroom stock, being careful not to tip over the grit that sometimes gathers at the bottom of the dish.
  8. After the mixture comes to a gentle simmer, add the wine and allow it to bubble gently for a few minutes so that the harsh taste of alcohol cooks out, for about 10 minutes.
  9. Grind your chickpeas in a food processor until their texture resembles mince. Be careful not to overprocess.
  10. Add both tomato cans and about 1 cup (240 ml) of water (I like to rinse my cans with it first).
  11. If you used plum tomatoes, like I did, break them up with a spoon first. Put the lid on and allow the sauce to bubble on a low-medium heat until the tomatoes have broken down (about 30 minutes). If using raw, soaked chickpeas, throw them in now and allow them to cook in the sauce, topping up with extra water if the pan is starting to look dry. If using cooked chickpeas add them in at the very end.
  12. Once the tomatoes have broken down, take the lid off and start reducing the sauce on a low-medium heat. If the pan is starting to look a bit too dry, add another cup of water and cook until you achieve the desired consistency. Remember to give the sauce a good stir from time to time to ensure that the middle of the pan does not burn. Leave the ‘mince’ on a wetter side as it will lose some further moisture in the oven.
  13. Season with more salt if needed, date syrup or sugar (if needed) and black pepper.

POTATO LAYER

  1. Cook your potatoes in plenty of water until tender.
  2. Mash hot potatoes with a potato ricer (recommended) or masher until smooth.
  3. Work fat (olive oil or vegan butter), almond milk and seasoning into the potatoes until smooth and fluffy. Adjust the consistency to your liking by adding less or more almond milk, but remember that the potatoes will dry out while baking so make sure your mash is moist.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Preheat the oven to 225° C / 435° F.
  2. Spread mince layer at the bottom of a baking dish and dot with the mashed potato mixture. Spread the potato mixture evenly, brush the top with an extra tablespoon of olive oil and then using the back of a fork, make grooves all over the potato layer in whatever pattern you see fit (no rules here).
  3. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the top gets a little crispy and golden-brown. For neater-looking slices allow the bake to cool a little before cutting.

Notes

*If you want to speed things up, use a food processor to chop all your veggies, but take care not to overprocess, especially when it comes to the mushrooms. I found that the best way is to chop them into chunks first and then watch them, larger bits are preferable to soggy mush.

**Alternatively, you could use 2 cups of cooked firm lentils (like Puy lentils, for example) or 100 g / 1½ cups non-GMO soy mince (also known as textured vegetable protein or TVP) rehydrated in water or stock for at least 30 minutes.

***Cashews soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, drained and blended with cold water until creamy and smooth. I would go for ¾ cup cashews to 1¼ cup of water for thick cream.

If you want more info on some of the ingredients that we use in our recipes, check out our glossary.
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This recipe has been written by Ania. She is the cook, stylist and photographer behind Lazy Cat Kitchen. You can read about her journey into food blogging here. You can also check her out on Pinterest and Instagram.

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    Comments

    Leave a comment

  1. Jennifer says

    November 4, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    Looks delicious! 1.2kg potatoes peeled or unpeeled?

    Reply
  2. Jacquie N says

    November 8, 2019 at 1:34 am

    Shepherds Pie and Cottage Pie are not the same thing. Shepherds Pie is made with lamb (as in sheep / shepherd) while Cottage Pie is made with beef. Not a distinction that vegans need trouble themselves about obviously!
    Nice recipe – I like the idea of the chestnuts in the mix.

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 8, 2019 at 2:00 pm

      Thanks for commenting, Jacquie! I did not know that and I am pretty sure that I have had the former with beef before I went vegan. As you say, this isn’t very relevant to a vegan as we eat no animals whatsoever.

      Reply
  3. Sam says

    November 11, 2019 at 1:52 pm

    Plan to make this at the weekend for the kids. They love the bolognese so I suspect this will go down a treat!

    FYI – ref painting; I had the same dilemma when painting our north facing front room. I braved the darkness and went for Farrow and Ball Hague Blue, and I’m so glad I did! It looks amazing and is super cosy at this time of year, especially when the wood burner is going! Wish I could upload a photo for you! 🙂

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 11, 2019 at 2:47 pm

      Great to hear, Sam! I hope your kids will enjoy my meat-less version of this classic dish.
      What a great choice, I bet it looks stunning. I absolutely love Hague Blue from F&B and if were didn’t knock the living room / dining room wall down, it would have been a strong contender for sure, but as it is we went for Cornforth White to keep the entire of downstairs light and airy. Fingers crossed it will work out. x Ania

      Reply
  4. mandy ellison says

    November 14, 2019 at 7:13 pm

    .4 of an ounce is such a tiny amount of mushrooms. Does it make much of a difference?

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 15, 2019 at 1:47 pm

      Hi Mandy,

      It does seem like a tiny amount as these are dried mushrooms so very light, but they have bags of flavour so they do add to the overall taste a great deal. You can skip though if you don’t have any, of course. Ania

      Reply
  5. claire says

    November 14, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    hi there! this looks amazing – wondering if it could be made earlier in the day or night before and re-heated before serving? let me know if that would work/any details around re-heating. 🙂 thank you!

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 15, 2019 at 3:21 pm

      Hi Claire,

      Sure thing, I think it would be best to assemble just before reheating, but if that’s not an option, I am pretty sure it does not matter so much in this case. The oven temp should be the same if it is the first time you are actually baking it as a whole. Hope that helps! Ania

      Reply
  6. Laana says

    November 16, 2019 at 1:28 am

    Turned out surprisingly good! A bit time consuming though. I was honestly worried cause the sauce looked like some weird mess, but after it was baked everything settled into a neat and tasty dish. I skipped porcini and substituted red wine with white. Made potato mash with the water used to cook the potatoes (the best and most unpretentious way in my opinion; thanks granddad who taught me this trick) and vegan butter. Thank you for another great recipe!

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 16, 2019 at 1:31 pm

      Great to hear Laana! Thank you for taking the time to review and rate this recipe – much appreciated! Ania

      Reply
  7. Helen says

    November 16, 2019 at 2:28 pm

    I made this during the week and it was absolutely delicious – went down a storm with my omni partner too! Thanks so much for sharing 😊

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 16, 2019 at 5:33 pm

      Great to hear, Helen and thanks for taking the time to leave such a nice feedback – much appreciated! Ania

      Reply
  8. Bryan says

    November 20, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    This is excellent!
    I left out the red wine, used fresh tomatoes (peeled and chopped) instead of tinned (leaving out the date syrup/sugar, which I guess is there to balance the acidity of the tinned toms). I used brown lentils (Spanish, from a jar) instead of chickpeas. And I used plain mash, rather than the deluxe version given here, because I ran out of time.
    Result? Absolutely fabulous. I have several recipes for a vegetarian/vegan cottage pie – this is easily the best. Thanks Ania!

    Reply
    • Ania says

      November 21, 2019 at 6:26 pm

      Thank you Bryan, I am delighted that you enjoyed it so much and thank you for taking the time to let me know. x Ania

      Reply
  9. Maria Davies says

    June 11, 2020 at 6:19 pm

    Any idea what the calorie count is please? Made this and it was yummy! Thank you

    Reply
    • Ania says

      June 11, 2020 at 7:22 pm

      Hi Maria,

      No, no idea, I am afraid. I don’t have any means of making these calculations rather than manually, which is a big project for 500 recipes. I am glad you enjoyed the dish. Ania

      Reply
  10. Jenna says

    January 28, 2021 at 11:18 pm

    I’ve been vegan for over 30 years and have never used chickpeas like this as a replacement for what would traditionally be meat! It is BRILLIANT! I will use this sub in lots of other things now!! My version of this turned out so yummy! I despise mushrooms, so I left them out, altered to herbs to my taste (no nutmeg, no chili, and no sugar), subbed tomato sauce since I didn’t have whole tomatoes, and added chopped kale and a layer of organic green peas on top before adding the mash. Also, to make this quick and lower cal, I used Bob’s Red Mills potato flakes made with just water to make the mashed potatoes. IT IS SO GOOD and WILL BE A GOTO FROM NOW ON! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Ania says

      January 29, 2021 at 2:12 am

      Great to hear that it was a hit with you, Jenna. And thanks so much for taking the time to review – much appreciated. Ania

      Reply
  11. jenna says

    January 28, 2021 at 11:19 pm

    You can easily calculate calories with http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator! I use it all the time. 🙂

    Reply
    • Ania says

      January 29, 2021 at 2:13 am

      Thanks, Jenna! I will keep it in mind when I’m redoing my website. Sure, it is easy to do for a couple of recipes but I have 6 years worth of recipes so it’s definitely a lot of work! Ania

      Reply
  12. jenna says

    February 3, 2021 at 11:23 pm

    Hi Ania! I actually wrote the calorie info intended for the other commenter (I tried to respond to her comment, but looks likeit just appeared as a new comment) – anyone could figure out the calories with fitness pal if you don’t have them on your site. <3

    Reply
    • Ania says

      February 4, 2021 at 1:16 pm

      Hi Jenna,

      Thank you. You have to hit reply next to the person you are conversing with, but it may be that it doesn’t work so well, apologies. We will be moving to a new website in two months so I will make sure all these things are fixed. Ania

      Reply
  13. Eloise Horsfield says

    February 17, 2021 at 12:50 pm

    Hi Ania! Love love love your recipes.
    What weight are you using for the cup measurement here, for the lentils?
    Thank you
    Eloise

    Reply
    • Ania says

      February 17, 2021 at 1:06 pm

      Hi Eloise,

      Thank you, that’s so nice to hear. The weight depends on what is in the cup of course. Unfortunately, I did not weigh the lentils at the time of writing this recipe as it was a last minute addition, but the Internet (source here) says it’s about 200 g per cup. Otherwise just measure out 500 ml (two glasses/cups) of cooked lentils – as it’s not a cake recipe, it’s not an issue if that’s not 100% precise. I will update the weight next time I cook lentils for a meal. Hope this helps. Ania

      Reply
  14. rabin hardy says

    February 22, 2021 at 9:24 am

    Great recipe, thank you! My entire family enjoyed it and it wasn’t difficult to make!

    Reply
    • Ania says

      February 22, 2021 at 1:23 pm

      I’m pleased to hear that, thank you! Ania

      Reply

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Ania Marcinowska
Hi, I'm Ania. I love good food but I love animals more! Adopting a plant-based diet has been the best decision I've made and that's how this blog was born. It's a space where I want to show you that creating delicious plant-based food isn't actually hard at all.
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