Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie (Cottage Pie)

Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie is a delicious meatless version of traditional shepherd pie, made with soy chunks cooked in a flavoursome sauce, vegetables, topped up with mashed potatoes and baked to perfection.

Shepherd’s Pie, also known as cottage pie, is a dish that has originated from Britain. Traditionally it is made using ground meat and was given the name Shepherd’s Pie because of the use of lamb meat in recipe.

The shepherds pie recipe share here is :

• Egg free
• Gluten free
• Vegetarian
• Easy to make

My mom frequently baked this dish at home & we always called it “baked soya pie” as the bottom layer consists of soy chunks or soya mince. It was recently I read about Shepherd’s Pie & realised how unknowingly we were eating its vegetarian version for so long.

This vegetarian Shepherd’s pie is quite simple to make with easily available ingredients in kitchen pantry. I generally cook it at home when not in the mood to cook elaborate meals. We have a bowl of soup first, followed by this baked pie served with toasted bread & some salad on side.

In each bite of this meatless shepherd’s pie, you can taste flavourful soy chunks mixed with veggies, cheese and melt-in-the-mouth potato mash. As we all know soya granules are rich source of protein & in combination with so many vegetables, this dish is full of fibre & nutrients.

Veg Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients:

Vegetables: The vegetables I have used here are garlic, ginger, onion, tomato, bell peppers (capsicum), carrots, peas and green beans. The tomato puree adds moisture & juiciness to the filling. You can add some chopped mushrooms or sweet corn kernels too.

Soya Granules: The soy chunks or mince have a meaty texture and great source of plant based protein. It absorbs all the flavours and juices from veggies, spices and thus makes for a perfect meat substitute in this recipe. Because of its texture it is also called tvp- textured vegetable protein

Cheese: I have added shredded mozzarella cheese in the second layer of shepherd’s pie to make it creamier and richer in taste. Instead of mozzarella you can use cottage cheese, cheddar cheese or any meltable cheese blend. Feel free to skip it for low fat version.

Seasonings: The vegetable filling is spiced with freshly ground black pepper, red chilli flakes and dried herbs like oregano, rosemary etc The seasoning can be adjusted as per your own taste. Also, please take care while adding salt as each layer will have salt of its own. Together they should not taste too salty.

Potatoes: The dish is topped up with rich, fluffy potato mash made with potatoes, whole milk, butter & crushed black pepper. If you are using salted butter, skip adding salt.

To get smooth potato mash, boil the potatoes & mash them using a hand masher while gradually adding milk & butter. The milk should be warm and butter should be melted. Please don’t add cold milk / butter to the mash as this will ruin the texture. Some people even add cream but whole milk & butter has always worked for me.

Can I make this pie with lentils?

Instead of soya granules, some people make this dish using boiled black lentils. Rest of the recipe & steps remain same.

How to make vegan shepherd’s pie?

You can easily adapt this recipe to make it vegan (dairy free). Instead of butter you can use vegan butter or margarine. Whole milk can be replaced by coconut or other plant based milk like soy, oats, almond etc. You can skip adding cheese or replace it with vegan cheese if available.

Can I make shepherds pie in advance?

This easy vegetarian shepherd’s pie is perfect addition to your Christmas or Thanksgiving menu. One of the best things about this dish is you can make its preparation in advance & assemble it. At dinner time, all you have to do is preheat the oven & bake the pie. To reheat it, just microwave it for 40-50 seconds.

Almost everyone in our family is fond of cooking or eating good food. I consider myself lucky as this gave me a chance to know & try so many dishes. When only few people knew about baked dishes or just a handful of restaurants included continental items on their menu, me & my brother grew up watching our mother trying out different baked dishes, cakes & cookies.

As kids we would watch her cooking & even try to be part of it in our own small way whether by just mixing the cake batter or spooning jam on thumbprint cookies. I have been a big fan of baked dishes because of the two reasons. Firstly, love the way they slowly fill the house with their heavenly aroma and secondly, I enjoy gawking at the oven (dont’ judge!!), seeing dishes turning to beautiful golden brown . Somehow baking always gives me comforting relaxing vibes!!

More vegetarian recipes you might like:

• Cottage Cheese Pasta
  
• Baked Stuffed Onions
• Cheesy Baby Potatoes
• Béchamel Sauce Pasta
• Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Ingredients:

• Layer I:
  • Soya Granules (or soya chunks)- 1 cup
  • Olive Oil- 2 tbsp
  • Garlic Cloves (minced)- 6 to 7
  • Ginger Paste- 1  tsp
  • Chopped Onion- 1/2 cup
  • Chopped Tomato- 1/4 cup
  • Chopped Bell Peppers- 1/4 cup
  • Chopped Carrot- 1/4 cup
  • Chopped Green Beans- 1/4 cup
  • Peas- 1/4 cup
  • Tomato Puree- 1/4 cup
  • Red Chilli Flakes- 1/2 tsp
  • Crushed Black Pepper- 1 tsp
  • Dried Oregano- 1/2 tsp
  • Dried Rosemary- 1/4 tsp
  • Salt- 1 tsp (or to taste)
  • Lemon Juice- 2 tsp
• Layer II: (optional)
  • Grated Cheese- 1/2 cup
• Layer III:
  • Boiled Potatoes- 4 (medium)
  • Melted Butter / Vegan butter- 1/4 cup
  • Warm Milk / Soy Milk- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp
  • Black Pepper (crushed)- 1 tsp
  • Salt- 1 tsp (or to taste)
• For garnishing:
  • Chopped Cilantro / Coriander – 2 tbsp

Directions:

Step 1:

Soak soya granules in hot water for 20- 30 minutes. By the time these are getting soaked, let’s proceed to next step.

Step 2:

Heat oil in a pan. Add minced garlic & ginger paste to it. Stir for few seconds. Add onions and cook till they turn translucent. Add bell peppers, carrots, peas, beans and sauté them for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, spices and mix well. Cook till tomatoes begin to soften up.

Step 3:

Squeeze all the water from soy granules & add them to the pan. Cover with a lid & let the mixture cook for 3-4 minutes. In the end add lemon juice. Taste and adjust salt as per you taste. Keep this filling aside.

(Tip: Please add the salt keeping in mind that there will be some salt in cheese and potato layer too.)

Step 4:

Mash the boiled potatoes with a masher. Add melted butter, warm milk, black pepper and salt to it. Mix well so that mash becomes smooth & fluffy. If you are using salted butter then skip adding salt.

Step 5:

Transfer the vegetable soy mixture in an oven safe baking dish and level it with a spatula.

Add grated cheese over it while spreading it evenly over soy layer. If you want to make low fat or vegan version, you can skip adding it.

Step 6:

On the top of it, add potato mash to it. With the back of a spoon or spatula, flatten it & then make grooves on the top using a fork.

Step 7:

Preheat the oven at 180°C (360°F). Once the oven is preheated, place the bowl in it and let it bake for 25-30 minutes till the top becomes golden brown. The time may vary from oven to oven so keep an eye around 25 minutes. To get colour on top, turn the oven to 200°C (390°F) for last 5-10 minutes.

Delicious meatless Shepherd’s Pie is ready. Garnish with some freshly chopped cilantro. Serve it with sourdough bread or green salad on sides. Bon appétit!!

Tips:

1. You can add other veggies like broccoli, spinach, sweet corn or mushrooms in the filling for meaty taste and texture.
2. Instead of soya mince, you can make the recipe with cooked brown lentils (whole masoor dal) also.

Pin for later:

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(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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