Consomee

Vegetable Shepherds Pie

⏱ ~150 min (est.)InvolvedBeefIrishVegetarian
Vegetable Shepherds Pie

A fuss-free Irish beef built around potatoes, small potatoes and mushrooms — roughly 150 minutes start to finish, and rated involved to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 45 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.

You'll mainly reach for oven and saucepan. At involved difficulty across 45 steps, it's worth setting aside proper time for. As written, it's meat-free.

What you'll need

Servings4

Shopping list (9)

Pantry staples (you likely have these)

🔁 Unit converter
=

How to make it

  1. Add Ingredients:
  2. 12 cups chopped mixed vegetables
  3. 1 cup chopped fresh mushrooms
  4. 1 cup pearl onions
  5. TOPPING:
  6. Preheat oven to 450°.
  7. Bake potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet until tender, about 45 minutes.
  8. Let cool slightly, then peel.
  9. Press potatoes through a ricer, food mill, or colander into a large bowl.
  10. Add butter; stir until well blended.
  11. Stir in milk.
  12. Season to taste with salt.
  13. FILLING:
  14. Soak dried porcini in 3 cups hot water; set aside.
  15. Combine lentils, 1 garlic clove, 1 tsp. salt, and 4 cups water in a medium saucepan.
  16. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender but not mushy, 15–20 minutes.
  17. Drain lentils and discard garlic.
  18. Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.
  19. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 12 minutes.
  20. Add chopped garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  21. Stir in tomato paste.
  22. Cook, stirring constantly, until tomato paste is caramelized, 2–3 minutes.
  23. Add bay leaves and wine; stir, scraping up any browned bits.
  24. Stir in porcini, slowly pouring porcini soaking liquid into pan but leaving any sediment behind.
  25. Bring to a simmer and cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
  26. Stir in broth and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 45 minutes.
  27. Strain mixture into a large saucepan and bring to a boil; discard solids in strainer.
  28. Stir cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl to dissolve.
  29. Add cornstarch mixture; simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes.
  30. Whisk in miso.
  31. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
  32. Set aside.
  33. Preheat oven to 450°.
  34. Toss vegetables and pearl onions with remaining 2 Tbsp. oil, 5 garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.
  35. Divide between 2 rimmed baking sheets.
  36. Roast, stirring once, until tender, 20–25 minutes.
  37. Transfer garlic cloves to a small bowl; mash well with a fork and stir into sauce.
  38. Discard rosemary.
  39. DO AHEAD: Lentils, sauce, and vegetables can be made 1 day ahead.
  40. Cover separately; chill.
  41. Arrange lentils in an even layer in a 3-qt. baking dish; set dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet.
  42. Toss roasted vegetables with fresh mushrooms and chopped herbs; layer on top of lentils.
  43. Pour sauce over vegetables.
  44. Spoon potato mixture evenly over.
  45. Bake until browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.

You'll use: Oven · Saucepan · Pan · Large pot · Blender

Ingredient substitutions

Butter
olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
White Wine
chicken or vegetable stock + 1 tsp vinegar
Cornstarch
2 tbsp flour per 1 tbsp cornstarch (as thickener)
Soy Sauce
tamari (gluten-free) · coconut aminos

What to serve with Vegetable Shepherds Pie

Tips & common questions

How long does Vegetable Shepherds Pie take to make?

About 150 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 45 steps and 19 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.

What can I use instead of butter?

Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.

Can I scale this recipe up or down?

Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.

Is Vegetable Shepherds Pie vegetarian?

Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.

Recipe data for Vegetable Shepherds Pie via TheMealDB (open database). Consomee adds the scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.