← All recipes

§03 · Dinner · British · shepherds-pie

Revised Aug 2026 · 3 revisions

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Green lentils and vegetables simmered into a thick, savory gravy under a golden potato-mash lid. The Sunday-dinner comfort classic, with lentils standing in for the mince.

Illustration of Lentil Shepherd's Pie
Hands-on 25 min Total 55 min Serves6 Ingredients16 Cost / Serv.$1.05 Calories320 Contains Soy
Servings
6 servings
×1

Ingredients

Everything here is already in your pantry.

Ran low on something?

What swaps in
Green Lentils
Brown lentils same cook time, same behaviourFrench green lentils hold their shape more; add about 5 minutes
Russet Potatoes
Yukon Gold creamier mash, keeps 4–6 weeks against russet's 2 monthsRed potatoes waxy; hold their shape, mash less fluffyCreamer potatoes waxy and small; no peeling, quicker to cookFingerling potatoes waxy; best roasted, poor for mash
Soy Milk
Fortified soy milk same milk with added calcium, D and B12 — the trade is a longer ingredient listDairy milk 1:1; the closest match for protein and bodyOat milk creamier and sweeter, about a third the proteinAlmond milk thinner, with almost no protein
Carrots
Baby carrots no peeling, more per poundFrozen sliced carrots softer; won't roast
Frozen Peas
Fresh shelled peas seasonal and pricier; frozen are usually sweeter
Frozen Spinach
Fresh spinach roughly 4:1 by volume; a 1 lb bag wilts down to a 10 oz blockFrozen kale chewier, needs longer
Red Onion
Yellow onion milder cooked, none of the anthocyaninsWhite onion sharper raw, none of the anthocyaninsShallots sweeter and finer; about 3 small per onion
Garlic
Fresh cloves 1 tsp jarred = 1 clove
Tomato Paste
6 oz can freeze the remainder in tablespoon blobs
Tamari
Soy sauce 1:1, but it contains wheat, so the dish stops being gluten-freeCoconut aminos soy- and gluten-free, sweeter and much less salty; use about 1.5× and salt to taste
Dried Thyme
Fresh thyme 3× the amount; strip the stems
Better Than Bouillon
Any vegetable bouillon paste match to 1 tsp per cup of waterVegetable bouillon cubes usually 1 cube per 2 cupsVegetable bouillon powder check the jar; concentrations varyBoxed vegetable broth use in place of the water
Cornstarch
Arrowroot 1:1, clearer finishPotato starch 1:1Tapioca starch 1:1, glossier
Nutritional Yeast
Grated parmesan similar savory depth, saltier; none of the fortified B12, which is most of why this item is here
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Butter 1:1 for cooking; browns at a lower temperature, and it sets solid once coldRefined olive oil higher smoke point, less flavorAvocado oil neutral, very high smoke point
Sea Salt
Kosher salt coarser, so more by volume; the ratio depends on the brandTable salt finer and denser; use about ¾ by volume

What you'll need

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Boil the 4 cups600 g potatoes, diced, until very tender, drain, then mash with the ½ cup122 g soy milk, the 2 tbsp10 g nutritional yeast, 2 tbsp of the 3 tbsp41 g olive oil, and salt, to taste — warm the milk in the empty pot first if you want the mash to stay hot.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the 1110 g diced onion and 2122 g diced carrots in the remaining oil until softened and browning at the edges, about 7 minutes. Add the 4 tsp20 g garlic, 1½ tsp1.5 g thyme, and 2 tbsp32 g tomato paste; cook 2 minutes.
  3. Add the 1 cup192 g green lentils, rinsed, the 1 tbsp18 g tamari, and the 1 tbsp17 g bouillon dissolved in 2½ cups water. Simmer 25 minutes until the lentils are tender, then stir in the 1 cup145 g frozen peas and 1 cup85 g spinach, thawed and squeezed dry. Stir the 1½ tbsp12 g cornstarch into a splash of cold water, fold it through, and simmer 2 minutes more until the filling is thick and glossy.
  4. Spread the filling in a baking dish, top with the mash, and rough up the surface with a fork. Bake 20 minutes, then broil 1–2 minutes until the peaks are golden. Let it rest a few minutes before serving so it sets enough to slice.

Kids: it’s the mash they’re after — pipe or fork extra swoops on top so there’s more crispy topping to go around.

Dietary

  • Gluten free
  • Tree nut free
  • Peanut free
  • Soy contains
  • Sesame free

Nutrition

Per serving · makes 6
Calories320Protein14gCarbs50gFiber9.3gSugars6.1gFat7.9gSaturated Fat1.1gSodium458mg
Vitamins & minerals
Iron4.2mgCalcium71mgPotassium993mgMagnesium64mgZinc1.9mgFolate276µgVitamin C26mgVitamin B122.5µgOmega-3 (ALA)0.01g
Estimated from pantry data, excluding Sea Salt (to taste).
Change log · 3 revisions
  1. 12 Aug 2026

    FoundThe mash was bound with reserved potato water and oil. Milk is the conventional mash liquid in every version of this dish, and potato water is what you reach for when there is no milk.

    ChangedHalf a cup of soy milk now goes into the mash in place of the reserved cooking water, which also retires the reserve-a-cup step. Richer, and it browns a little better under the broiler.

  2. 7 Aug 2026

    FoundDried rosemary left the pantry — a single recipe used it, in a filling that already carries thyme.

    ChangedDropped the rosemary and took the thyme to 1½ tsp so the filling keeps its herby backbone.

  3. 14 Jul 2026

    FoundEvery top shepherd's pie thickens its filling into a proper gravy, leans on a fermented-savory note, and browns the top under the broiler; ours simmered a looser filling with no umami anchor or crust.

    ChangedAdded a cornstarch slurry so the filling sets sliceable, a spoon of tamari for the Worcestershire-style depth, a cup of spinach, and a short broil for a golden mash lid.

Report on this recipe

Cooked it and something was off — too bland, too thick, timing wrong?

MVP field manual · shepherds-pie