A vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie infused with the most fragrant Indian spices, along with black lentils, veggies, gravy and topped with curried mashed potatoes. (Feel free to use leftover mashed potatoes!) Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian dinner recipes on the blog! Includes a 45-second video! 

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie infused with the most fragrant Indian spices, along with black lentils, veggies, gravy and topped with curried mashed potatoes.

The more grateful I am, the more beauty I see.– Mary Davis

Since we’ve been back from India, this Indian-spiced, Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie has been on repeat around here. I’ve been making it on Sunday and we’ve been warming up it during the week. So flavorful and cozy!

It takes about one hour from start to finish if you multitask. But perhaps for the first go around, plan on an hour of hands-on time before baking in the oven.

How to make Indian Shepherds Pie| 45-second video

What I like about this recipe is you can make it with leftover mashed potatoes (spicing them up with curry powder) and you can make it in stages, cooking the lentils ahead, or even the lentil stew ahead, then assembling the day of.

This is best made with ghee, because ghee adds such amazing flavor. But of course, it can be “veganized” with vegan butter. 🙂 As you wish.

But to reiterate, ghee brings it OVER the TOP!!!

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

How to Make Vegetarian Shepherds Pie: 

  1. Boil the potatoes for the mashed potato topping.
  2. Make the fragrant, Indian-spiced lentil stew. (This is faster if you cook the lentils ahead.)
  3. Make the flavorful gravy.
  4. Mash the potatoes and add the curry spices.
  5. Assemble the Shepherds Pie, spooning the potatoes over the stew.
  6. Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered in a 350F oven.

 

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

MASHED POTATOES: I’ve been using Yukon gold potatoes in my mashed potato recipes- because if you’ve been here a while, you’ll know I prefer to leave the skins on my potatoes, not only for simplicity and ease (of not having to peel them!)  but also because they are quite nutritious.

So slice them into 1-inch slices, and boil in salted water.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

INDIAN-SPICED LENTIL STEW-make this while the potatoes are simmering.

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Brown the onions in ghee, add garlic, celery, carrots and fragrant garam masala spice.

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I also like to add fenugreek leaves, which give this a truly authentic flavor.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Add the cooked lentils – and here I really love using little black lentils, sometimes called beluga lentils or black caviar lentils.  Not only are they “cute” they cook in 20 minutes.

But feel free to use any cooked lentil- just not split lentils

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

It really helps make this whole thing faster if you precook the lentils ahead of time.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Then I make a very quick, Indian-spiced “gravy” with some toasted Indian spices, to give this a little boost of flavor.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Toast fennel seeds and cumin seeds in a little ghee. Black Mustard seeds would be nice here too.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Add a little flour- and gluten-free flour works well here too!

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Whisk in hot veggie broth, and heat until it thickens into a flavorful gravy.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Pour this into the lentils stew along with a cup of peas. Today I’m using frozen peas. You could also add green beans or chopped spinach.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Then taste the Indian lentil stew and adjust the salt and spice level to your liking.

By this point, the potatoes will be very tender and ready to mash.

Drain and mash them right in the pot you cooked them in. Mash them with ghee, yogurt and a little curry powder, then season with salt and pepper.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Spoon the fluffy flavorful curry mashed potatoes over the lentil stew.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Spread them out with a back of a spoon, or spatula, like frosting a cake.

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Then bake in 350 F oven, uncovered until the stew is bubbling on the sides, and the potatoes are golden- about 20 minutes.

Inhale. It will smell amazing…

So several steps here, but if you work quickly (multi-task) or work in stages (cooking the lentils ahead, or making the stew ahead, or making the gravy ahead)  it will all come together more easily!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Indian spices, lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

I can’t wait for you to try this recipe for Indian-spiced, Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie friends! Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Have a beautiful Thanksgiving Week!

xoxo

More Indian Recipes you may enjoy

 

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Indian-Spiced, Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian recipes on the blog! #sheperdspie #vegetarianshepherdspie #indianrecipes #garammasala #lentils #vegetariandinner

Indian Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 134 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine
  • Prep Time: 30
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: main, vegetarian,
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: Indian

Description

Indian-Spiced, Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian dinner recipes on the blog!


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 2 1/2 lbs potatoes (Yukon gold, red, or any thin-skinned) ( OR use 5 cups leftover mashed potatoes, with curry powder)
  • 4 tablespoons, ghee, butter, vegan butter ( ghee tastes the BEST)
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour cream)
  • 1/2 cup milk(or nut milk), half and half or heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 12 teaspoons yellow curry powder, more to taste

Filling

  • 2 1/2 cups cooked lentils ( 3/4 cup -1 cup dry)
  • 2 tablespoons ghee, or olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, rough chopped
  • 2 cups diced carrot, (2-3 carrots)
  • 2 cups diced celery ( 2-3 ribs)
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala, more to taste
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon coriander
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1 cup veggie broth
  • 1 cup frozen peas ( or corn, or green beans- or use fresh)

Gravy:

optional garnish: scallions, chives, or cilantro


Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F

Cook Potatoes: Cut potatoes in one-inch slices ( if small, just in half) and place in a large pot. Cover with one-inch salted water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until very tender about 20-25 minutes.

Cook lentils: Set lentils to cook in salted water (unless cooked already – and you could absolutely do this ahead) about 20-25 minutes (see notes) simmer until tender, but not falling apart, al dente.

Make the filling: In a large 10-12 inch ovenproof skillet (or wide, shallow dutch oven) -heat the ghee over medium high heat and saute the onion 2-3 minutes, lower heat to med, add garlic, saute 2 mintues, add carrots, celery, cook 5-7 mintues. Add salt, cumin, coriander, fenugreek leaves and garam masala.

Add broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer on med low, until carrots are cooked through about 7-8 minutes.

While this is simmering, MAKE THE GRAVY: Over medium heat, in a little pot, simmer the whole seeds ( cumin seeds and fennel seeds)  in ghee or oil until fragrant and golden. Add flour, whisking, stirring and toasting the flour one minute. Gradually whisk in the warm veggie broth. Cook until slightly thickened. Add this gravy to the filling, along with the peas and drained lentils. Mix to combine.

Taste the filling and adjust salt and pepper. Add more garam masala if you like. The filling should have  thick stew-like, saucy consistency. If too dry, add a splash of broth or water. If too watery, simmer off some of that liquid. If the filling is too watery, the mashed potatoes will sink.

Mash the potatoes: Drain the potatoes (saving some hot potato water) return to the same pot and mash with the 3-4 tablespoons ghee and yogurt. If potatoes seem dry or too stiff, add a little warm potato water to loosen. If you want extra richness a little milk, nut milk, half and half, or whipping cream is nice. I add about ½ cup. (Adding more yogurt will make these too tangy.) Season with salt, pepper and curry powder. Mash and whip until relatively smooth and light and fluffy. Taste and adjust salt.

ASSEMBLE: Place 8 big dollops over the lentils stew and fill in the spaces with smaller spoonfuls, carefully spreading out, maybe making a pattern with the back of the spoon, like frosting a cake.

Place in the oven until golden and bubbling, about 20-25 minutes. Feel free to brown the top under a broiler.

Garnish with scallions, chives or cilantro.


Notes

LENTILS: Cook lentils ahead of time if possible to save time. Or cook in a medium pot, with ample salted water, like you would pasta, about 20-22 minute, or al dente, then drain.  Smaller lentils cook fastest. I love tiny black “caviar” lentils for this recipe or little French Green ones. Don’t use split lentils

For speed, I use thin-skinned Yukon Gold potatoes and opt not to peel them. Any thin skin potato should work here. The skins are good for you and they don’t bother me. But do as you please. If using russets, absolutely peel them. 

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: (using ghee & heavy cream)
  • Calories: 383
  • Sugar: 8.7 g
  • Sodium: 850 mg
  • Fat: 15.9 g
  • Saturated Fat: 9.5 g
  • Carbohydrates: 49.6 g
  • Fiber: 11.3 g
  • Protein: 12.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 41.3 mg

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Comments

  1. This is delicious and great comfort food for Fall and Winter. As recommended, I cooked the lentils a day ahead of making the recipe; it was a great time saving tip.
    As always, thank you so much for sharing your awesome talent with us. 🙂






  2. This was absolutely wonderful! I used canned lentils for faster prep and added mushrooms. I can’t wait for the leftovers!






  3. Thank you very much for this delicious recipe. I made this just the other day and my wife and I are enjoying it very much! I actually had all of the spices (plus the tiny black dal) on hand so it was fairly easy to make after a grocery run for veggies/dairy/broth and it went very well. Thanks again!






  4. Simply outstanding. The flavors were amazing in this dish. I was a little bit hesitant with the curry powder, I typically use curry paste so the odor doesn’t linger in the house. Simply stirring the powder into the potatoes and then baking gives you the wonderful curry flavor and no lingering odor!






  5. This sounds amazing as is to me, but I have a meat-loving husband and I am tempted to use ground lamb in this recipe. Has anyone ever tried this?

    As always, I refer to Feasting At Home for the most delicious and aesthetically beautiful recipes! Thanks, Sylvia.

  6. This was actually fun to make as I had a lot of the ingredients (except fenugreek). It certainly does help to make some things ahead of time. That said, I added much more garam masala and also put curry in the filling. I also found that I had to add much more veggie broth to cook the carrots but maybe I cut them too thick. The gravy being added was amazing!






  7. I love this recipe! I have used sweet potato instead of white, adding a bit of cinnamon and nutmeg to it. And I use the vegetables i have available at home—mushrooms, onions, peas. Easy to make and full of flavor.






  8. Can I sub something else or leave out the fenugreek leaves? I can’t find any right now but would love to try the recipe…

  9. I never leave reviews but this was amazing! So flavourful and well-balanced. It took a bit of time to make because of the different components, but well worth it.






  10. Was at a loss to make vegetarian recipe for a family member and I decided to go with what I had. I used tinned lentils, drained and mostly frozen vegetables with celery. I added fresh ginger, garlic and one whole long green chilli. Fried curry powder with some extra turmeric before adding to the potatoes, I substituted soya milk for the yoghurt and sprinkled sprinkled chopped fresh coriander over the top.It turned out very tasty indeed and I will make this recipe again, the full Monty version next time. Thank you.

  11. I made this for my wife and she absolutely loved it. Normally when I cook she says once or twice that it’s good and it seems more polite than enthusiastic. After making this dish she just could not stop saying how good it was (5-6 times). The next day she continued the compliment assault. She continues to request this dish of me. It is clearly one of her favorite dinners to eat. Thanks for the recipe.






  12. Hi Sylvia,
    My family loved this dish! Even the sworn carnivore was as a fan. I added garnet yams and parsnips to the mashed potatoes. I’m looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you!
    Carmen






  13. Prep in advance (best not to make it again on a Sunday night!)! It was absolutely delicious! I’m so happy to have a vegetarian entree that leaves me satisfied and satiated! Don’t skimp on the spices! Great for fall!






  14. I’m new to cooking, but I did my best to follow this recipe, and it turned out INCREDIBLE. My fiancé doesn’t normally get excited about food, but he was “wow-ed” with every bite! We’re always looking for hearty vegetarian dishes and especially love the Indian inspiration. Thank you so much, Sylvia!






  15. Hi Sylvia! I’ve made many of your recipes and have loved all of them! Shepherd’s pie always looked like such a great big pan of comfort, but my husband said he wouldn’t like it so I’ve never made it. Indian is one of our very favorite ethnic foods, so when you posted this recipe I forged ahead. Midway through his bowl and with a mouth full of food, my husband looked over at me and said this is REALLY good. I have to chuckle when my manipulations work. Thank you for helping me expand my husbands boundaries and keeping cooking fun. You might not hear from me, but know I’m out there loving what you do for us! Thank you. P.S. Loved your restaurant.






  16. Another excellent vegetarian dish from feasting at home – I am 6 from 6 recipes tried being successes. I used a ricer for mashing so the skins didn’t go through. I put some butter on the skins and put on top of the pie – they crisped up nicely






  17. Recently, I have been experimenting a lot with vegetarian dishes and love lentils, and came across this. It had my mouth watering just reading it, from all the ingredients listed. I made it for friends and it superseded expectations. I am now obsessed with your website and keen to explore sooo many more recipes. They sound incredible and also not tricky at all. Thank you so much for publishing all you do on here!






  18. This was absolutely delicious and makes superb leftovers! I loved how the recipe was broken up into its parts, so that once all of the ingredients were measured out and ready to use, it was a very easy and pleasant dish to prepare. Nothing about it was tricky or needed to be tweaked! I did use celery leaves instead of fenugreek because it is very hard to find dried fenugreek where I live. Overall a real winner of a recipe. Subtle and fragrant and very hearty while still so healthful. Thank you!






  19. Loved this ‘fusion dish’. Tried 3 of your recipes so far, and loved them all.
    As we try out other recipes of yours, we will repeat some too.
    Thank you so very much Sylvia.






  20. Absolutely delicious! Will most definitely be a recipe I will comeback to again. Really wonderful 🙂






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