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!
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!!!
How to Make Vegetarian Shepherds Pie:
- Boil the potatoes for the mashed potato topping.
- Make the fragrant, Indian-spiced lentil stew. (This is faster if you cook the lentils ahead.)
- Make the flavorful gravy.
- Mash the potatoes and add the curry spices.
- Assemble the Shepherds Pie, spooning the potatoes over the stew.
- Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered in a 350F oven.
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 LENTIL STEW-make this while the potatoes are simmering.
Brown the onions in ghee, add garlic, celery, carrots and fragrant garam masala spice.
I also like to add fenugreek leaves, which give this a truly authentic flavor.
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!
It really helps make this whole thing faster if you precook the lentils ahead of time.
Then I make a very quick, Indian-spiced “gravy” with some toasted Indian spices, to give this a little boost of flavor.
Toast fennel seeds and cumin seeds in a little ghee. Black Mustard seeds would be nice here too.
Add a little flour- and gluten-free flour works well here too!
Whisk in hot veggie broth, and heat until it thickens into a flavorful gravy.
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.
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.
Spoon the fluffy flavorful curry mashed potatoes over the lentil stew.
Spread them out with a back of a spoon, or spatula, like frosting a cake.
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!
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
- 35 Must-Try Indian Recipes to Make at Home
- Chicken Korma
- Instant Pot Mulligatawny (Curried Indian Soup)
- Aloo Gobi (Indian-Spiced Potatoes & Cauliflower)
- Indian Coconut Lentil Curry
- Vegan Tikka Masala (Stovetop or Instant Pot)
- Emerald Dal
- Golden Cauliflower Dal w/ Red Lentils, Coconut and Spinach
Indian Vegetarian Shepherds Pie
- 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
- 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
- 1–2 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:
- 2 tablespoon ghee or olive oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 3 tablespoons flour (or gf flour)
- 1 1/4 cups warm veggie broth
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
I agree with John Saldano there in the last comment. This was one of the best things I’ve made in a LONG time. I just went vegetarian in December, and I’ve tried several of your recipes. All have been good, but this was so good I wanted to cry. The curry mash by itself was life-changing, so I had high hopes before I put the whole thing together. The final dish did not disappoint. It was also a great recipe for a day when I wanted to cook but didn’t want to be rushed. I put together each step leisurely over the course of the day, slapped it all together, and had it ready to go in 20 minutes.
I was about to post a review but after reading a few comments, Erin Looney took the words out of my mouth. This is exactly how I would review this recipe. Outstanding!!!!!!
HOLY F*** that was tasty
Any idea on the calorie count?
Nutrition info is listed below the recipe card. 🙂
I have always loved shepherd’s pie, but this transformation is the next level! I can’t enjoy it any other way now. Gorgeous color, creamy textures, exciting flavors (like the fennel in the gravy and curry in the potatoes), and it can feed a crowd on a tight budget. Thanks for the time saving prep tip! You’ve done it again, Sylvia!
Was delicious but definitely took me longer haha Can you freeze leftovers? Thanks!
Yes feel free to freeze?
Yes, feel free to freeze.
Delicious and nutritious! I love the curry flavors and the potatoes on top.
Absolutely amazing. My husband loved it so much he ran across the house to tell me how great it was. We don’t typically eat a lot of Indian food and are just venturing into a more plant based diet so trying it was a bit of a shot in the dark, but the result was incredible. I didn’t add the fenugreek (store didn’t have any) and I didn’t have any fennel seeds, so I used star anise.
Delicious! I used regular old brown lentils and didn’t have the fenugreek and it was still tasty. Had this dish with 4 adults and 5 kids and stillnhad leftovers. 4/5 kids approved!
One of my favorite dishes I have ever made.
I cant wait to try this recipe! I can’t eat white potatoes so I am going to try Sweet potato mash on top instead. Do you suggest any recipe changes?
I think that should work great. Season the same way.
We’re going to use cauliflower mash instead of potato. (If you can’t eat white potatoes, I’m guessing you’ve already found this great alternative.)
Love it!
It was delicious. Easy to make once you have all the ingredients. We will add this recipe to our rotation. Already shared this and other recipes from your page to our family.
Thanks – so happy you enjoyed!
This was delicious, even without the ghee and fenugreek leaves (although I will get them to try next time) I also squeezed a half of a lemon into the mashed potatoes instead of using yogurt and used just a splash of half and half and vegan butter in the potatoes. Enjoyed by the whole family, thank you!
I’m not sure that I have ever left a review before? We thought we’d have a vegetarian January; what a wonderful start! This is absolutely delicious and even my meat loving father-in-law had a second helping! Thank you.
Absolutely Delicious!
Really nice recipe
I hardly ever leave reviews. This recipe is incredible and is full of flavor. Great as leftovers also. We will be making again. Thank you for such a great recipe.
This is hands-down the best recipe I have ever found on the internet and was my gateway to an increasingly vegetarian lifestyle. HIGHLY recommended!!!!
Awwww…. thanks!
I typically don’t leave reviews but this is so good! I realized at the last minute that I didn’t have cumin seeds for the gravy so I used more fennel and it still turned out great. I also could not find fenugreek leaves so I used more coriander (as suggested by another poster). The recipe is a little more involved than most but prepping the lentils, carrots, celery and onions in advance helps. Definitely a keeper and a recipe to add to the winter rotation. It freezes great too!
Tasty recipe. Took me 2 hours from start to serving, but thankfully it was worth it! I added in mushrooms, and didn’t have fenugreek so just omitted it and added coriander to the gravy.
This was amazing. A bit of wrk but the flavours all come together.
Delicious recipe!
Wonderful recipe!
My entire family love love love this!!!
Super delicious 😋
Super yummy meal! I really appreciated the great instructions and tips. I made this for my family and they were all blown away at what a special treat it was.