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
Cook lentils in a pressure cooker for 15 minutes. That’s how we do it in India.
Thanks, Marianne! Also, timing may change depending on the size.
Great recipe – I’ve made it for myself and my partner a couple of times already and tonight I made it for the whole family and got lots of compliments – my favorite thing is that it is still satisfying and flavorful even though it’s vegetarian so even meat eaters are pleasantly surprised
Glad you enjoy this one Sydney!
I made this dish for my family of 9. 2 adults and 6 children (1 baby) Even though my 3 year old and I really liked this dish, the other ones did not care for this one. They prefer the original Shepard’s Pie. They found the spices to be overwhelming, especially the fennel. Maybe I should have paired it with a chutney. We are used to eating Indian food and it’s one of our favorite cuisines so I really don’t understand why they didn’t like it.
My husband’s parents and mine are originally from Morocco and we were brought up with Moroccan food where spices are used every day moderately. I think of twisting this recipe by using Moroccan spices. I think I will season the mashed potatoes like maaqouda (a fried potato patty) and the lentils like how it’s done in Morocco. I’ll keep you posted. I love your recipes!
Sorry this didn’t work for you!
Delicious !!!! This is now embedded in our recipe collection. Not too complicated, lovely combination of flavour and texture and a real comfort food. Try it I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you enjoy Indian spice but not too hot.
Thanks Julie!
I’ve made this recipe now 4 times. Tonight I’m making it for guests. It’s one of the best vegetarian dinners I’ve made. My husband is vegetarian and I’m always looking for interesting recipes like this one.
Btw, I made it once with mashed sweet potatoes on top…not such a great substitute.
Glad you like this Aliza! Thanks for the tip on the sweet potatoes. 😉
Thank you so much for this, Sylvia! It was absolutely delicious, and a wonderful addition for my first week going “veggie” with the meaty texture. I followed the recipe as written, with the exception of using black cumin seeds. Also, I added a bit of butter to the potato topping as my partner prefers a crispier texture. Looking forward to trying more of your food! *****
Thanks Renee! Gald you enjoed it!
Very unique and delicious. Followed recipe exactly and made sure to use ghee. Kids ages 3-11 enjoyed it, too! The gravy was a nice touch to make it feel like a real shepherds pie. Looking forward to leftovers tomorrow. Will for sure make again!
Glad you enjoyed this!
Made this tonight for my brother. He loved it! I didn’t have all the ingredients, but I made a few substitutions (red curry paste instead of curry powder) and it truly was delicious.
Great to hear Tracy!
Fantastic loved it, made it per the instructions, great dish. Thanks Sylvia
Thanks so much Sam!
I am looking for the serving sizes on these recipes and finding only some of them have it. Im trying to be aware of my protein amounts and this information would be helpful on the Nutritional numbers. Thanks. The recipes look great.
Hi Andrea- Most of the newer recipes have this,but if you find one that doesn’t just leave a comment (like you did on the Lentil salad) and I will get them uploaded for you. There are almost a thousand recipes on the blog, and so I’ve been slowly adding this to the older recipes, but it’s taking a while! 😉
I slightly modified this recipe, partially because I made a single serving. Only thing I didn’t have was fenugreek so I subbed a little bit of ground mustard powder as per a quick google search. Instead of making a gravy I just mashed some of the lentils. Added a little tomato paste. The curry mashed potatoes were a total game changer! I loved them so much I’m thinking of ways to have curry mashed potatoes in the future. This was an excellent recipe and one I’m glad to have found.
Thanks Jesse! Glad you like it!
Definitely a keeper. Will be making this again for sure.
Can you use soy milk or almond milk instead of milk in this
Yes, of course!
It is impossible to find half the ingredients for this recipe. Black lentils, fenugreek leaves and garam masala, nor the makings for, DO NOT exist in the real world.
Ingredients are much easier to source at an Asian or Indian Market if you have one nearby?
Some of the most common ingredients for about 1.5 billion people don’t exist in the real world?
My thoughts, exactly. What does this person consider the “real world” to be? Recipe looks delicious.
LMBO. Just click on the ingredient and it takes you straight to
the page for purchase.
Made the topping with sweet potatoes, was very good.
Made this as written except for the fenugreek leaves and it was delicious. Agree that there were lots of pans but none were particularly sticky so easy to clean. Definitely a keeper recipe.
This was delicious, a bit of work but well worth the effort. I made the full recipe but divided into 2 casserole pans; one for dinner tonight and one for the freezer.
My husband found your site a few months ago and we’ve enjoyed all recipes we’ve tried thus far. Thank you for sharing.
thanks so much- glad you both enjoying!
Delicious, to save time I used 2 cans of drained lentils and it was very easy.
I had lentils to use up. I’m so glad I picked this recipe. It is simply delicious!
This was really delicious! It does take some time and effort (we usually cook super easy, quick meals, but wanted to try this out). We used an instant pot to cook first the lentils and then the potatoes. Will definitely revisit this recipe for special occasions or days when we feel in a cooking mood. Mildly spiced, but still flavorful and delicious even to a level 10 spice-lover (my husband— though he did add some cayenne on top). Thank you!
I haven’t made this yet, but I was wondering if instead of using an oven-proof skillet, I could make the filling on the stove top and just transfer to a glass oven dish?
That would work fine!
That’s exactly what I did. Works just as well. Don’t make the filling too wet or the mash will sink!
This tastes amazing and is worth the time and effort. The leftovers are even better! Be warned that it uses a ton of pots and pans and there is plenty of clean up. I made it per the recipe, but I will probably substitute mushrooms for the celery next time.
It’s good! We’re not veggie and we enjoyed it. Used a couple of star anise instead of fennel and then removed them. Also used pre cooked Puy lentils, 300gr pack of Merchant brand from Tesco, which worked well. It’s a keeper!
This dish was absolutely delicious, the best I have made in a while. The mash is sensational, along with aroma oozing through the house. I couldn’t get Fenugreek leaves and used some crushed Fenugreek seeds instead. I had no celery and added mushrooms as an attempt to clean out the fridge, giving it a rich, saucy texture. It was a huge hit!
I’d like to make this, but am new to cooking gluten-free. What works instead of flour in the gravy?
Thank you
Just use a GF flour blend.