HOW TO MAKE VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE?

You can cook this recipe for NO FUSS Shepherd’s Pie on your stove using a large lidded casserole dish (such as a Dutch Oven or shallow cast iron casserole), in a pressure cooker/ instant pot or a in a slow cooker.

The stovetop method particularly allows for the most control over the amount of liquid in the curry.  However, you will need to adjust the amount of liquid in Instant Pot and Crockpot methods. Do check the recipe card below for detailed instructions on how to make Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie in Instant Pot & Stove Top.

Stove Top Method

Prep the Potatoes – Bring a large sauce pan of water to boil and add the potatoes. Allow them to boil over medium heat until tender or about 20 minutes. TIP: The potato is cooked when you can easily slip a knife through.
Mash the Topping –When the potato is ready, drain in a colander and return to the pan off the heat. Mash with a potato masher or fork, add the butter, mix well, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep the prepared mashed potatoes to one side.

Shepherd’s Pie Filling -Heat olive oil in a lidded casserole dish. Add Onion & Garlic and saute until translucent about 3 minutes. Add the mixed vegetables, chopped tomatoes with juice from the can, vegetable stock, coriander powder, mixed herbs, rosemary sprigs , Worcester sauce and stir until just combined. Season salt and pepper.  Cover with a lid and cook until the vegetables still have a little bite.Lower the heat until the mixture is simmering and cook with the lid off until the mixture has reduced by half, say 10- 15 mins.

Add the lentil’s mixture , season with more salt & pepper if needed and stir.  Remove the Rosemary sprigs and set it aside.

Finish the dish & Serve – Preheat the grill to the highest setting. Pile the lentil mixture into an ovenproof pie dish and top it with potato mash. Smooth the mash with the back of the spoon. Sprinkle the grated cheese and some Worcester sauce. Place the dish under the grill for 3 mins. You want the cheese to be golden and bubbling. Serve!

INSTANT POT METHOD 

I find IP method one of the easiest and fuss free method for cooking, as we are talking about dump and start for the pie filling.

Mashed Potatoes can be prepared in advance in your IP or alternatively use the stove pot method as mentioned above. I have a recipe for Garlic Mashed Potatoes to guide you through.

To prepare Instant Pot Shepherd’s Pie, dump the ingredients for the pie filling into the pot. Set to high pressure for 5 minutes. Allow the IP to naturally release the pressure. Open the Instant Pot and cook the pie filling on ‘Sauté’ High setting, stirring, until the lentil mixture has the right consistency. Saute only if there is any extra cooking liquid left. Taste for  seasoning, squeeze some lemon juice  and adjust if needed. Discard the rosemary before dishing out.

To finish the dish and serve the veggie shepherd’s pie, pile the lentil mixture into a pie dish for sharing and smaller dishes for freezing. Top them with a layer of potato mash, grated cheese and worcester sauce. Grill them on the highest setting for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is bubbling away. Serve Hot!

What vegetables do you put in Shepherd’s Pie?

• Can I prepare shepherd’s pie / cottage pie  in advance? You can very well make the pie in advance. Prep the pie all the way until assembling and wrap them in foil and place it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Bake at 180C/ 350º F to heat throughout, about 20-30 minutes.
• What to serve with vegetarian cottage pie: serve your vegetable cottage pie as it is as it has already got lots of vegetables, potatoes  and cheese. But if  you fancy, serve them with sweet potato wedges and green salad.
• How long can I keep in the fridge? Left over Cottage Pie can stay in refrigerator for about 4 days. You might need to sprinkle some water to fresh it up while reheating in a microwave.
• Freezing instructions: Dish out the pie filling topped with mash and cheese in individual portions casserole dishes. Allow the dish to come to room temperature and  then cover tightly with foil and place in the freezer for up to three months. When you are ready to eat, reheat (still covered with the foil) for 30-45 minutes in a 180 C / 350ºF oven. Thaw them in the refrigerator the night before and you can cut the cooking time by half!
• Can I make Vegan version of Shepherd’s Pie -To make Vegan Shepherd’s Pie, just leave out cheddar cheese in the topping and butter from the potato mash. You may use some nutritional yeast in your mash instead!

HAVE YOU MADE MY VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE IN INSTANT POT OR STOVE TOP? 

Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #sandhyaskitchen. I would love to see your take on this yummilicious vegetarian cottage pie.