Lentil Shepherd’s Pie with Parsnip Mash

This Lentil Shepherd’s Pie is going to be your new staple when you’re craving some fall/winter comfort food that warms you up. Made with lentils, and a creamy parsnip mash. The perfect twist to a classic dish that even the meat lovers in your family will love. 

Why you’ll love this Lentil Shepherd’s Pie:

• Make it in just 1 hour 
• The ultimate comfort food
• It’s plant-based
• Special twist using parsnips versus potatoes

What’s so great about lentils? 

All lentils are so darn good for you. Whether red, yellow, green, brown, lentils are loaded with their own set of health benefits that your body will love. For this recipe, I used black lentils. These can also go by the name “beluga lentils” and are hearty, which means they make a great substitute for other proteins like meat. These lentils have a full-bodied and earthy flavor like a black bean and one half of a cup provides:

• 26g of protein
• 18g of fiber
• 100mg of calcium
• 8mg of iron 
• 960mg of potassium

BONUS! They are also full of an antioxidant called anthocyanin. If you can’t find black lentils, you can also use green or brown in this recipe.

Looking for other recipes with lentils? Click here to check some of my favs out.

How do you make this Lentil Shepherd’s Pie? 

This recipe is one of the best spins on Shepherd’s Pie. I swear, it’s so darn good! Here’s how you make it:

For the lentils:

• To a large pot, add the olive oil and heat on medium heat before adding the onion
• Cook for 3-4 minutes, making sure to stir often 
• Once the onions are translucent, add in the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes before adding the remainder of the ingredients
• Stir the mix until well combined and bring to a boil, then simmer with the lid on for 25 minutes
• While simmering, move onto the yummy, creamy Parsnip Mash 

For the parsnip mash:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and boil your parsnips until soft and fork-tender
• Into a blender, add the strained parsnips and the rest of your ingredients 
• Blend ingredients until perfectly smooth 
• Add more plant-based milk, 1 tbsp. at a time if needed

Do you prefer mashed potatoes on your Shepherd’s Pie? Use this mashed potato recipe instead to top these pies off.

To assemble:

• Preheat your oven and grab a baking sheet with 4 mini coquettes
• To a coquette, add some of the lentil mixture and then dollop 2 large tbsp. of parsnip mash on top
• Use the back of a spoon to flatten the mash 
• Bake for 15 minutes before broiling for 5 minutes before serving 

Click here for a vegan gravy recipe that goes great with this recipe.

Other lentil recipes you’ll love:

• Brown Butter Vegan Meatballs
• Split Pea Soup (you can sub the split peas for lentils)
• Simple Vegan Salad

Check out our other Shepherd’s Pie recipes like this lighter one that’s great for summer or this classic one made with mashed potatoes.

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Lentil Shepherd's Pie with Parsnip Mash

5 from 4 votes

This Lentil Shepherd's Pie is made with yummy, creamy parsnip mash and lentils for the filling. The perfect comfort food in colder weather.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Vegan Meals, Vegan Comfort Food

Cuisine Comfort Food

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

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For the Lentil Mixture:

• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic pressed
• 4 cups black lentils cooked
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. vegetable stock paste*
• 1 tbsp. thyme
• 1 tbsp. rosemary
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 cup leftover plant-based gravy optional
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce passata works
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 - 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked pepper

For the Parsnip Mash:

• 5 medium-large sized parsnips– cut in 1-2 inch chunks for boiling
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1 heaped tbsp. vegan butter
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tbsp. plant-based milk

Instructions

 

For the Lentils:

• To a large pot add the olive oil and heat on medium heat for 30 seconds before adding the onion.  Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring often to avoid burning.
• Once the onions are translucent add in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes before adding the remainder of the ingredients.  Stir the mixture till combined, bring to a boil then simmer with the lid on for 25 minutes.  Check on the mixture every so often to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom.**
• While simmering, start making the Parsnip Mash.

For the Parsnip Mash:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then boil your parsnips until soft and fork-tender.
• Into a high-speed blender add the strained parsnips and the rest of your ingredients.  Blend ingredients. Use a blender tamper to push the ingredients down and blend continue to blend for around 1 minute or until perfectly smooth.  Add more plant-based milk, 1 tbsp. at a time if your blender is finding it hard to reach that consistency.

To assemble:

• Preheat your oven to 400F and grab a large baking sheet and 4 mini coquettes.
• To a mini coquette, add some of the lentil mixture.  You want to fill the pot over halfway but still under 3/4 to ensure there is enough room for the parsnip mash.
• Dollop 2 large heaped tbsp. of parsnip mash on top of the lentil mixture.  Use the back of a spoon to flatten and then carve horizontal and vertical marks on top of the pie with a fork.
• Bake for 15 minutes before broiling for 5 minutes before serving.
• Enjoy with roasted vegetables!

Notes

If you do not have access to black lentils, you can use green or brown.   You can also use canned lentils, you will need 2 cans for this recipe.

If you do not have access to vegetable stock paste, just use vegetable stock in place of vegetable stock paste.

If the mixture is too thick, add more vegetable stock or water.

If the mixture is too runny, remove the lid, slightly increase heat and cook down a bit more.

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