Is this a shepherd’s pie? Or is it a cottage pie? Shepherds keep sheep; they do not keep cows. But as the terminology generally refers to the meat, who cares? This can be a lentil cottage pie or a shepherd’s pie. Whatever. As a side note, if you do care, please don’t feel the need to get in touch to tell me. Just go find a new recipe.
Anyway. If you are looking for a comforting, hearty meat-free dinner with creamy mashed potatoes, golden-brown cheese, and a super tasty lentil filling, you should absolutely give this lentil shepherd’s pie a go. It’s the perfect meat-free winter comfort food for families.
Recipe Breakdown
- ✅ Recipe Name: Red Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
- ⏱️Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- 🧑🍳Serves: 6 People
- 💪Difficulty: Easy
- 🍴Ingredient Highlight: Red Lentils
- 💛Why You’ll Love it: There’s nothing more comforting!
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Cottage and shepherd’s pies have always been a big feature on our meal plans. I largely stick to very simple recipes that are perfect for midweek meals and lazy Saturday nights at home. I love that there’s meat, veggies and potatoes all in the same dish and that there’s very little active cooking time.
The thick, tasty gravy is delicious, and these dinners always go down well with the whole family.
I’ve mentioned before that we’ve been trying to have a meat-free few days, and my perfect meat-free recipes are those where you can keep things the same, simply swapping meat for lentils, beans, or other plant-based proteins. This is one of them. Swapping minced beef or lamb for tasty red lentils is so simple. Then, all you need to do is swap your stock. To add some extra flavour, I also add red wine, but I know other people prefer a more tomato-based pie with passata or chopped tomatoes, along with stock. This isn’t for me, but you do you!
Donna’s Notes
If you make this recipe as is, it isn’t a vegan shepherd’s pie. I use butter, milk and cheese for my mashed potato topping. However, the filling is suitable for Vegans. If you want to make it fully vegan, switch to your usual plant-based milks, cheese and butter substitutions. You know more about this than I do.
Why You’ll Love it
- Cottage pie is always great comfort food!
- It’s got everything you need, all in one dish.
- It’s easy to make vegan, or a great meat-free option, as it is.
- I find that the best way to introduce meat-free options and new ingredients is to keep it simple, and as close to the meat version the kids are comfortable with as possible. This recipe ticks those boxes.
Ingredients, Variations and Substitutions
Olive Oil – Other cooking oils are fine too.
Onion
Garlic
Tomato Puree
Red Wine – Skip this and add more stock if you don’t want to use alcohol.
Carrots
Red Lentils
Mixed Herbs
Henderson’s Relish – Other relishes are available. But just to note, Henderson’s is vegan. They aren’t all.
Salt and Pepper
Vegetable Stock
Frozen Peas
White Potatoes – Anything that you’d usually use for mash.
Butter – Swap to a plant-based spread if you are making a vegan shepherd’s pie.
Milk – Plant-based milks are fine too. Or, higher-fat milks, you could even use cream.
Cheese – I use mature cheddar. Use what you like, or what is suitable for your diet.
You’ll Also Need
I use a chopping board, a sharp knife, a frying pan, a spatula, a garlic crusher, a large saucepan, a colander, a cheese grater, a potato masher, a large spoon and an ovenproof dish.
How to Make Red Lentil Cottage Pie – Step-by-Step Instructions
Full, easy-to-follow instructions and quantities are available in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step One: Soften the Onion
Add the oil to a large, non-stick frying pan and place it over a medium heat on the hob. Once the oil is warm (but not smoking), add the chopped onion.
Cook gently for around 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft, translucent and lightly golden. Don’t rush this stage — properly softened onions create a sweeter, richer base for the whole dish. If they start to catch, reduce the heat slightly.
Step Two: Add the Garlic and Tomato Purée
Stir in the garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly. Garlic burns quickly, so keep the heat moderate and keep it moving around the pan.
Add the tomato purée and stir well to coat the onions. Let it cook for a minute or two — this helps remove the raw taste and deepens the flavour.
Step Three: Deglaze with Wine
Pour in the wine and stir well, scraping up anything that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Allow the mixture to simmer for about 3 minutes, stirring often, until it reduces and thickens slightly.
This step intensifies the flavour and cooks off the harshness of the alcohol. The mixture should look glossy rather than watery.
Step Four: Add the Vegetables, Lentils and Seasoning
Add the carrots and lentils to the pan and stir well to combine.
Sprinkle in the herbs, add the relish, and season generously with salt and pepper. Don’t be shy with seasoning at this stage — lentils absorb flavour as they cook.
Pour in the stock and stir everything together.
Bring the mixture up to a gentle simmer.
Step Five: Simmer the Filling
Allow the lentil mixture to simmer for around 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking.
If the mixture starts to look too thick or dry, add a splash more stock or hot water. The finished filling should be thick and rich, but still slightly saucy — it will continue to thicken in the oven.
With 10 minutes of cooking time remaining, stir in the peas. Adding them later helps them keep their colour and slight bite.
Once cooked, taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Step Six: Prepare the Potatoes
While the filling is simmering, peel and chop the potatoes into large, even-sized chunks. Keeping them similar in size helps them cook evenly.
Place them in a saucepan of lightly simmering salted water. The water should just cover the potatoes.
Simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are completely soft when pierced with a knife.
Step Seven: Mash the Potatoes
Drain the potatoes thoroughly and return them to the pan.
Place the pan back on the still-warm hob (with the heat turned off) and gently toss the potatoes for a minute to allow any excess moisture to evaporate. This helps create a fluffier mash.
Add the milk and butter, then mash until smooth and creamy. You can use a potato masher for a rustic texture or a ricer for extra-smooth mash.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, adding a little more butter if you’d like it richer.
Step Eight: Assemble the Dish
Preheat your oven to 180°C (fan-assisted).
Spoon the cooked filling into a large ovenproof dish and spread it out evenly.
Carefully top with the mashed potatoes, spreading them into a thick, even layer that completely covers the filling. For a decorative finish, use the back of a fork to create ridges — these will crisp up beautifully in the oven.
Sprinkle the grated cheese evenly over the top.
Step Nine: Bake Until Golden
Place the dish in the preheated oven and bake for 20–30 minutes, until the cheese is melted, golden and bubbling around the edges.
If you’d like an extra-crispy top, you can place it under the grill for a few minutes at the end — just keep a close eye on it.
Step Ten: Serve
Remove carefully from the oven and allow it to stand for 5–10 minutes before serving. This helps the filling settle and makes it easier to portion.
Serve hot and enjoy.
Expert Tips and Tricks
Simmer that sauce! This is when the flavours develop, and the textures soften. Don’t be tempted to speed things up, even if it means that you need ot add a little more water or stock to stop it from drying out.
Another tip for me is to go heavy on the mash. I love a nice thick mashed potato layer.
Serving Suggestions
This recipe already has it all. You don’t need to add anything at all. That said, I like to serve my vegetarian shepherd’s pie with some extra greens and sometimes some bread and butter. Especially if we are trying ot make it go further.
This recipe feeds 6 quite comfortably, but you should stretch those leftovers by adding extra veggies, bread and butter.
Leftovers and Storage
I love to take leftovers to work for lunch!
Transfer to a clean bowl or tub to cool quickly before refrigerating in an airtight container for 1-2 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave until the middle is piping hot.
I’ve never tried freezing this recipe, but I’d imagine it would work well.
FAQ
Yes.
Not simmering the filling for long enough or letting it dry out too much, in my opinion.
Yes, either instead of, or as well as, meat.
I love cottage pie with red or green lentils.
No, I don’t, but you can. I find simmering them in the sauce cooks them nicely. I do recommend rinsing them, though.
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might also like trying a few similar comfort food favourites. A leftover roast beef cottage pie is a great way to make the most of Sunday dinner, while a leftover roast lamb shepherd’s pie offers a rich and hearty alternative. For something a little different, haggis cottage pie brings a delicious Scottish twist, and an air fryer cottage pie is perfect when you want a quicker, more convenient option. If you’re after a meat-free choice, a red lentil bolognese is a satisfying and flavour-packed alternative that’s just as comforting.
Red Lentil Cottage Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Brown Onion (Diced)
- 4 Cloves garlic (Crushed)
- 2 Tablespoons Tomato Puree
- 200 ml Red Wine
- 4 Carrots (Peeled and roughly chopped)
- 185 g Red Lentils (Rinsed)
- 1 Tablespoon Mixed Herbs
- 1 Tablespoon Henderson’s Relish
- Salt and Pepper
- 500 ml Vegetable Stock
- 150 g Frozen Peas
For the Mash:
- 1 kg White Potatoes
- 50 g Butter
- 50 ml Semi Skimmed Milk
- 150 g Mature Cheddar Cheese (Grated)
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large, non-stick frying pan and warm over medium heat on the hob.
- Add the onion and fry for 10 minutes, stirring often until soft.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in the tomato puree.
- Pour in the wine and stir well.
- Simmer for 3 minutes, stirring often until the mixture is thick.
- Add the carrots and lentils and stir well.
- Add the herbs, relish and a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Stir in the stock.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add more stock or water if it seems to be drying out too much.
- With 10 minutes to go, add the peas.
- While the filling is simmering, peel and chop the potatoes into large chunks.
- Add to a pan of lightly simmering water with a pinch of salt.
- Simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
- Drain well and return to the pan.
- Toss gently on the still warm hob (you don’t need it to be on)
- Add the milk and butter and mash until smooth, adding more butter if needed and salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted).
- Tip the cooked filling into a large oven-proof dish, spreading evenly.
- Top with the mashed potatoes, spreading out into a thick layer that covers the filling.
- Top with the grated cheese.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until the cheese is golden and bubbling.
- Remove carefully and serve.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
