Shepherdess Pie or Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherdess pie is a vegetarian shepherd’s pie, mine has a glorious lentil & fennel ragu under a crispy mashed potato lid topped with cheese.

Cooking this dish takes a while, but both the lentil ragu and the mashed potatoes can be prepared in advance and thrown in the oven later.

Vegetarian Lentil Shepherds Pie

I often mock our need to assert control over what dishes are called and what they contain. It is amusing and often quite daft. However, I am equally susceptible to these urges on occasion.

That occasion is shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, Cumberland pie, and this vegetarian lentil pie.

I feel myself getting all sorts of peeved and occasionally even tut out loud when these names are inappropriately used. Raging I tell ya, raging lol!

Shepherds pie contains lamb, cottage pie contains beef, Cumberland pie contains either meat but has a cheese and breadcrumb topping on the mash.

The latter used to be a game pie but the name seems to have been hijacked sometime during the 20th century.

I also have a beef sausage and mash pie, haggis shepherds pie and a fish finger pie which are all delicious and great fun.

Then we have this barnstormer of an offering that is occasionally named shepherdless pie which makes me giggle.

It is a relative newbie to the stable of ultimate British comfort food recipes. But it is essentially a meatless version of the shepherd’s pie.

Frequently Asked Questions

What sort of potatoes should I use?

This vegetarian shepherdess pie needs a stonkingly good mashed potato topping.

That means you have to choose the right potatoes, something floury or mealy like King Edwards, Maris Piper, Russet or Idaho.

Do I have to pipe on the potatoes?

No not at all. I like to do this because it increases the surface area.

That means more ridges, more ridges mean more crispy bits and the crispy bits are the best bits!

Do I have to use red lentils?

No not at all, you could easily swap them out for green or brown lentils in much the same way as you can in my lentil bolognese.

Can I make this in a single baking dish?

You can cook this in a single baking dish if you like, although I would try not to increase the depth too much.

You could use a 25cm by 15cm dish (8″ x 10″) of the same depth to get the same ratio of filling to mash.

If you wanted to use a round dish you could use either a 20cm (8″) diameter dish that is 3cm (just under 1.25″) deep or a 15cm (6″) dish that is 4cm (just over 1.5″) deep.

Serving suggestions

The only thing that usually I serve with my shepherdess pie are some greens of some description.

If I am baking something in the oven as I am with this vegetarian shepherd’s pie, I usually opt for some roasted tenderstem broccoli.

But other great options include my air fryer asparagus or my garlic green beans amandine.

You could even serve these with some buttered cabbage or braised cavolo nero.

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• Oven.
• 20cm or 8″ saucepan.
• 24cm or 10″ saucepan.
• 2 of 15x10cm (6 x 4″) gratin dishes
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
• Vegetable peeler.
• Vegetable masher or potato ricer.
• Colander.
• Stirring spoons.
• Piping bak and star nozzle (optional).