These Vegan Jacket Potato Shepherds' Pies are a vegan twist on the British classic, with a red wine, puy lentil & mushroom gravy filling.
Shepherds Pie is such a perfect comfort food, and here's my take on the great British classic given a potato-skin twist.... my Vegan Jacket Potato Shepherds' Pies.
My rich, gravy filling is based on puy lentils & mushrooms braised in red wine, with carrots, parsnips and all the usual Shepherds' Pie loveliness. Delish.
Of course if you don't have a piping bag, (or think it looks too much like hard work), you can just dollop on the potato topping with a spoon. But piping really does take just minutes and is such a satisfying way to finish off these little pies!
Jump to:
📝 What you need
- Large baking potatoes
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrot
- Parsnip
- Mushrooms
- Puy lentils
- Tomato purée
- Red wine
- Vegetable stock powder (check it is vegan)
- Dairy-free margarine
❄️ Freezing
These lovely shepherds' pie potatoes freeze beautifully, so it is worth making (at least) four at a time and keeping any you don't use immediately in the freezer for another day.
I really like batch cooking to freeze, as I'm prepared to go to a bit more effort - say, using a piping bag to make the mashed potato topping look really snazzy - if I know it is for a number of dinners, not just one!
👩🏽🍳 What else can I make with puy lentils?
If you've bought a bag of dried puy lentils to make these baked potatoes and are now wondering what to do with the rest, take a look at:
⭐️ Reader Testimonials
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "These came out great! So delicious! My non vegan husband loved'm too! Thanks Kate!" Suz
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ "This is super delicious! We loved it. The parsnip is a must as it adds such a delicate and lovely flavor. A new favorite way to cook lentils. Our kids liked it too. Thank you!" Carrie
🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
Loved this recipe? ⭐️ Leave a star rating below! 📸 Snap a photo of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram, tagging me @thevegspace or #thevegspace 📩 And get all my latest recipes in a weekly e-mail by subscribing to my newsletter.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Jacket Potato Shepherds' Pie
Ingredients
- 4 very large baking potatoes
- 2 tablespoon olive or rapeseed oil
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 stick celery, finely chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and diced
- 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
- 150 g mushrooms, sliced
- 150 g puy lentils, rinsed
- 2 tablespoon tomato purée
- 125 ml red wine
- 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder
- 350 ml water
- 2 tablespoon dairy-free margarine
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas Mark 5. Prick the potatoes a couple of times, spray with a little cooking spray or rub with oil, sprinkle with salt, then bake for 1 hour or until a knife passes easily into the centre. When cooked, remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan or casserole dish, and fry the onion and celery for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add the carrot and parsnip and fry for a further 3-4 minutes, and then the mushrooms. Continue to cook gently for 5 minutes until the mushrooms have released most of their liquid.
- Add the puy lentils, tomato purée, wine, stock powder and water to the pan, then cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are tender.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice off the top of each (about two thirds of the way up the potato). Carefully scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving just enough around the skin to keep the shape of the potato. Place the flesh into a large bowl, add the margarine and mash thoroughly until no lumps remain. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide the pie filing between the four potatoes, and use a piping bag with a large nozzle to add the mashed potato topping to the pies. (If you a short of time, just dollop it on and spread with a knife instead!).
- Return the potatoes to the oven for 10-15 minutes until heated through, and the potato topping is turning golden brown.
Nutrition
Free 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan
Have you got your hands on a copy of my meal plan yet? If not CLICK here to download a copy of my FREE 4 Week Vegan Meal Plan today!
Please note that all recipes and images on The Veg Space are copyright protected. If you would like to share the recipe, please use the share buttons provided. Do not screenshot or copy and paste the recipe, (even if credited to The Veg Space). Many thanks for your understanding
Jess says
I love this fun twist on a classic recipe!
Jenn says
These are delicious! This is my go-to recipe when I want to impress. Everyone always raves about these, and I love all the extra nutrition from the lentils.
Dannii says
These look super comforting and a great way to use lentils too.
Beth says
Oh wow! This is such a lovely and delicious idea! Can't wait to make this again very soon. Such a tasty and easy recipe! The family absolutely loved this!
Liz says
I'm the only vegetarian in my family but this is a hit for everyone! Such a great comfort food recipe!
Ros says
This is a lovely looking dish. As I’m isolating at the moment due to the virus and don’t want to go shopping needlessly can I use the green or red lentils I already have in my cupboard?
Jeremy says
Those jacket potatoes look delish. You have really taken the recipe to the next level combining jacket potatoes and shepherds pie in one, can't wait to give the recipe a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
suz says
these came out great! so delicious! my non vegan husband loved'm too! i used trader joes meatless ground in place of the lentils as i had just gotten done with a lentil dish & didn't want them again. Yum!! i will make them with the lentils next time. i know they will taste great as well. thanks kate!
thevegspace says
That's great to hear - thanks Suz! Good idea re the mince.
Carrie Southern says
This is super delicious! We loved it. I didn't have mushrooms on hand so I used mushroom broth and just adjusted the other liquids. The parsnip is a must as it adds such a delicate and lovely flavor. A new favorite way to cook lentils. Our kids liked it too. Thank you!
thevegspace says
That's great to hear, thanks Carrie - so glad you enjoyed it!
Camilla @FabFood4All says
How gorgeous are these veggie shepherds pies, I'm sure my family would love them:-) Thanks for entering #CreditCrunchMunch:-)
Eb Gargano says
These are so gorgeous. I must confess I've never seen one (clearly not enough time spent on pinterest!?!) but I love the idea and your filling sounds amazing. Puy lentils are so lovely. I need to eat them more! Definitely pinning for future reference 🙂 Eb x
shaheen says
Its been a while since I've had loaded Jacket Potatoes - a cafe in Scotland used to make something similar with veggie mince too, though not presented as wonderfully. I'm kicking myself for not making a version on my blog all those years ago.
thevegspace says
Ooh thats a good idea too Shaheen, must try this with veggie mince.
London @ Gluten Free with L.B. says
What a creative idea! These sound like such a perfect comfort food for dinner 🙂
thevegspace says
Thanks! x
Nicola says
Delish! Thanks for such a great idea and recipe 🙏
thevegspace says
Thanks so much! Totally nicked the idea from various places on the internet, but they are so cute!
Amy says
They look delicious. Do you think they could be made ahead and just baked when needed?
thevegspace says
Definitely Amy, in fact they would freeze well too, so you could make a big batch and wrap individually.
Corina says
These look absolutely gorgeous! I'm wondering how I've missed coming across this idea before. They would be perfect for making in advance and keeping a few in the freezer so thank you so much for joining in with #CookOnceEatTwice
thevegspace says
Thanks Corina - yes I've seen quite a few around recently and thought they looked so cute! The ones I photographed were made 24hours beforehand and were still perfect - definitely keepers!
Choclette says
Oh what a super idea. Not sure where I've been hiding, but it must be away from jacket potato shepherd's pie - these are the first I've seen. I'm hopeless when it comes to piping and stay away from it if I can, but it does make them look extra special. I always make my shepherd's pie with lentils too - so good!
kate @veggie desserts says
What a fab idea - they look so special! Love it.
thevegspace says
Thanks Kate! Kept seeing them on Pinterest and thought I would have a go at a veggie version!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
I love the piping on top of the jacket potato. You have taken a really simple dish, the jacket potato, and jazzed it up. It sounds delicious.
thevegspace says
Thanks Dannii - yes the piping really doesn't take long, but makes it looks so much more of a treat!
Nadia says
They look delicious, Kate! And they're dairy free! Perfect 😀
thevegspace says
Thanks Nadia!