Curried Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping
Vegan Shepherd's Pie has tons of flavor thanks to curry spices and caramelized tomato paste. It's loaded with veggies, lentils, and chickpeas and topped with coconut mashed sweet potatoes. Whether you're looking for a vegan Easter dinner recipe or a healthy, family-friendly meal, this is casserole is as delicious as it gets!
Friends! We're going Meat Free Monday … on Tuesday! Becuase hey, when you've got a dish of curried veggies and lentils piled high with coconut mashed sweet potatoes staring at you in the face it's the right thing to do.
This delish Vegan Shepherd's Pie reminds me of sweet potato chili. It's loaded with lentils, and chickpeas, and veggies that are sauteed in chili-like spices. It's definitely a change from a traditional shepherd's pie, but it's a new and tasty change.
→ Sidebar → When I told my handsome man what I was making for dinner he asked me if it was real shepherd's pie. He clearly knows me too well! I'm not going to lie, he was disappointed it was a vegan version. (He's so hard done by.) Think I'll have to make the man a ‘real' version soon.
As sad as he was that I veganized a classic, that didn't stop him from going for seconds.
This recipe is really flexible in terms of how you can change it to suit your taste/ what you have on hand. Feel free to make substitutions.
♡ Don't like peas? Leave them out!
♡ Love corn? Throw some in!
♡ Ran out of chickpeas but have a can of white /black/ kidney beans? Use them!
♡ Not a big fan of sweet potatoes? Use regular spuds!
♡ Forgot to grab celery? Don't even worry about it!
See where I'm going with this? Chances are, you'll be able to make this without making a grocery store run. Let's give it up for flexible recipes that use pantry/ fridge staples.
If you make this Curried Vegan Shepherd's Pie make sure you snap a pic and tag #theendlessmeal on Instagram so I can like and comment on your photos. I love seeing TEM recipes you create!
Vegan Curried Shepard's Pie with Coconut Sweet Potato Topping
If you love this recipe as much as we do, let us know with a 5-star rating!
Ingredients
- ½ cup dried brown lentils, or 1 cup cooked
- 1 lb. sweet potatoes, about 2 medium, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup coconut milk
- ½ cup water
- A pinch of cayenne
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 portobello mushroom, or 5 crimini mushrooms, diced
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon each: chili powder, cumin, and sea salt
- 5.5 ounce can tomato paste
- 19 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Add the lentils to a small pot and cover with a few inches of water. Bring the pot to a boil then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the lentils are soft. Drain any remaining liquid.½ cup dried brown lentils
- Add the sweet potatoes, coconut milk, water, and a pinch of cayenne to a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the sweet potatoes are soft. Mash with a potato masher and salt to taste.1 lb. sweet potatoes, 1 cup coconut milk, ½ cup water, A pinch of cayenne
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
- While the lentils and sweet potatoes are cooking, heat the coconut oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until transparent, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, carrots, celery, and mushrooms to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 medium onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 inch piece of ginger, 3 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 portobello mushroom
- Add the garam masala, chili powder, cumin, and sea salt to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and let it caramelize for about 3 minutes, or until it has darkened slightly and is sweet smelling. Remove from the heat and stir in the chickpeas, peas, and cooked lentils. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with the mashed coconut sweet potatoes.1 tablespoon garam masala, 1 teaspoon each: chili powder, cumin, and sea salt, 5.5 ounce can tomato paste, 19 ounce can chickpeas, 1 cup frozen peas
- Bake the Vegan Shepherd's Pie for 20-25 minutes, or until hot and bubbling at the edges.
I made this for Easter dinner and it was amazing. At first I thought the mashed sweet potatoes were a little too moist/mushy but after it cooked it came out of the oven great. Hubby loved it too. Will definitely make again.
That is so wonderful to hear, Maryann!
Looks so delicious! Can I make this a day ahead (for Thanksgiving) or will it be too dry?
You could definitely assemble it the day before. 🙂
Made this recipe and it is a keeper!! My husband and vegan daughters loved it as it combined creamy sweet topping with a hearty and rich filling. I used black beans and chickpeas in the filling, and didn’t use lentils as one daughter is sensitive to them. Thanks for the great flavour combination!
You are very welcome!
Made this tonight, and it was great! Terrific flavors and balance. The only thing I changed was to add a little liquid to the pot when I added the tomato paste. Otherwise made completely as written and enjoyed it very much! Next time I’ll serve with fresh cilantro and perhaps slivered almonds as garnish.
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
Made this for hubby tonight & got serious brownie points – thanks! The curry seemed too dry & the sweet potato mash too sloppy but it all worked out when put together. ??
I’m so happy to hear it was a hit!
Hello
Can this be frozen?
It freezes well!
Absolutely delicious!! Thanks for the recipe.
You are so welcome!!
I assume the 1c coconut milk is meant to add to the sweet potatoes when mashing?
Sorry about that confusion! It’s actually added to the sweet potatoes with the water when cooking. I’ve updated the recipe. 🙂
You might want to add that you need to drain the sweet potatoes. Otherwise you’d end up with sweet potato soup! I would also use a half can of tomato paste. Otherwise, the recipe is great!
Why add the coconut milk together with the sweet potatoes during cooking? Wouldn`t it be better to remove the water first after cooking them before adding the coconut milk, or else there is too much liquid. Anyways, loves the recipe!
I did it this way because there is just the right amount of liquid to cook the sweet potatoes. None of it gets drained. 🙂