This vegetarian cottage pie impressed me from the first try. It’s a bit involved and uses several pots and pans, but it’s ideal for a special occasion or a relaxed weekend dinner when you want something deeply comforting and satisfying.
Fully vegetarian—and easy to convert to vegan with two simple swaps—this pie delivers a meaty flavour and texture that appeals to vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
How to Make a Mushroom and Lentil Cottage Pie
To satisfy pedants: this is technically a cottage pie rather than a shepherd’s pie, since no lamb is used. With that cleared up, let’s get started.
Because this recipe has several components, read through it before you begin and set aside enough time. Many steps can run concurrently, but it helps to understand the whole process upfront.
Preheat your oven to 220°C / 425°F and begin with the mushrooms. Browning them in the oven frees up stovetop space and deepens their flavour. I prefer portobellos for their meatiness, but crimini or button mushrooms work fine—just pulse them into small pieces for a great texture.
A food processor is fastest; work in batches if needed. Transfer the ground mushrooms to a large bowl, drizzle with olive oil, season generously with salt, spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast. Cook until the mushrooms have shrunk and browned, stirring once or twice—about 20–30 minutes. Lower the oven to 200°C / 400°F after you remove them.
While the mushrooms roast, start other components: soak the dried porcini, cook the lentils and begin the potatoes.
Place dried porcini in a heatproof bowl. Bring vegetable stock to a simmer, remove from heat and pour over the porcini. Cover and let rehydrate for 15–20 minutes. When tender, squeeze out excess liquid, roughly chop the porcini and reserve the soaking liquid.
In the same saucepan you warmed the stock in, add rinsed green lentils and cover with cool water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender but still slightly firm—about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
For the mashed potato topping: add peeled and quartered potatoes to a saucepan, cover with cold water and season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until fork-tender—about 15–20 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
Add butter and about two-thirds of the milk (use plant-based substitutes to make the dish vegan) plus a spoonful of nutritional yeast for a savoury note. Mash until smooth and creamy, adjusting milk for a spreadable consistency. Cover and set aside.
Now make the filling: heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrot and celery, season with salt, and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, white miso and chopped fresh thyme and cook until fragrant and the tomato paste darkens, about 2 minutes. Deglaze with dry red wine and a splash of soy sauce, cooking until the wine reduces and the alcohol smell dissipates.
Add the roasted ground mushrooms, chopped rehydrated porcini and cooked lentils to the pan. Pour in the reserved porcini soaking liquid, bring to a gentle simmer and cook a few minutes to marry the flavours.
To assemble: transfer the filling to a 20 cm (8 in) square baking dish and spread evenly. Top with the mashed potatoes and use a fork to make shallow grooves across the surface—this encourages a crisp, golden top.
Place the dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips and bake at 200°C / 400°F for 15–20 minutes, until the filling bubbles and the potato topping starts to brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving.
Vegetarian Lentil & Mushroom Cottage Pie
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Ingredients
- 850 g portobello mushrooms stems removed
- 250 ml vegetable stock
- 25 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 200 g dried green lentils rinsed
- 500 g potatoes peeled and cut into 4cm (1.5in) pieces
- 180 ml whole milk
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
- 1 yellow onion finely diced
- 1 carrot peeled and finely diced
- 1 stalk celery finely diced
- 1 tbsp white miso paste
- 2 tsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- 150 ml dry red wine
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F. Pulse the portobello mushrooms in a food processor (or finely chop by hand) until finely ground. Toss with 1 tbsp oil and ½ tsp salt.
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Spread the mushrooms on a parchment-lined tray and roast, stirring once, until reduced and browned, about 20–30 minutes. Reduce oven to 200°C/400°F.
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Place porcini in a heatproof bowl, pour hot vegetable stock over them, cover and rehydrate for 15 minutes. Reserve the soaking liquid, squeeze and chop the porcini.
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Cook lentils in the same saucepan used for the stock: cover with cool water, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10 minutes until tender but slightly firm. Drain and set aside.
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Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork-tender, 15–20 minutes. Drain, return to the pot, add butter, most of the milk and nutritional yeast, then mash to a smooth, spreadable texture. Cover and set aside.
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Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan. Add onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook until softened and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.
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Stir in miso, tomato paste and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add red wine and soy sauce and cook until the wine is reduced and glossy.
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Add the roasted ground mushrooms, chopped porcini and cooked lentils. Pour in the reserved porcini liquid, bring to a simmer and cook a few minutes to combine flavours.
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Transfer the filling to a 20cm (8in) square baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top and use a fork to make light grooves for crisping.
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Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake at 200°C/400°F for 15–20 minutes, until the filling bubbles and the potato topping browns. Let rest briefly, then serve.
Nutrition
Your cottage pie is ready to serve. Though the recipe involves several steps, the result is a deeply satisfying, meaty-tasting vegetarian meal.
Have questions or want a vegetarian alternative to shepherd’s pie? Leave a comment.
