As the weather turns colder, it’s time to switch to warm and hearty recipes, and cottage pie is the perfect choice for vegans. These three vegan cottage pie recipes offer comforting, plant-based versions of the classic dish, perfect for chilly evenings. Whether labeled as shepherd’s pie or cottage pie, they all share one thing in common—there’s no meat involved, just wholesome, nourishing ingredients.
Read more: 5 Vegan Savory Pie Recipes
Instead of traditional mince, these recipes feature lentils as the base, making them protein-packed. Lentils provide an excellent source of plant protein and fiber, ensuring that your meal is both filling and nutritious. Plus, they add a satisfying texture that mimics the classic mince used in traditional cottage pies.
The following recipes have a few things in common: a tasty mash topping, and a warming, almost ‘meaty’ filling thanks to the lentils or the addition of mushrooms.
Read more: 8 Vegan Creamy Bake Recipes
Vegan shepherd’s pie
The first vegan version of a shepherd’s pie on this list comes from Sara Oteri. It uses mushrooms, zucchini, and eggplant as the filling. It’s also made with high-protein lentils, which makes this dish nutrient-dense. The fun part about this recipe is the addition of whole frozen peas in the mash. With all the textures and rich veggie flavors, this shepherd’s pie is definitely worth trying.
Find the recipe here.
Lentil shepherd pie
The following recipe comes from Happy Skin Kitchen. The base consists of typical ingredients such as carrots, celery, tomato, and heaps of seasonings from rosemary and thyme to cloves and pepper. However, you’ll notice a slight difference in this recipe as it includes balsamic vinegar and marmite to add depth to the filling. Then, you’ll top the flavorful filling with perfectly smooth mashed potatoes, as usual, before baking for 30 minutes.
Find the recipe here.
Meat-free cottage pie
The final recipe on this list comes from World of Vegan. Much like the other cottage pie recipes on this list, it also contains mushrooms and lentils. You can make this dish in an hour total and enjoy the same traditional flavors of the classic.
This meat-free cottage pie includes porcini mushrooms, lentils, carrots, and onion. And it’s seasoned with basil, oregano, rosemary, and thyme. The sun-dried tomatoes give the pie an extra kick, and the flavors are nostalgic and soothing.
Find the recipe here.
Read more: 30 Fall Recipes To Warm Up Your Evenings