Moroccan Spiced Vegan Shepherd’s Pie – classic comfort food with a Middle Eastern twist. Creamy lentils spiced with cumin and coriander topped with a fluffy sweet potato mash | Gluten Free + Vegan
There’s something undeniably cozy about Shepherd’s Pie, don’t you think?
It’s warm, and hearty and wonderfully rustic with its fluffy potato mash sitting on top and baked to a bubbly perfection. Not to mention is pretty easy to throw together – a process made even easier with this Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with it’s lentil-veggie filling.
True comfort food. So let’s dig into it!
I got the idea of this Moroccan spiced Shepherd’s Pie while flipping through a magazine at Waterstones the other week. I’ve been on a big sweet potato kick lately and was instantly drawn into the bright orange topping.
The original recipe was actually for a beef & lentil filling which I decided to alter to keep this meat free which in turn made this not only easier but also waaaay cheaper. Gotta love those savings.
How to Make: Moroccan Spiced Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
The best place to start would be with your sweet potato mash. Add a couple of peeled & diced sweet potatoes to a pot of boiling water to start off your meal to get things going.
While the sweet potatoes are softening you can start working on your lentil, veggie filling. It’s mostly just a matter of layering in veggies and spices to create more depth of flavour before finally adding in your lentils.
When the potatoes are fork tender your drain the water and mash with a large fork or potato masher until smooth before spread the mash over your lentil filling. If you have an oven safe cooking skillet you can cook everything all in the pan – otherwise you’ll need to transfer everything to a baking dish.
The final result is a dish that is
✔️Healthy
✔️Comforting
✔️Easy
✔️Delicious
all while being a hearty, meat free & protein packed meal perfect for weeknights in these chilly months ahead.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Moroccan Spiced Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Moroccan Spiced Vegan Shepherd's Pie - classic comfort food with a Middle Eastern twist. Creamy lentils spiced with cumin and coriander topped with a fluffy sweet potato mash | Gluten Free + Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sweet potato, peeled and cut into quarters
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 cup white onion diced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic crushed or chopped
- 1 medium medium carrot, about 6 inches long peeled and diced
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup | 240 ml vegetable stock, aim for a lower sodium stock
- 1 14 oz can brown lentils, rinsed & drained
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- optional chopped fresh cilantro/coriander for topping
Instructions
- Add the peeled and chopped sweet potatoes to a large pot on the stove top. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. It will take about 15-20 minutes to cook until fork tender. In the mean time begin working on the filling.
- When the potato has softened enough, drain the water and mash with a large fork or potato masher. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and mash until smooth. Taste and season with a little salt & pepper if you'd like.
Filling
- Preheat the oven to 400°F/205°C.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot add the diced onion and salt and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic and carrot to the pan. Stir.
- Add the spices the vegetables and stir it all together, coating everything in spice. Add the tomato paste, stock and lentils. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Taste and season with more salt as necessary.
- If you're using an oven safe skillet of cooking pan you can bake directly in your skillet, other wise pour the filling to a 2 quart oven proof baking dish.
- Carefully smooth the sweet potato mash over the filling. Top with a sprinkling of cumin seeds. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are lightly browned on top.
- Let cool briefly and then serve. This keeps well in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Maureen says
Very good. My husband is suspicious of anything with sweet potatoes, so I made it with half sweet potato and half white potato. I will make this again.
Sarah Nevins says
Ha! Our husbands have that in common 🙂
Glad to hear you enjoyed it – thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know your thoughts!
Faye says
Hi Sarah, The meal looks great! I’m.just wondering how you got to 25 grams of protein though? I can’t seem to find how it would have 25 in the whole thing that serves 4.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Faye – Thanks for pointing that out to me! I have no idea why the nutritional info was so off! I’ve just ran the recipe through another nutrition calculator and I’ve update the info there with the new amounts. Now it would get you about 12 grams of protein in one serving which makes much more sense. Thanks again for your question!
Lexie says
I’ve been making this for a few years I love it , to cut down on pots I wrap whole sweet potatoes in glad wrap and micro wave then dig out pulp and mash, easy.
Sarah Nevins says
Ooh – I love that idea with the sweet potatoes!
So glad to hear how much you’ve enjoyed it! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review 🙂
Janet says
I can not find canned lentils in my area. Can I use dried and and soak them?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Janet! I cup of soaked lentils should work here 🙂
Kaitlyn says
Delayed review, but I was just dreaming of cozy winter recipes again and thought of this one! Made it for friends a few months ago, and it was a hit. Added roasted spiced cauliflower for added texture. Sent out the recipe to everyone, and it fit all dietary restrictions. Definitely will make it again this fall 🙂
Sarah Nevins says
Thank you so much, Kaitlyn! That makes me so happy to hear! LOVE the sound of adding roasted cauliflower to this – I’ll have to try that out myself next time 🙂
Kathren Nag says
Wow this was absolutely AMAZING! This is my first time writing up a food review, but I loved it so much I just had to say a big thank you for sharing. I will definitely be maKing this dish again.
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it so much! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know what you thought about it!
Golumpki says
Frankly not worth the effort. Texture was unpleasant. Gave it my best shot and followed the directions.
Sarah Nevins says
Sorry to hear it wasn’t for you – here’s to trying though!