SKILLET VEGETABLE SHEPHERD’S PIE
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie – A wonderful whole food, plant-based version of shepherd’s pie made in a skillet with lots of vegetables and kidney beans. It’s a hearty and comforting meal that always hits the spot!
This is not typically the type of meal I eat, but when I’m craving something savory with that old homestyle feel, this healthy, veggie filled vegetarian shepherd’s pie is perfect!
Full of flavor, this vegetable shepherd’s pie is the type of comfort food I can really get into. I love potatoes in all forms and they go so well with all the veggies and savory gravy!
This recipe is fairly quick and easy, and on the table in about 45 minutes. Now I’m looking forward to the leftovers which I imagine will be even better!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For this vegetable shepherd’s pie, I added more veggies than are really needed, but they all go together and really make it hearty with lots of color and textures.
Feel free to change up the vegetables to suit your taste, adding or subtracting as you like. For instance, omit the asparagus and/or green beans and add more mushrooms. You almost can’t go wrong!
Here is everything I used:
- potatoes – russet or Yukon
- unsweetened, plain almond milk – or your favorite plant milk
- vegan butter – my favorite it Miyoko’s or sub with olive oil
- onion
- garlic
- carrots
- celery
- mushrooms – pick up pre-sliced for ease
- asparagus – fresh or frozen
- green beans – fresh, canned or frozen
- corn – fresh, canned or frozen
- spinach
- kidney beans
- vegetable broth – or veg paste with water
- tamari – sub with soy sauce or coconut aminos
- thyme – fresh or dried
- rosemary – fresh or dried
- flour – can sub with cornstarch (see recipe notes)
- mineral salt + pepper
How To Make Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
- Make the mashed potatoes using the directions in the recipe card or make these easy Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes.
- In a cast iron skillet, warm oil over medium heat, add onions and saute for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms, sauté for 4 more minutes.
- Add the tamari and flour, mix well until flour is incorporated and no white streaks of flour are left.
- Add the corn, kidney beans, green beans, asparagus, herbs, and vegetable broth, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Add the spinach in the last 5 minutes, and let wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Once vegetables are done, top with the potatoes. Either set the skillet under the broiler to brown the potatoes (shown below) or eat as is.
However you like, serve warm and enjoy this homestyle meal!
That’s it, vegetarian shepherd’s pie is super easy to make, well-balanced, gluten free and one of my favorite comfort foods!
Top Tips
- Veggies: Change up the vegetables adding or subtracting your favorite frozen, canned or fresh, using about 7 – 8 cups.
- Free and easy: I love making these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. It frees up space on the stove and is so easy with no draining required. It’s seriously simple and locks in all the potato flavor!
- Skillet size: I used a 10 inch skillet and it was the perfect size. A 12 inch will work too, but will result in a slightly thinner shepherd’s pie.
How To Store
- Refrigerator: Leftovers will keep for 5 – 6 days in the refrigerator, stored in a covered container.
- Freezer: This vegetarian shepherd’s pie is freezer friendly and freezes well for up to 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let cool completely and store in freezer safe containers (affiliate link), leaving 1/2 inch head space for expansion. Let thaw before reheating.
- Reheat: To reheat, simply warm in a preheated oven set at 350 degrees F. for 10 – 15 minutes, until warmed through. You can also zap individual portions in the microwave for 2 – 3 minutes, stopping to check every 45 – 60 seconds.
Serving Suggestions
This savory shepherd’s pie is hearty on its own, but can be made even heartier with a little something on the side. Here are a few of my favorite options:
- Bread: Serve with a slice of buttered homemade Artisan Bread or soft & chewy Naan Bread.
- Salad: Pair with a simple, fresh leafy green salad with Vegan Ranch, Lemon-Herb Hemp Dressing or Healthy Flax & Evo Balsamic Vinaigrette.
More Comfort Food Recipes
Because you can never have too many comfort recipes to try! Take a look at these other comfort food recipes, you just may find a new favorite!
- Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese
- Easy Vegetable Chili
- One Pot Penne Pasta w/ Mushrooms + Sausage
- See all vegan Comfort Food recipes on TSV!
If you try this vegetable shepherd’s pie recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.
PrintVEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE
A flavorful vegetable shepherd’s pie is made in a skillet with lots of veggies and protein rich kidney beans. It’s easy to make and a hearty, comforting meal that always hits the spot!
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 35 min
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4 - 6 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: simmer
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Mashed potatoes
- 2 1/2 pounds potatoes ( I used Yukon gold)
- 1/4 – 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 – 4 tablespoons olive oil or vegan butter
- mineral salt + pepper, to taste
Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or 1/4 cup water
- 1 small onion (about 1 cup), chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots (about 1 cup), chopped
- 2 stalks celery (about 1 cup), sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons tamari, soy sauce or coconut aminos
- 1 cup asparagus, sliced in 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup green beans, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 fresh corn (about 1 cup), cut off the cob
- 2 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
- 1 can (15oz) kidney beans (1 1/2 cups), drained and rinsed
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme (or 1 tsp. fresh)
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp. dried)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
- mineral salt + pepper, to taste
Instructions
Potatoes: Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water (I added a few sprigs of thyme to the water.) Bring to a boil and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes, add butter/oil, mash into potatoes to melt, add milk and stir until desired consistency. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and set aside in a warm place.
Filling: In a cast iron skillet, warm oil over medium heat, add onions and saute for 5 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, celery and mushrooms, sauté for 4 more minutes. Add the tamari and flour, mix well until flour is incorporated and no white streaks. Add the corn, kidney beans, green beans, asparagus, herbs, and vegetable broth, simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add the spinach in the last 5 minutes, and let wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Assemble: Spoon the potatoes evenly over the top of the filling and add a few sprigs of thyme or paprika for color. Place the skillet under the broiler, about 3 – 4 inches away, for 5 minutes to let the potatoes brown.
Let set a few minutes and serve warm. Gravy will thicken upon standing.
Serves 4 – 6
Notes
Change up the veggies adding or subtracting your favorite frozen, canned or fresh vegetables, using about 7 – 8 cups.
Free up space on the stovetop with this Instant pot Mashed Potatoes recipe. Plus, it requires no draining!
Flour sub: Feel free to sub the flour with a cornstarch slurry of mixing 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water, add when adding the vegetable broth.
Sometimes when I make this, I tend to just fill my bowl with the veggies and top with the potatoes and garnishes. Seems simpler to me for this party of one.
Keywords: vegetarian shepherd's pie
Updated: Skillet Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie was originally published in July 2012. It has been updated with new photos and helpful tips in March 2020.
FOLLOW TSV on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest or RSS for more updates and inspiration!
It was delicious but my prep took much longer than 10 minutes. I wish I started cooking earlier.
★★★★★
Absolutely delicious!
★★★★★
Do you know how well/ if the filling freezes?
I have made this quite a few times and love it. It’s so easy and a great way to eat up the farmer’s market veggies whatever they may be for the week. I have recently discovered arrowroot which is a great substitute for cornstarch.
Thanks Julie for this wonderful recipe it is quickly becoming a staple in our house.
I made this tonight as written except for substituting some veggies for others I had on hand. (cauliflower and zucchini and peas instead of beans, asparagus, and celery. Delicious, and easier to make than the version I used to make. This will be my new favourite recipe this winter.
Two tablespoons of olive oil is listed in the list of ingredients for the potatoes. Is that added to the water while cooking?
Add in the oil when adding in the milk. Thank you for pointing that out. I also made it optional…sometimes I use a little oil in my potatoes and sometimes I don't. I'm going to have to make this again! :)
YUM… I am so making this this week. :) Thanks for the beautiful recipes and the beautiful food. The Lentil loaf was so yummy!
I hope you loved it! Thank you, your so welcome. :)