Recipes

Recipe: Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

This creamy Shepherd's pie with lentils and spaghetti squash makes a nice veggie version of the traditionally meat-filled dish

By Caren McSherry /

Credit: Flickr /Aero Racer E

This tasty veggie shepherd’s pie subs in lentils and spaghetti squash for meat

Shepherd’s Pie doesn’t have to be exclusively for meat eaters. Try this deluxe vegetarian version with squash, goat cheese, whipping cream and lentils

Thanks to chef Chuck Hughes for this tasty meatless meal.



Ingredients

  • 1 spaghetti squash

  • 1 head of garlic

  • 1/4 cup olive oil 

  • 2 cups bread crumbs 

  • 1 cup milk 

  • 1/4 cup roasted pine nuts 

  • 2 eggs, beaten

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh basil, chopped 

  • 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped 

  • 1 Tbsp. flat parsley, chopped 

  • 5-6 Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled 
 but not peeled

  • 1/4 cup melted butter 

  • 1/2 cup smooth goat cheese 

  • 1 cup whipping cream

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 carrots, chopped

  • 2 celery stalks, chopped

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 3 cups sliced mushrooms 

  • 6 cups wild mushrooms

  • 1 cup dried Du Puys lentils, cooked

  • Fried shallots to garnish

  • Salt and pepper


Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
  2. Cut spaghetti squash in half and remove and discard seeds.
  3. Place squash on a baking sheet and bake for 1-1/2 hours. (Or, place on a plate and microwave on high for about 20 minutes.)
  4. Put garlic head on a baking tray. Drizzle with 1 tsp. olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and bake for 30 minutes or until very tender.
  5. In a bowl, mix the bread crumbs and milk. Let stand for 5 minutes until all the liquid has been absorbed.
  6. Mix in pine nuts, eggs and herbs. Put aside.
  7. Mash potatoes with the butter, goat cheese, cooked garlic purée and cream until nice and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Remove the spaghetti squash flesh with a fork and put in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper and put aside.
  9. Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat remaining oil in a large pan and sauté the onions, carrots and celery over medium heat until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
  10. Add garlic and mushrooms and continue cooking until brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
  11. Add cooked lentils and the bread mixture. Stir and put aside.
  12. In an 8 x 11 baking dish, spoon the vegetable mixture onto the bottom. Layer with the spaghetti squash, then the potatoes and smoothing the top.
  13. Bake for about 30 minutes until top is slightly browned.

Garnish with fried shallots to taste.

Serves 8.

Originally published in TVW. For daily updates, subscribe to the free TVW e-newsletter, or purchase a subscription to the weekly magazine.