Name: Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h 25 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 recipe (2 cups) mushroom ragù; 2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 to 3-inch chunks; Salt and ground black pepper, to taste; 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature; 3 ounces salted butter, at room temperature; 1/4 - 1/2 cup milk; 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil; 1 yellow onion, chopped; 4 cloves of garlic, minced; 1 teaspoons dried thyme leaves; 1 teaspoon ground dried sage; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 cups vegetable broth, OR Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water; 12 ounces frozen peas and carrots; Salt and pepper, to taste; 1 cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley (optional), for serving

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This rich and comforting vegetarian shepherd's pie includes a hearty stew of roasted mushrooms, onions, garlic, peas, and carrots topped with buttery cream cheese mashed potatoes. Even if you're not vegetarian, trust me, you will not miss the meat.

A plate filled with vegetarian shepherds pie with cream cheese mashed potatoes.

The foundation of the meaty-without-the-meat vegetable stew for this Shepherd's Pie is one of my most loved and most used recipes - Mushroom Ragù. This rich and flavorful ragù is one of the most delicious and versatile plant-based recipes I know how to make.

It's something I make often and almost always have some in my freezer because there is no end to the list of ways you can use it - try it in creamy mushroom pasta, on 3-cheese mushroom pizza, in white mushroom lasagna, stuffed into super easy flatbreads, and in this recipe for vegetarian shepherd's pie.

The other important part of this recipe is, of course, the mashed potatoes. I used the recipe I've been making for decades to make cream cheese mashed potatoes because it's the most creamy and delicious mashed potatoes I've ever eaten. When spread over roasted mushroom and vegetable stew and then baked until golden brown, they are pure comfort on a plate.

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Ingredient additions and substitutions
Make it vegan
Step-by-step photos and instructions
📖 Recipe
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Using a large serving spoon to dish up some freshly baked vegetarian shepherd's pie.

Ingredient additions and substitutions

This is one of those recipes for which you can make endless substitutions and additions to make it your own.

Have a favorite mashed potato recipe that you'd rather use? Go for it.

Want to kick it up a notch and add some cheese, roasted garlic, chives, or chipotle peppers to the potatoes? I wholeheartedly approve and, if you need some additional ideas, you'll find a list of additions in the original mashed potato recipe.

Add any other kind of roasted or sautéed veggies, swap out the thyme for any other herb or combination of herbs, or make it vegan by omitting the cream cheese and using vegan butter and plant-based milk to make the potatoes.

You can even swap out the mushroom ragù for some simple roasted or sautéed mushrooms. But, I hope you won't. Mushroom ragù is truly one of the most delicious plant-based recipes in my toolbox, and it makes this shepherd's pie fantastically delicious.

Make it vegan

The only ingredients standing in the way of this Shepherd's Pie being vegan is the butter, cream cheese, and milk in the mashed potatoes. All three of those ingredients are easy to swap for non-dairy, vegan ingredients:

Swap out the butter for vegan butter and the milk for any kind of plant-based milk. Unsweetened almond milk is my favorite plant based milk to use in mashed potatoes, but pea-protein milk and oat milk also work really well.
There are a variety of vegan cream cheese options on the market today. You can also swap out the cream cheese for vegan yogurt, cashew cream, or vegan sour cream. You can also leave it out entirely and increase the amount of vegan butter.

Step-by-step photos and instructions

Use a wooden spoon to stir the mushroom ragu while it cooks.

1. Follow the recipe instructions to prepare the mushroom ragù. The ragù can be prepared in advance. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Cook potatoes in salt water until fork tender but still several minutes undercooked.

2. Peel and cut the potatoes into large cubes and cook in salted water until very tender.

A blue bowl filled with cream cheese mashed potatoes.

3. Drain the potatoes then mash with cream cheese, butter, and milk. Add enough milk so the potatoes are spreadable but not runny.

Using a wooden spoon to stir chopped onions as they cook in a pan.

4. Cook a chopped yellow onion in some oil until the onion is soft and translucent.

Add spices and tomato paste to the chopped onion as it cooks in the pan.

5. Add the garlic, thyme, sage, and tomato paste, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Add the flour to the vegetables and stir to mix.

6. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer.

Slowly pour the broth into the vegetables in the saucepan.

7. Pour the broth into the pan slowly, stirring constantly to prevent lumps.

Use a spoon to stir the mushroom ragu into the broth.

8. Add the mushroom ragù, bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while.

Use a spoon to stir the frozen peas and carrots into the hot stew.

9. Stir in the frozen peas and carrots and remove the pan from the heat.

10. Spread the mashed potatoes over the vegetable stew and place it in the oven to bake.

A freshly baked Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie that's just been removed from the oven.

11. Bake the shepherd's pie, uncovered, for 15-25 minutes, until the stew is bubbling around the edges of the pan and the potatoes are beginning to brown.

Pro tip! Allow the baked shepherd's pie to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. This allows the stew and potatoes to firm up a bit, which makes serving much easier.

A plate filled with a generous serving of vegetarian shepherd's pie.

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A plate filled with vegetarian shepherd's pie.

If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Scroll down to leave a comment and rate it!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 6 generous servings

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 recipe (2 cups) mushroom ragù
2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 to 3-inch chunks
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 ounces salted butter, at room temperature
¼ - ½ cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 teaspoon ground dried sage
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable broth, OR Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with water
12 ounces frozen peas and carrots
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup chopped fresh Italian flat leaf parsley (optional), for serving

Instructions

Follow the recipe instructions to prepare the mushroom ragù . The ragù can be prepared in advance. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Prepare the mashed potatoes: Add the potatoes to a large saucepan and fill with enough water to cover the potatoes comfortably. Add enough salt to make the water taste salty. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and cook until the potatoes are very tender. Drain in a colander set inside the sink then immediately dump the hot potatoes into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cream cheese and butter and mix on low for about 20 seconds. Slowly pour in the milk while the mixer continues to mix on low speed until the potatoes are spreadable but not runny; the amount of milk you need will vary. (*See note below for additional ways to prepare mashed potatoes.) Set aside.
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
Add the oil and chopped onion to a dutch oven or braiser. Set the pan over medium heat and cook until the onion looks translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme, sage, and tomato paste, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute longer.
Pour the broth into the pan slowly, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add the mushroom ragù, bring the liquid to a simmer, and cook, uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired. If the broth is well seasoned, you may not need any additional seasoning.
Stir in the peas and carrots and remove the pan from the heat.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the vegetable stew and place it in the oven to bake. Bake, uncovered for 15-25 minutes, until the stew is bubbling around the edges of the pan and the potatoes are beginning to brown.
Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes before serving. Serve with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Notes

To use a ricer or food mill to mash the potatoes, melt the butter and cream cheese in a saucepan set over low heat. Push the potatoes through the ricer or food mill, slowly stir in the butter and cream cheese, then slowly stir in the milk.