indian shepherds pie

Indian-Spiced, Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with lentils, veggies and fragrant Garam Masala, topped with curry mashed potatoes. Truly one of the most delicious vegetarian dinner recipes on the blog!

Indian Vegetarian Shepherds Pie 

lbs potatoes (Yukon gold, red,

tablespoons, ghee, butter, vegan butter

plain yogurt (or sour cream)

milk, half and half or heavy cream

salt, more to taste

pepper

yellow curry powder, more to taste

lentils

onion,

garlic, rough chopped

carrot, (2-3 carrots)

celery

masala,

cumin

coriander

salt

dried fenugreek leaves

veggie broth

peas

ghee or olive oil

cumin seeds

fennel seeds

flour (or gf flour)

Cook Potatoes

Cut potatoes in one-inch slices ( if small, just in half) and place in a large pot. Cover with one-inch salted water. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until very tender about 20-25 minutes.

Cook lentils

Set lentils to cook in salted water (unless cooked already &#8211; and you could absolutely do this ahead) about 20-25 minutes (see notes) simmer until tender, but not falling apart, al dente.

Make the filling

In a large 10-12 inch ovenproof skillet (or wide, shallow dutch oven) -heat the ghee over medium high heat and saute the onion 2-3 minutes, lower heat to med, add garlic, saute 2 mintues, add carrots, celery, cook 5-7 mintues. Add salt, cumin, coriander, fenugreek leaves and garam masala.

Add broth. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer on med low, until carrots are cooked through about 7-8 minutes.

While this is simmering, MAKE THE GRAVY

Over medium heat, in a little pot, simmer the whole seeds ( cumin seeds and fennel seeds)  in ghee or oil until fragrant and golden. Add flour, whisking, stirring and toasting the flour one minute. Gradually whisk in the warm veggie broth. Cook until slightly thickened. Add this gravy to the filling, along with the peas and drained lentils. Mix to combine.

Taste the filling and adjust salt and pepper. Add more garam masala if you like. The filling should have  thick stew-like, saucy consistency. If too dry, add a splash of broth or water. If too watery, simmer off some of that liquid. If the filling is too watery, the mashed potatoes will sink.

Mash the potatoes

Drain the potatoes (saving some hot potato water) return to the same pot and mash with the 3-4 tablespoons ghee and yogurt. If potatoes seem dry or too stiff, add a little warm potato water to loosen. If you want extra richness a little milk, nut milk, half and half, or whipping cream is nice. I add about ½ cup. (Adding more yogurt will make these too tangy.) Season with salt, pepper and curry powder. Mash and whip until relatively smooth and light and fluffy. Taste and adjust salt.

ASSEMBLE

Place 8 big dollops over the lentils stew and fill in the spaces with smaller spoonfuls, carefully spreading out, maybe making a pattern with the back of the spoon, like frosting a cake.

Place in the oven until golden and bubbling, about 20-25 minutes. Feel free to brown the top under a broiler.

Garnish with scallions, chives or cilantro.

Preheat oven to 350F

One of my favorite dishes I have ever made.

Delicious!  I used regular old brown lentils and didn't have the fenugreek and it was still tasty.  Had this dish with 4 adults and 5 kids and stillnhad leftovers.  4/5 kids approved!

Absolutely amazing.  My husband loved it so much he ran across the house to tell me how great it was.  We don’t typically eat a lot of Indian food and are just venturing into a more plant based diet so trying it was a bit of a shot in the dark, but the result was incredible.  I didn’t add the fenugreek (store didn’t have any) and I didn’t have any fennel seeds, so I used star anise.

Delicious and nutritious!  I love the curry flavors and the potatoes on top.

I have always loved shepherd's pie, but this transformation is the next level! I can't enjoy it any other way now. Gorgeous color, creamy textures, exciting flavors (like the fennel in the gravy and curry in the potatoes), and it can feed a crowd on a tight budget. Thanks for the time saving prep tip! You've done it again, Sylvia!

I agree with John Saldano there in the last comment. This was one of the best things I've made in a LONG time. I just went vegetarian in December, and I've tried several of your recipes. All have been good, but this was so good I wanted to cry. The curry mash by itself was life-changing, so I had high hopes before I put the whole thing together. The final dish did not disappoint. It was also a great recipe for a day when I wanted to cook but didn't want to be rushed. I put together each step leisurely over the course of the day, slapped it all together, and had it ready to go in 20 minutes.

I was about to post a review but after reading a few comments, Erin Looney took the words out of my mouth. This is exactly how I would review this recipe.  Outstanding!!!!!!

This dish was absolutely delicious, the best I have made in a while. The mash is sensational, along with aroma oozing through the house. I couldn't get Fenugreek leaves and used some crushed Fenugreek seeds instead. I had no celery and added mushrooms as an attempt to clean out the fridge, giving it a rich, saucy texture. It was a huge hit!

It’s good!  We’re not veggie and we enjoyed it. Used a couple of star anise instead of fennel and then removed them. Also used pre cooked Puy lentils, 300gr pack of Merchant brand from Tesco, which worked well. It’s a keeper!

This tastes amazing and is worth the time and effort. The leftovers are even better!  Be warned that it uses a ton of pots and pans and there is plenty of clean up. I made it per the recipe, but I will probably substitute mushrooms for the celery next time.

This was really delicious! It does take some time and effort (we usually cook super easy, quick meals, but wanted to try this out). We used an instant pot to cook first the lentils and then the potatoes. Will definitely revisit this recipe for special occasions or days when we feel in a cooking mood. Mildly spiced, but still flavorful and delicious even to a level 10 spice-lover (my husband— though he did add some cayenne on top). Thank you!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/2BDM8UP1.mp4

A vegetarian recipe for Indian Shepherd’s Pie infused with the most fragrant Indian spices, along with black lentils, veggies, gravy and topped with curried mashed potatoes. 

Indian Shepherd’s Pie Video 

Deliciously savory, Indian-inspired shepherd&#039;s pie recipe made with lean ground turkey, veggies an a perfectly spiced potato topping. This lightened up shepherd&#039;s pie recipe makes a wonderful, hearty fall dinner that you can even freeze and serve later!

Indian-Inspired Shepherd’s Pie

Kosher salt

sour cream yogurt

turmeric

garam masala

chili powder,

ghee butter

yellow onion, minced

garlic cloves,

ginger

turkey

tomato sauce

cilantro,

red chile pepper,

Place the potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a medium saucepan. Cover with water, bring to a boil and cook for 16-18 minutes, until tender. Drain and return to the saucepan. Add ½ teaspoon salt, the sour cream, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ¼ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon cumin, and ¼ teaspoon chili powder, and mash with a potato masher. Set. Aside.

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat and melt the ghee. Add the onion and cook until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add the ground turkey and 1 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Brown the meat, using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces, until cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, ¼ cup water, cilantro, chile pepper, remaining ¾ teaspoon garam masala, remaining ½ teaspoon cumin, remaining ½ teaspoon chili powder, and remaining ½ teaspoon turmeric, and stir well. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes, then stir in the frozen peas and cook for about 3 minutes more, until the peas are warmed through.

Transfer the meat mixture to an 8- or 9-inch baking dish or deep pie plate, spreading it across in an even layer. Dollop the potatoes across the top and gently push them around until they cover the entire top of the casserole, then run the tines of a form across the top for texture. Dust with the chili powder for color.

Serve now: position an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Place the pie on a sheet pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until heated through. Adjust an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the heating element and turn the broiler to high. Finish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve as is or sprinkled with cilantro, if using.

Freeze and serve later: Assemble the unbaked pie in a foil or freezer-to-ovenproof baking dish or pie plate. Cover the pie with foil and freeze. When ready to bake, transfer the baking dish to a sheet pan and bake, covered, in a 350 degree F oven until heated through in the center, about 2 ½ hours. (If you thawed it the night before, bake 30 to 35 minutes.) Adjust an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the heating element and turn the broiler to high. Finish under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.

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Indian Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

Indian-Inspired Shepherd’s Pie

Top 2 indian shepherds pie recipes from across the web

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Indian Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

Indian-Inspired Shepherd’s Pie

The most viewed indian shepherds pie recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine