Roasted Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie will keep you warm and cozy on cold winter evenings. Made with a mixture of mushrooms, caramelized onions, white beans, and mashed potatoes, this is comfort food at its finest. This easy recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Onion and Mushroom Shepherd's Pie

This is one of those cozy meals that I find myself craving in the dead of winter. It's cold and dreary out, but a plate of veggies and mashed potatoes will keep me warm and happy! Plus, there are always leftovers, which means I'll have meals for days!

What is Shepherd's Pie?

Shepherd's pie is a casserole-style dish consisting of cooked minced meat topped with mashed potato. Sometimes vegetables are added to the filling and and sometimes the dish is topped with cheese.

Shepherd’s pie used to be called “cottage pie,” because it was consumed mainly by the working class who lived in tiny cottages. It was considered an economical dish, because it was made using leftovers and inexpensive potatoes. In other words, it was peasant food. I'll take this delicious peasant food over fancy food any day of the week.

At some point the term shepherd's pie was introduced. In the beginning, the terms shepherd's pie and cottage pie were synonymous, but gradually they were differentiated by the of meat used – lamb in the shepherd's version and beef in the cottage version. I'll just take mine with veggies, please!

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

It's super easy to veganize shepherd's pie. Since it started as a way to use up leftovers, I see no reason why you can't just throw whatever you have in those tuperwear containers in the fridge in a dish with some mashed potatoes and call it a day.

The easiest way to veganize shepherd's pie would be to use veggie burger crumbles. Lentils are another great choice, since they have a hearty, meaty texture. I've used mushrooms and white beans here because 'shrooms are another great substitute for meat. White beans complement mushrooms nicely.

Mashed potatoes are super easy to veganize using nondairy milk and vegan butter. I've used cauliflower and millet in the place of potatoes in my other shep's pie recipe. And I have a recipe that uses sweet potatoes instead of russets in The Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook.

How to Make Roasted Mushroom Shepherd’s Pie

Don't let the amount of steps in this recipe deter you from making it. It doesn't take too long to put this dish together. You can time it so that the potatoes are boiling, the mushrooms are roasting, and the onions are caramelizing all at the same time.

• To make the crust, you boil the potatoes in water.  Then you reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the potatoes to simmer until they're fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
• Once they're done, you drain the potatoes and return them to the pot. Mash them with a potato masher, and then add the the non-dairy milk, vegan butter, nutritional yeast, and chives. You continue mashing until the potatoes reach desired consistency, and season them with salt and pepper to taste.
• While the potatoes are boiling, you make the filling by tossing all of the mushrooms and the garlic together with a little oil and spreading them out on the baking. You roast them in a 375° oven for 25 minutes or until they're tender.
• While the mushrooms are roasting,  you sauté the onions in the remaining oil over medium heat about 20 minutes, until they're golden brown and caramelized. You should stir them often to keep them from burning and sticking to the pan.
• Then you mix together the onions, mushrooms, beans and parsley and put them in a baking dish. You then top the mixture with the mashed potatoes. Bake your shepherd's pie for about 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown.

Recipe Notes

I like to keep scrub my potatoes and keep the skins on for mashed potatoes. I like the rustic look it gives the dish, and I really don't like peeling potatoes! Potato skins have a lot of nutritional value, so it's a win-win.

Mash the potatoes to your liking. I prefer mine on the chunky side, so I only lightly mash them.

You can use any type of mushrooms that you like in this dish. I tend to use a mixture of criminis, white button, and shiitakes, but oysters, trumpets, and chanterelles would be just as tasty.

This recipe makes a lot of pie, so be prepared for leftovers. It tastes even better the next day, so that's a good thing! I like to freeze some of it, so I have it ready to go on those days when I'm super busy.

Originally posted March 8, 2013. Updated January 5, 2022.

If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:

• Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower-Millet Mash
• Shepherd's Pie Baked Potatoes
• Greens Pie with Millet Amaranth Crust
• Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Tart