This incredible twist on the classic dish takes it to a whole new level when you make Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie instead of using traditional mashed potatoes in the dish. Capitalizing on the slight sweetness and rich flavor of sweet potatoes, this dish brings comfort food to the table but in a whole new way.
Our delicious crowd-pleaser recipe is the perfect balance between sweet and savory, rich and light, chewy and soft—all great flavors and textures in one dish.
What is Shepherd's Pie?
Historians say that Shepherd’s Pie originated in England in the late 18th century as a means to promote the newly cultivated (and affordable) potato. Also known as cottage pie, simple families throughout the countryside found that they could extend the week's leftovers by topping small portions of meat such as ground lamb and vegetables with a mashed version of the newly marketed food.
Why You'll Love This Pie
This Vegan Shepherd's Pie does not contain the traditional ground beef or ground turkey, bland mashed potatoes, or the standard veggies of peas and carrots, but it has so much more flavor! Our Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie is anything but humble. The filling of protein-rich quinoa, cauliflower, chestnuts, and almonds is blended with mushrooms, onions, and garlic; then seasoned with superfood spices like cumin and coriander and a sweet potato topping.
We top our shepherd’s pie with mashed sweet potatoes for a healthy dose of beta-carotene, vitamins galore, and a burst of orange color making this vegetable entrée a show-stopper on any table.
Ingredients for Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
Spice Mix Ingredients
- Cinnamon.
- Cumin.
- Ground Ginger.
- Coriander.
- Salt and Black Pepper.
- Red Pepper Flakes. These are optional for heat.
Shepherd's Pie Ingredients
- Large Sweet Potatoes.
- Uncooked Red or White Quinoa. This dish is a naturally gluten-free recipe with quinoa as a grain.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. You can use a vegan butter substitute if you prefer that flavor.
- Garlic Cloves.
- Medium Onion.
- Frozen Cauliflower.
- Portablella Mushrooms.
- Cooked and Peeled Chestnuts.
- Cilantro. Parsley is a good alternative.
- Tomato Paste.
- Boiling Water.
- Slivered Almonds.
- Dried Raisins. Or cranberries.
- Salt.
How to Make Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
Mix the spices first and set those aside. Then, bake your sweet potatoes. Alternatively, you can peel and boil the sweet potatoes instead. Drain and mash once tender. Cook the quinoa according to our recipe instructions, which will be slightly undercooked. We recommend using water, but you could use broth if you want. Fluff it with a fork and set aside.
Next, heat your skillet to medium heat with olive oil and add the garlic and diced onion. Stir in the cauliflower, mushrooms, chestnuts, cilantro, and the spice mix. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.
Then, mix the cooked quinoa, cauliflower mixture, tomato paste, almonds, and raisins or cranberries in a large bowl. Transfer it to the prepared baking dish. Mash the sweet potatoes and spread them over the baking dish. Bake to finish.
Tips for Our Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
- To save time, you can prepare the filling 2 to 3 days in advance.
- Make sure the mashed sweet potatoes are nice and smooth so they're easy to spread over the filling in an even layer.
- If you would like a simpler spice mix you can use 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
- Fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary can be used to add a traditional flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you prepare this Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie recipe ahead of time?
Yes. Make the dish and place it in the fridge without baking it up to two days beforehand. Bake it the day you wish to serve it.
Can you freeze Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie?
Yes. It will last in the freezer, unbaked, and tightly wrapped for up to a month. if you use a disposable casserole dish you will have an easy meal with zero clean-up in your future.
How should leftovers of shepherd's pie be stored?
In the refrigerator, in an airtight container for up to four days.
More Great Vegan Options for Holiday Dinners
As shepherd's pie recipes go, this one is gorgeous on your Holiday table. What a show stopper.
If you love trying new recipes, serve this one with one or two of our other Passover dishes, like our Braised Eggplant in Fresh Tomato Sauce, Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup, or our Roasted Celeriac Steaks with Olive Pistachio Gremolata for an appetizing and colorful table. Perfect for Thanksgiving or Passover. Check out our roundup of 73 Vegetarian Passover Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: one 9x13 baking dish
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A hearty vegan entrée for Passover and all year-round, this savory dish brings together ingredients that are as incredibly nutritious and comforting at the same time!
Ingredients
For the spice mix ( See Note )
- 1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ teaspoon coriander
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
For the shepherd's pie:
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- ¾ cup uncooked red or white quinoa, rinsed
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 24oz frozen cauliflower, thawed and chopped
- 6oz Portablella mushrooms, gills removed, diced
- 5.2oz cooked and peeled chestnuts, split in half
- 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped ( about 1 cup) ( you can use parsley instead)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups boiling water
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds or chopped almonds
- ¼ cup dried raisins or cranberries
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray
- Combine all the ingredients of the spice mix in a small bowl and set aside
- Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, place them on the lined baking sheet cut side down.Bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the sweet potatoes. Leave the oven on.
- Bring 1 ¼ cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan with a lid. Add the rinsed quinoa, bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until quinoa is tender, but not mushy (cooking time may vary depending on the type of quinoa you're using)
- Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and diced onion and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the cauliflower, mushrooms, chestnuts, cilantro, and the spice mix. Mix well and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender
- In the meantime, heat the remaining tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the tomato paste and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Let it cool slightly, add boiling water, and whisk until combined
- In a large bowl, mix cooked quinoa, cauliflower mixture, tomato paste, almonds, and raisins or cranberries. Transfer it to the prepared baking dish. Set aside
- When sweet potatoes are cooked, let them cool until they are safe to handle. Scoop the inside and discard the skin. Place sweet potatoes in a bowl add ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon coriander, ¼ teaspoon cumin, a splash of olive oil, and a little hot water one tablespoon at a time until you get a sweet potato mash and achieve a creamy consistency. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes evenly over the quinoa vegetable mixture and bake for 15-20 minutes
Notes
- Alternatively, you can use 1 teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper instead of the spice mix listed above
- This sweet potato shepherd's pie can be prepared 2-3 days ahead of time.
- This Shepherd's pie can be frozen, unbaked tightly wrapped, for up to a month
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove top and oven
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10
- Calories: 186
- Sugar: 7.3
- Sodium: 2.38.4
- Fat: 5.7
- Saturated Fat: 0.7
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.6
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 30.5
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 5.7
- Cholesterol: 0
piurl.net
When I originally commented I see to have clicked the
-Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now every time a
comment is added I receive 4 emails with the exact same comment.
There has to be a means you are able to remove me from that service?
Many thanks!
Vicky & Ruth
We are sorry, we cannot control your settings. You have to go back to the post and change try changing it from there. Please let us know if you need any more help.
Sarah Halson
I am having trouble finding chestnuts this time of year and was wondering if we were supposed to use water chestnuts. Thank you!
Vicky & Ruth
Hi Sarah,
For this recipe we used regular chestnuts. This time of year, we find packaged chestnuts that are peeled and roasted in the kosher section of our grocery store. They are a popular Passover item, so they're easy to find. If you can't find them, you can omit them from the recipe, no problem Hope this helps!
Sarah
Thank you, I guess I was going to the wrong grocery store!
Roger
Yum, this dish was fantastic!
Valentina
I made this recipe last week and my family loved it! Thank you!
Mia
My family loved this recipe!
Carla
A terrific recipe. I'll be making it again
Eric
I've used this recipe as a rough template several times and added more veggies, the most successful have been carrots and kale. I have also taken to adding sage. I've forgone the chestnuts altogether at times, I've used pecans instead of almonds. It's been great every time.
Vicky and Ruth
Happy to hear that you are enjoying the recipe. Thank you for sharing!
Lenore
This recipe is yummy but quite labor intensive. I took a couple of shortcuts by microwaving the sweet potatoes instead pf baking them in the oven and by using a rice cooker for the quinoa. I found the use of frozen cauliflower to be a nuisance to first thaw then chop. Would have been easier to use a small fresh head of cauliflower. At the final tasting, before adding the mixture to the baking dish, I deemed that it needed more mushrooms and a splash of citrus, so I quickly sauteed some sliced fresh mushrooms and added fresh lemon juice to the mixture. The step of mixing spices together in a small bowl was just another extra task that created an additional bowl to wash, because the spices can be added to the sauteeing mixture individually and stirred in. Altogether though-- I love the combination of flavors and textures! It was great to have a make-ahead Passover dish to serve to a vegan guest. And the spices made my house smell great!
Martine
This recipe was a superb hit! This last comment of using sage is interesting. I omitted your seasoning, the almonds and raisins/cranberries and went for a more savory profile with Penzey's Turkish Seasoning: salt, garlic, cumin, Tellicherry black pepper, Turkish oregano, sweet paprika, sumac, cayenne red pepper and cilantro.
For the same dinner, I also tried your VEGAN HALVA BARS. Now I want to buy your cookbook too.
Vicky and Ruth
Thank you! We love how you adapted the recipe to your taste! We hope you enjoy the cookbook!
Laura
Love this recipe! I tasted it unbaked just so I could see how the flavors blended, and honestly, you could eat it that way too. Question for you: I need to freeze this for Passover and I made it a couple of weeks ahead…when I go to bake it, should I defrost first? Or bake from frozen? Thank you!
Vicky and Ruth
Thank yo for muchs Laura. Happy to hear that you loved the recipe. It is better to defrost it before baking!