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These Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie Potato Skins are loaded with savory lentil stew filling, melted cheddar cheese, and topped with creamy cheesy mashed potatoes. A super fun twist on classic shepherd’s pie, these lentil stuffed potato skins are perfect for dinner, game day, or holiday meals.
They combine everything you love about classic shepherd’s pie, creamy mashed potatoes, savory stew filling, and lovely cheese, in a fun stuffed potato skin format. Instead of ground meat, hearty lentils create a protein-packed and fiber rich vegetarian filling that’s comforting, satisfying, and delicious.
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
These potatoes are perfect for:
- Meatless Monday dinners
- Holiday meals like Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas
- Comfort food cravings
- Vegetarian entertaining
- Game day appetizers (try cutting them in half for an appetizer size)
- budget friendly eating
But what to call it?
So, for those of you naming purists, or for trivia fans…
Shepherd’s pie is technically made with a lamb filling; historically, the shepherd took care of the sheep. Cottage Pie is made with beef filling. Shepherdess pie is another term I see sometimes that can refer to vegetarian or vegan pies.
However, in more recent times the term shepherd’s pie is used for all kinds of savory meat pies and even vegetarian and vegan pies use the term.
And, well this is also a type of twice baked potato, so maybe those other terms are all off.
So many ways to call a dish that’s just super tasty and great comfort food. So, whatever you prefer to call it, just know that it’s delicious.
How to make
I’m very happy with this recipe. I worked on it quite a bit to make it perfect for you. The potato skins are based on my Loaded Potato Skins recipe. And the Mashed Potato Topping is from my Twice Baked Potato recipe. The Lentil Stew I made a few different versions, and finally landed on this amazing filling with complex flavors, a little natural sweetness, savory umami flavors, and super easy to make.
You’ll find the full recipe below including ingredient amounts and instructions, but I have tips and photos for you in the post. Many of the steps can be done while the potatoes bake, saving time overall.
Bake the potatoes to make the potato skins
Russet potatoes are ideal for this recipe because their thick skins crisp beautifully while the fluffy interior makes ultra-creamy mashed potatoes.
Dry the potatoes thoroughly before oiling for maximum crispy skins.
The baking time may vary, as potatoes may take longer if you use large Russets.
Once the potatoes are done baking, scoop out the flesh. Be sure to let the potatoes cool a bit before scooping to avoid tearing skins. Don’t scoop too thin, you want about ¼-inch wall to help prevent the stuffed potatoes from collapsing. And, if the walls are too thick the stuffed potatoes can taste dry and the mashed potato topping will be too thin.
I love the idea of using the scooped-out potato flesh in the topping for the same dish. Otherwise, when I make potato skins, I always wonder what to do with the extra potato flesh.
Fill the potato skins with the cheese to make them super tasty, and pop them under the broiler to melt the cheese. Watch the broiler closely as the cheese can burn quickly.
Make the mashed potato topping
While the potatoes bake, simply mix together all the topping ingredients in a bowl and once you have the scooped-out potato flesh, mash that in. I love a potato masher for this, but a fork or large spoon will also work.
Make the lentil stew filling
The lentil filling is layered with carrots, onions, garlic, herbs, tomato paste, and soy sauce for deep umami flavor that mimics traditional shepherd’s pie. It’s all cooked in one large pot so there’s minimal work for this portion of the recipe.
Pro tip: This lentil stew filling is also delicious on its own.
To cook brown or green lentils: Bring 2 cups water to a boil add in ½ cup uncooked lentils. Turn the heat down to low and let simmer 15- 20 minutes. Drain. This makes a bit more than the 1 cup you’ll need for the recipe. But lentils are great in bowls and for meal prep. And these can be cooked a day or so ahead of time if you like.
You can also use canned lentils for a great time saver, but these are a bit softer and possible mushy.
When cooking the filling, be sure to fully cook the flour or the filling may taste pasty.
Assemble
Once you have all the parts ready (potato skins, stew, and mashed potato topping) you’re ready to assemble.
Fill the potato skin to just the top of the potato with the lentil stew, and spoon on the mashed potato topping, mounding it up over the potato. You can pipe on the mashed potatoes for a classic shepherd’s pie look if you prefer, but who has time for that?
The amounts for the filling and potato topping should be just right, meaning you probably won’t have any leftovers. But if you do, the lentil stew or the cheesy mashed potatoes can be served on their own in small ramekins.
Then just pop the tray back in the over to crisp them up and give them some nice browning.
Makes 8 potato halves, or 8 full servings. Sometimes we’ll split a serving in half and serve it with a nice salad for a lighter meal, turning this into 16 servings.
Make ahead and storage
You can make the components ahead of time and assemble just before baking, making these great for hosting for family holiday dinners.
Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the fridge.
Reheat leftovers in a 400° F oven for 15 minutes to get a nice crispy potato skin again. Or, reheat in the microwave until hot. For extra crispiness, reheating leftovers in a hot oven is recommended.
Changes to the recipe
As always, I recommend that you make the recipe as written first, then try changes.
- Make it speedier by cooking the potato in the microwave or in the air fryer. Check out my air fryer potato skins for air fryer directions. Just know that the skins won’t get as nice and crispy in the microwave.
- Add ½ teaspoon smoked paprika to the stew
- Add 1 tablespoon Worcestershire instead of soy sauce for stronger shepherd’s pie flavor, but the dish will no longer be vegetarian
- For crispier tops: broil 1–2 minutes after baking
- Time saver: use pre-chopped frozen carrots and add them at the end with the frozen peas
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Recipe
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie Potato Skins
Ingredients
Potato skins:
- 4 medium Russet potatoes scrubbed clean and dried
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for rubbing skins, more as needed
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Mashed potato topping:
- 6 tablespoons butter melted
- 2 ounces cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup whole milk
- ¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese (plus more for garnish, optional)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- reserved baked potato flesh
Lentil Shepherd’s Pie Filling:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 cup cooked lentils green or brown
- ½ cup frozen green peas
Instructions
Bake the potatoes:
- Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper if desired.
- Pierce each potato several times with a fork. Rub all over with vegetable oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Place the potatoes on the baking sheet and bake until the skins are crisp and inside is tender, about 50-60 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool for about 10 minutes.4 medium Russet potatoes, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, salt
Prepare the Potato Skins:
- Set the oven to broil.
- Slice potatoes in half lengthwise with a serrated knife. Using a spoon, scoop out flesh, leaving about ¼-inch border. Reserve flesh for mashed topping.
- Brush the skin side of the potatoes with melted butter and season with salt and pepper. Broil skin-side up for 2–3 minutes until crisp.salt, black pepper, 1 tablespoon melted butter
- Flip potatoes over and brush the insides with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the potatoes insides up, under the broiler for a about 5 minutes until the edges just start to brown.
- Fill each shell with shredded cheddar. Broil 3–5 minutes until melted and bubbling. Watch carefully.1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Make the mashed potato topping:
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter, cream cheese, sour cream, milk, Parmesan, cheddar, salt, and pepper. Add reserved potato flesh. Mash and stir until creamy and mostly smooth. Set aside.6 tablespoons butter, 2 ounces cream cheese, ¾ cup sour cream, ¼ cup whole milk, ¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, reserved baked potato flesh
Make the Lentil Shepherd’s Pie Filling:
- In a large pot over medium heat, add olive oil, butter, and onion. Cook 8–10 minutes until softened and lightly golden. Add carrots and cook 8–10 minutes until slightly tender. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute.1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, 1 small yellow onion, 1 cup diced carrots, 2 cloves garlic
- Add flour, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook 2 minutes to remove raw flour taste.2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Slowly stir in the broth, tomato paste, and soy sauce. Increase the temperature to high and let it come to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, for 3 to 4 minutes or until thickened. Add the lentils and peas, and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed.1 cup vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 cup cooked lentils, ½ cup frozen green peas
Assemble the stuffed potato skins:
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Fill each hollowed-out potato skin with the lentil stew mixture up to just below the top of the potato. Top with mashed potatoes (spooned or piped). Sprinkle with additional cheddar if desired.
- Bake at 350° F for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through and lightly golden on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Debi
I think this recipe is so good! I worked really had on it, making it several times so it’s just perfect for you guys. I really hope you try it, because I know you’ll love it. Debi, author, Life Currents