Anne Morgan Delia Smith’s vegetarian shepherd’s pie has no meat at all, only beans, split peas and lentils with vegetables. It serves 4 people and takes about 2 hours, plus an overnight soak for the beans. Sliced tomatoes go on top, then a mash made with soft goats’ cheese.
This recipe comes from her Vegetarian Collection, from 2002, and it is also in How to Cook Book Three. Delia says it was very popular with vegetarian customers at her Norwich restaurant. Some people search for a vegetarian cottage pie, but she calls it a shepherd’s pie.
The meat version is her shepherd’s pie recipe, made with lamb and a crust of leeks. This one gets its warmth from mace and a little cayenne pepper instead.
The goats’ cheese makes the mash creamy and a little tangy, and the pecorino browns on top of a thick, soft filling. For another meat-free bake from her Vegetarian Collection, try her spinach and ricotta lasagne.
Delia Smith’s Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie with Goats’ Cheese Mash
Course: DinnerCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
servings20
minutes1
hour45
minutes680
kcalBlack-eyed beans, split peas and green lentils with softened vegetables and herbs, under sliced tomatoes. A goats’ cheese mash and grated pecorino go on top.
Ingredients
- For the filling:
110g (4oz) dried black-eyed beans, soaked overnight in cold water and drained
75g (3oz) green split peas (no need to soak), rinsed
75g (3oz) green lentils (no need to soak), rinsed
725ml (1¼ pints) boiling water
50g (2oz) peeled carrots
50g (2oz) peeled swede
50g (2oz) peeled celeriac
1 large onion, peeled
1 small green pepper, deseeded
50g (2oz) butter
1 heaped tablespoon chopped mixed fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley)
¼ teaspoon ground mace
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and freshly milled black pepper
- For the topping:
110g (4oz) soft goats’ cheese
700g (1lb 8oz) potatoes, peeled
225g (8oz) tomatoes
50g (2oz) butter
2 tablespoons milk
25g (1oz) pecorino or parmesan, grated
salt and freshly milled black pepper
Directions
- Pulses: Put the soaked beans in a saucepan with the split peas, lentils, boiling water and some salt. Cover and simmer gently for 50-60 minutes, until the pulses are soft and have soaked up the water.
- Mash: Take the pan off the heat and mash the pulses a little with a large fork.
- Oven: Heat the oven to 190°C, fan 170°C, gas mark 5. Butter a round baking dish, 23cm (9in) across and 5cm (2in) deep. Put the potatoes on to steam.
- Vegetables: Chop the carrots, swede, celeriac, onion and pepper roughly. Then chop them small in a food processor.
- Fry: Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Cook the vegetables gently for 10-15 minutes, stirring now and then, until they are soft and golden at the edges.
- Tomatoes: Meanwhile, put the tomatoes in a heatproof bowl and cover them with boiling water. After exactly a minute, lift them out, slip off the skins and slice them.
- Filling: Stir the vegetables into the pulses with the herbs, mace, cayenne, salt and pepper. Spoon it into the dish and lay the tomato slices on top, overlapping.
- Topping: Put the cooked potatoes in a bowl with the butter, milk and goats’ cheese. Whisk them smooth with an electric hand whisk, then season and spread the mash over the filling.
- Bake: Sprinkle on the pecorino or parmesan. Bake on the top shelf for 20-25 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.
Notes
- Small tomatoes need only 15-30 seconds in the hot water, Delia says. Hold them with a cloth if they are too hot to touch.
- If you cannot find celeriac, use a little more carrot and swede, my own swap.
FAQs
Do I have to soak the black-eyed beans overnight?
No, Delia has a quicker way in her guide to pulses. Bring the beans to the boil in plenty of water, boil them for 10 minutes, then leave them to soak for 2 hours.
For an overnight soak, she uses 2.25 litres of cold water for every 225g of beans. The split peas and lentils never need soaking.
Check the date on the packet too. She says dried pulses are best used within a year, because older ones never go soft.
Can I use tinned beans instead?
Not really, in Delia’s view. She is against tinned pulses for cooking, with only a couple of exceptions, because they are often too sweet and too soft.
She allows them, at a pinch, in quick dishes that need no cooking. For this pie, cook the dried beans as the card says, so they keep their shape.
Can I make it ahead or freeze it?
Yes, you can make the whole pie ahead. Delia says a pie made in advance needs about 40 minutes in the oven, instead of 20-25.
She gives no freezing advice for it. My own view is to freeze it before baking, thaw it in the fridge overnight, then bake it until it is piping hot.
What is her older lentil shepherd’s pie?
It is in her Complete Cookery Course, in the Pulses chapter, and it also serves 4. She calls it “far better than many of the minced meat versions”. It uses 175g green-brown lentils and 110g split peas, cooked in 570ml hot water for 45-60 minutes.
Soften 2 celery stalks, an onion, 2 carrots and half a green pepper in butter, then mix them in with garlic, dried herbs, mace and cayenne. Put it in a pie dish with sliced tomatoes on top.
For the topping, mash 700g cooked potatoes with a softened onion, 50g butter, 2 tablespoons top of the milk and 75g strong Cheddar. Bake it at 190°C for about 20 minutes, and serve it with home-made tomato sauce if you like.
