Traditionally, a shepherd’s pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potatoes. While our vegetarian staffers love mashed potatoes, they’re obviously not big fans of minced meat. So we thought that the Lean Cuisine Mushroom & Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie would allow the entire Freezer Meal Frenzy crew to enjoy shepherd’s pie — even the vegetarians.
Unfortunately, this so-called pie made for a very unappealing meal. There’s a good reason this frozen meal has been greeted with a slew of bad customer reviews.
Sometimes, we know that meal is going to be a dud as soon as we take it out of the microwave. That’s definitely what happened here. This is less of a shepherd’s pie and more a lump of mashed of mashed potatoes drowning in a gravy soup. A simple mashed potato bowl might have worked if this meal was tastier, but there aren’t any great flavors in here.
The mashed potatoes are actually a blend of potatoes and cauliflower. While we like that combination in theory, it doesn’t work for us in practice. The potato and cauliflower mash is thin, flavorless, and slightly flaky; it reminds us of instant mashed potatoes.
While we love mushrooms, the gravy here tastes like something out of a can. Because the entire meal is soaked in gravy, the vegetables are a mushy mess.
We can’t think of any reason to recommend this meal. Sure, it’s only 150 calories, but those calories are swimming in a soupy, bland, pastelike mess. You’d be better served by almost any other meal in the Lean Cuisine Origins line, or by another shepherd’s pie. The Lean Cuisine Mushroom & Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie might be vegetarian-friendly, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good meal.
To learn more about the nutrition content or ingredients in this Lean Cuisine Origins shepherd’s pie, check out our package scans below.