Shepherd’s pie is something my vegetarian wife never gets to experience, so of course I was on a mission to share the warm, hearty, comforting-on-a-cold-winter-day dish with her.
We found the Tasty recipe fairly spot on, but of course it wouldn’t be here with out some modifications:
- Halving the recipe was a good portion size for both of us, with leftovers.
- When making the mashed potatoes, be sure to peel them first! Also, they should taste good on their own, so butter, butter, salt, and pepper.
- Boil/steam the carrots and celery first for ~5 minutes to soften them up.
- Add veggie ground meat, like LightLife Smart Ground Original crumbles (be sure to cook it first as instructed).
- We used a Cotes de Rhone wine, specifically from Famile Perrin. It has a good flavor for cooking (fruit with a bit of earth and tannin) and great to drink with it.
- Grate gruyere cheese over the top as you put it in the oven, and over the “pie” filling before you add the mashed potatoes.
Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
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Prep Time:
30m
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Cook Time:
30m
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Total Time:
1h
Ingredients
- 2 Russet potatoes
- 2 Carrots
- 2 Stalks celery
- 1/2 Yellow or red onion
- 2 Cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. Tomato paste
- 1/8 c Red wine
- 1 c Vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp. Dried sage, 1 tsp if fresh
- 1/2 tsp. Dried thyme, 1 tsp if fresh
- 1/2 tbsp. Flour
- 2 tbsp. Butter, as needed
- 2 tbsp. Milk
- 2 tbsp. Gruyère, freshly grated
Instructions
- Peel, chop (1/2" chunks will cook faster), and boil the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until soft.
- While the potatoes are boiling, chop the carrots, celery, and onion. Steam the carrots and celery for around 5 minutes.
- Sauté softened carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the tomato paste, flour, thyme, and sage.
- Slowly add the veggie broth and wine, stirring continuously. Let simmer for a few minutes to reduce and thicken.
- Mash the potatoes and add the milk and butter. Add more butter if needed until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ladle the veggie filling into a baking dish (we use 2 3 1/2" diameter Corningware dishes). If you're adding gruyere, grate some over the filling, enough to cover. Spread the mashed potatoes over top. Tip: the rougher the surface, the crispier it will turn out.
- Grate more gruyere over the mashed potatoes.
- Spray the surface with cooking oil. Broil for 10-15 minutes, or until the top is crispy.
