Vegan Shepard’s Pie

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Even though it is still in the 60’s and 70’s here in Vegas and it’s almost Thanksgiving, I wanted to make a hearty meal for dinner this week. My non-vegan friend mentioned craving Shepard’s Pie and I realized I hadn’t made a vegan version of it. There was a short period of time where Trader Joe’s was carrying one, but they couldn’t seem to get the recipe right. It got lots of customer complaints and ended up being discontinued shortly after being released. I’m sad they couldn’t get it right because I think it would have been a great meal for people to take on the go.

I looked around and found most recipes had the same base of ingredients and people just made their own adjustments to it. I personally hate peas and avoid them in everything at all costs. Since that is a staple in the original recipe, I knew it had to go. I went with adding mushrooms and green beans to the mix but kept the carrots and corn traditional in the recipe.

I went heavy on the butter and garlic for the mashed potatoes, and it was worth it. Since this meal showcases two elements, the potatoes and meat mixture, they have to be packed with flavor. The seasoning measurements are just a starting point so make sure you adjust to your taste preference.

This ends up making a large casserole dish that can be cut smaller to feed more if needed. I made 12 serving sizes and ended up eating one and a half squares. My non-vegan friend ate two squares and said he would order this on a meal in a regular restaurant. With the worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, veggie broth, and beef-less bouillon cube you can’t tell this isn’t a traditional, hearty meat dish.

How do you make your Shepard’s Pie? What changes would you make to this recipe when making your own? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading,

Jessica

Vegan Shepard's Pie

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Yield: 6-8

Author: Jessica Morton

Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 30 MinInactive time: 15 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

Ingredients

Meat Filling Ingredients

• 2 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1 cup chopped onion (I used red)
• 1-13 ounce bag Gardein Beef-less Crumbles (sub other vegan beef crumbles like Impossible if needed)
• 2 TSP garlic powder
• 1 TBSP Herbs de Provence (sub dried thyme, oregano, parsley, and rosemary if needed)
• ½ TSP salt
• ½ TSP cracked pepper
• 1 TSP Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute (optional if you can’t find, but worth it)
• 1 TSP Trader Joe’s Everything but the Leftovers seasoning (optional if you can’t find, but worth it)
• 3 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 TBSP vegan Worcestershire sauce (Annie’s is vegan)
• 2 TBSP all-purpose flour
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ½ cube Not-Beef cubes (sub other beef-less bouillon if needed)
• 3 ½ cups diced mushrooms
• 1-12 ounce frozen green beans (I prefer fine green beans)
• 1 ½ cups diced carrots
• 1-9 ounce canned corn (frozen will work too)

Mashed Potato Ingredients

• 1 ½-2 pounds russet potatoes (3-4 large or 6-8 small, peeled and cut into 1-1 ½ inch cubes)
• 8 TBSP vegan butter (one Earth Balance stick, or 4 ounces)
• 1/3 cup non-dairy milk (add more as needed to make the mashed potatoes creamy, without being runny. You should be able to spread them, but they will hold shape)
• 2 TBSP minced garlic
• 2 TSP garlic powder
• ½ TSP salt
• ¼ TSP cracked black pepper
• 1-2 TBSP nutritional yeast
• 1 TSP Herbs de Provence
• ½ TSP Everything but the Leftovers seasoning

Instructions

Meat Mixture Instructions

1. Mix the beef-less cube with one cup of warmed veggie broth and set aside.
2. Add olive oil to a large skillet that’s heated on medium-high heat.
3. Add diced onion, cook about five minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add beef-less crumbles, breaking down any large pieces.
5. Add dried herbs, salt, pepper, and minced garlic.
6. Stir well and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Add worcestershire sauce, stir well and cook for about a minute.
8. Add flour and tomato paste and mix well until all the tomato paste is blended well.
9. Add broth and stir meat well.
10. Add green beans, mushrooms, carrots, and corn.
11. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for about five minutes. Set aside.
12. Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit or 204 degrees Celsius. Don’t do this until the meat is done and you are starting the potatoes.

Mashed Potato Instructions

1. Put peeled and cubed potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 10-15 minutes, or until fork tender.
3. Drain potatoes in colander, then return to pot.
4. Add butter, milk, and remaining potato ingredients.
5. Mash potatoes and stir until well combined and smooth.

Assembly Instructions

1. Put meat mixture in a 10x3 or 4 quart baking dish. A 26x37 cm or 4.6 liter dish will also work. Spread meat out evenly in dish.
2. Spoon mashed potatoes on top of meat mixture and spread out evenly.
3. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes get crispy on the edges and meat mixture is bubbly.
4. Cool for 15 minutes before cutting and serving pie.
5. This size dish should hold everything well, but if needed you can put a cookie sheet under it to catch any runover.
6. Store in a sealed container for up to a week or freeze for later meals.