Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
This recipe is from “America’s Test Kitchen - Vegan For Everyone”. It is a family favorite. I have made a few alterations to the recipe such as additional mushrooms and frozen veggies. This recipe serves 4-6. That’s the claim of the original recipe. I have found it serves closer to 8 people.
Ingredients
2 lbs potatoes, peeled, and cut into 1-inch pieces (I like Yukon gold but russet will be fine)(I don’t peel the Yukon gold generally)
1 Tbsp salt, add additional to taste
¼ tsp pepper, add additional to taste
⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk
5 Tbsp olive oil (1 T for sauteing onions and mushrooms)
¼ cup fresh chives
1 yellow onion chopped (medium)
4 oz mushrooms, chopped fine (I used Baby Bella’s)
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp Madeira or ruby port (use red wine or dry sherry for more savory taste)
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups vegetable broth
2 carrots, peeled and chopped (use 1 if frozen veg mix has carrots in it)
2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
2 springs fresh Thyme
1 bay leaf
12 oz vegan protein crumbles *
2 cups frozen veggies (corn, peas, green beans)**
Instructions
Make the mashed potato top first.
Cover potatoes with water in a large saucepan.
Add 1 Tbsp salt to water.
Cook on medium high heat until potatoes are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
Drain potatoes and return to the pan.
With a potato masher, mash potatoes until smooth. Then stir in almond milk, ¼ cup (4 Tbsp) olive oil, and chives. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
In a broiler safe, 10 inch skillet, saute onions and mushrooms with 1 T Olive oil and ¼ tsp pepper. Saute until lightly brown, about 7 minutes.
Add tomato paste and garlic and cook another two minutes.
Stir in Madeira and cook until evaporated, about 1 minute.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add broth, carrots, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay leaf.
Bring to a boil and simmer gently until carrots are tender.
Add frozen veggies and cook 5 to 7 minutes until the veggies are done.
Discard thyme sprigs and the bay leaf.
Add protein crumbles and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Adjust oven rack to broiler height and turn on broiler.
Spread mashed potatoes evenly over mixture in skillet. Smooth with the back of a spoon. Then make ridges over the surface with a fork.
Place the skillet in the oven and broil until potatoes are golden and crusty, 5 to 10 minutes.
Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
* I used to use Lightlife Meatless Crumbles but they changed the recipe to include smoke flavor which I don’t like. You can use Beyond, Impossible, or any one of the other ground beef vegan substitutes. I recently used Morning Star veggie Grillers Crumbles. Always cook the mock meat according to package instructions.
**Instead of mixed frozen veggies, I have used 1 cup of frozen corn and 1 cup of frozen peas . You can use any mix of veggies.