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 (I’ve used soy, too)
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
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. Transfer to a casserole dish.
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, Morning Star Veggie Grillers Crumbles or any one of the other ground beef vegan substitutes. I recently used Abbot’s Italian “Sausage” (very good). 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.