Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

I absolutely loved this Vegan Shepherd’s Pie.  It contains some traditional ingredients such as the mixed vegetables, but there are a few aspects of this dish that set it apart from its predecessor.  We used baby bella mushrooms (to make it vegetarian) and a rich and flavorful tomato-based sauce.  Topping things off, a thick layer 1 part potato, 1 part sweet potato.  I served this with these leftover dinner rolls from Thanksgiving, but you could also serve with cornbread or even leftover stuffing if you have it.

The base of the filling starts, as many do, with onions, celery and carrots sauteed until tender in a small amount of oil.  If you like freshly minced garlic, add it now.  I then added the frozen peas.

Shepherd’s Pie was known as a “meaty” dish, but my go-to to veganize many dishes are baby bella mushrooms.  You could also use button mushrooms or even portobellos.  Allow these to saute with the rest of the vegetables for a few minutes until they begin to cook.

You could also use a vegan sausage.  My preference is Lightlife’s Gimme Lean because I can make and brown my own bite-sized pieces whereas other commercially available products are preformed.  For those, just cut them into smaller pieces.

Lastly, the sauce.  I used vegetable broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and if you can find it, vegan worcestershire.  Season with salt and pepper and add your favorite herbs.  Some suggestions would be rosemary or thyme.

I roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes to make this mash.  I like the combination of colors and flavors, but you could certainly use whatever you have on hand.  Incidentally, you could also use acorn or butternut squash as a topping.

For a final touch, and to help the potatoes get a bit crusty, a sprinkle of vegan parmesan.  If you don’t like or can’t find it, consider making this one from one of my favorite bloggers.

All that’s left is to bake until the filling is bubbly and the top is golden, about 15-20 minutes.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes before eating because that filling is very, very hot.  Serve with dinner rolls, cornbread or leftover stuffing and garnish with fresh parsley.  I hope you enjoy my version of a Vegan Shepherd’s Pie 🙂

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Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Author Veg Life Staff

Ingredients

• 1 Tbl Oil
• 1 small Onion diced
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic
• 1/2 C Celery diced
• 1/2 C Carrot diced
• 1/4 C Fresh or Frozen Peas
• 16 oz . Baby Bella Mushrooms cleaned, stems removed and quartered
• OPTIONAL: Vegan Sausage
• 1 large Sweet Potato baked
• 1 medium Potato baked
• 1 Tbl of Vegan Margarine
• Vegan Parmesan see blog notes
• 3/4 C Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 Tbl Tomato Paste
• 1/2 C Vegetable Broth or mushroom broth if you can find it
• 1 tsp Vegan Worcestershire
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Herbs such as Rosemary or Thyme
• Parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Bake potato and sweet potato until fully cooked. Allow to cool, then scoop out and roughly mash together with 1 Tbl of vegan Margarine.
• In a large saute pan over medium heat, add oil, onions, carrots and celery.
• After the onions have become translucent, add the garlic.
• Add the frozen peas. Saute for 2 minutes.
• Now add the mushrooms and cook until almost tender.
• Add the broth, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes and vegan worcestershire.
• Allow to cook down until slightly thickened.
• Season with salt and pepper and add your herbs, if desired.
• Spoon the filling into oven-safe dishes that you have lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and top with the sweet potato mixture.
• If desired, add the vegan parmesan and bake at 425 until filling is bubbly and the top is slightly browned and beginning to crust.
• Allow to cool on a rack for at least 5 minute prior to serving.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with dinner rolls or cornbread.
• This recipe yields approximately 3 C of filling but can be easily doubled or tripled.

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