Gracious Vegan Shepherd's Pie
By the Gracious Vegan
I wanted to find a recipe for shepherd's pie that wasn't too much like pot pie and that didn't use meat substitutes. If you like vegan "beef crumbles," there are a number of recipes out there for vegan shepherd's pie that you might like. But I find that omnivores can be suspicious of substitutes, so I kept adapting my recipe until I found shepherd's pie that ticked all the boxes.
If you are a whiz at multi-tasking, you can start the potatoes boiling after you start the lentils simmering.
Makes 8 servings
Start the lentils. In a large saucepan, bring the following ingredients to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer, with the cover partly on, until the lentils are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Remove thyme stems and set aside.
2 cups vegetable broth (see more needed below)
¾ cup French lentils (or green lentils)
4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
Optional salt or salt substitute (½ - 1 teaspoon)
Make the potato topping. Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, for 12-15 minutes until just tender. Remove from heat and drain.
1½ pounds russet potatoes (about 4 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks.
Put the potatoes in your mixer’s bowl. With the regular paddle, mix the potatoes by themselves for 1 minute at Speed 2.
Add the following ingredients and mix for 30 seconds at Speed 4, then 1 minute at Speed 6.
½ cup nondairy milk
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
½ tablespoon tahini (optional)
1 teaspoon salt or salt substitute (or to taste)
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Replace the paddle with the whisk attachment and whip on Speed 10 for 2-3 minutes.
Finish the filling. Preheat oven to 425ºF. Choose a large ceramic pie plate or equivalent ceramic dish.
Water-sauté the following ingredients in a Dutch oven or other large saucepan on the stove. Sauté for about 10 minutes, until the liquid released by the mushrooms is evaporated and the vegetables are tender.
8 ounces mushrooms (mixed varieties or just one), sliced or diced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium stalks of celery, chopped or sliced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 medium onion, diced (about 1½ cups) or the equivalent sliced leeks (white parts only)
Add these to the Dutch oven and stir well. Cook for a minute or two.
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
Then add the following ingredients, stir gently, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
1½ cups vegetable broth
The cooked lentils
1 cup frozen peas
Stir in lemon juice and taste the filling for seasonings. Adjust as needed.
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice
Assemble and bake. Transfer the filling to the pie plate. Then top it with dollops of the mashed potatoes. Smooth them out and, if desired, make patterns in the top with a fork. Also optional, sprinkle vegan Parmesan over the top.
Optional ¼ cup vegan Parmesan cheese
Bake the pie for 20-25 minutes, uncovered, until the filling is bubbly and the edges of the potato topping are starting to brown, or the Parmesan is golden.
Allow to cool for five minutes before cutting and serving.
Leftovers will last 4-5 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen.
Timing: Around 70-75 minutes
Gluten-free if you use gluten-free flour in the filling