Striped Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie
If you're looking for the ultimate comfort meal, look no further than this Veggie Shepherd's Pie! It hits all the notes and flavors that is perfect for a cold, rainy evening. It's very ideal for the fall and winter seasons! This pie is packed with plant-based protein from the lentils and soy based "beef" crumbles. If you can't resist the meat, you can easily swap for ground turkey or beef. Feel free to add in any additional vegetables that you like. For an easier cooking experience, you can choose one potato type instead doing both! Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Ingredients
"Meat" Filling
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- ½ cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup cooked brown lentils
- ½ cup Trader Joe's "beef-less" ground beef crumbles
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 large chopped carrots
Mashed Potato Topping
- 4 peeled Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 peeled sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes
- 4 tbsp vegan butter
- ⅔ oat milk
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the "Meat" Filling
- Add olive oil to a large skillet and heat for 1-2 minutes until hot. Add in yellow onion and garlic, stir. Once golden brown, add mushrooms.
- After 2-3 minutes, add in cooked lentils, Trader Joes "beef-less" crumbles, sea salt, black pepper, and rosemary.* (see notes for *)
- Cook for 5 minutes or until aromatic, then add all purpose flour and tomato paste. Stir until no clumps remain.
- Add broth, frozen peas, and carrots. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off stove top.
For the Mashed Potato Topping
- Fill a large pot with 8-10 cups of salted water and boil. Once the water is boiling, add potatoes and cook until soft (fork tender). Preheat oven to 400º F.
- Drain the potatoes. Separate the sweet potato chunks into a separate bowl.
- Add half of the vegan butter and oat milk to the Yukon Gold potatoes and the other half of the vegan butter and oat milk to the sweet potatoes. Mash and mix to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.**
Assembling the Shepard's Pie
- Fill a large casserole dish with the "meat" filling.
- Alternate between the both the sweet and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes for the striped look! Aiming for about 1.5-2 inches per stripe.
- Bake uncovered for 30-35 minutes. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Notes
*Feel free to add a dash of Worcestershire sauce or Port wine into meat mixture for additional flavor
** Add any additional seasonings you would like, (garlic or onion powder)
Autumn Butternut Squash Bisque
Another go-to fall dinner dish in the line-up! It's so fun to make and personalize to your own. It can be a bit of a process, but just turn on that music playlist, podcast, or audio book and enjoy yourself for a little. Some people like to make a sweeter version of the soup by adding a dash of maple syrup and some extra cinnamon, and eat it with morning oatmeal or even on a piece of toast! Customize to how you like and enjoy for up to 3 days after!
Equipment
- 1 Immersion blender
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Bisque
- 2 peeled and roughly chopped medium sized butternut squash
- 1 roughly chopped yellow onion
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 cup oat milk
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 tsp cinnamon
Croutons
- 4 slices of sourdough bread, cubed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
Instructions
For the Bisque
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place butternut squash, yellow onion, olive oil, and sea salt on a baking tray. Toss until fully coated.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until fork tender. See crouton instructions below and start now.
- Place fork tender butternut squash and onion into a large soup pot. Add chicken stock and immersion blend.
- Slowly add the oat milk until combined and desired consistency reached. Add more oat milk as needed for a thinner consistency.
- Add in sea salt, black pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and stir. Taste and add additional seasonings as desired.
Croutons
- While waiting for the squash and onions to bake, combine cubed sourdough bread, olive oil, sea salt, and smoked paprika on a sheet tray. Coat all bread pieces.
- Bake at 400ºF for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
Notes
*If you don’t have an immersion blender handy, you can just use any blender! I would recommend to pulse, so you still have some butternut squash chunks within the soup.
Toppings (optional)
- baked beet slices
- pumpkin seeds
- hemp seeds
