Vegan Shepherd's Pie

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This Vegan Shepherd's Pie has pure comfort in every bite! The filling combines mushrooms, ground walnuts, grated carrots, and onions for a meaty mince that is savory and satisfying!

It's still cold and rainy here, so the comfort food continues! This week has been filled with Vegan Lasagna, hearty Soup recipes, Baked Vegan Mac and Cheese, and this Vegan Shepherd's Pie.

I've always loved Shepherd's Pie but I never made my own version before, so I thought it would be fun to veganize Gordon Ramsay's Version. I'm not sure how happy Gordon would be about this, so thankfully we are at a safe distance.

I replaced the meat with finely chopped mushrooms and ground walnuts and used the rest of his recipe as a guide. His version also calls for grated onions and carrots which broke down and added to the texture of the vegan mince. I was pleasantly surprised!

The only thing I left out was the Worcestershire sauce and I replaced it with low sodium tamari sauce. I usually love it, but I felt the recipe had too much zing along with the wine and tomato paste.

Gordon uses chicken broth and that was easily replaced with vegetable broth. You can also use a No-Chicken Broth if preferred.

Oh, I cheated and used dried herbs, but you can totally use fresh if you prefer. I also added a hint of cornstarch to thicken it up slightly.

How to Make Vegan Shepherd's Pie

Before you head to the full recipe below, here are step-by-step process photos to show you how to make the mince and mashed potatoes. It's easy!

• Sauté mushrooms over medium-high heat until softened and slightly browned.
• Reduce heat and sauté onions, carrots, and garlic for a few minutes.
• Add tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds. Then add tamari and herbs and cook until fragrant.
• Turn up the heat and pour in the red wine and cook until reduced. Turn the heat back to down.
• Add walnuts, broth, and cornstarch mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened. Stir in peas, add salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Now on to the potatoes!

• Boil the potatoes in salted water until fork-tender then drain. Over low heat, mash potatoes to let the steam escape.
• Now add vegan butter, non-dairy milk, and seasoning. Mash until smooth & creamy.
• Place shepherd's pie filling evenly in a casserole dish.
• Top with mashed potatoes and spread evenly. Rake a fork across the top for texture. Bake until hot and bubbly. Broil for 1-2 minutes for a crispier top.

I Love to Hear From You

If you make this Vegan Shepherd's Pie, let me know what you think by ★ star rating it and leaving a comment below. It would really make my day. You can also follow me on Instagram and share your creation with me. Just tag me @veganhuggs and hashtag #veganhuggs so I don’t miss it.

Recipe

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5 from 18 votes

Vegan Shepherd's Pie

This Vegan Shepherd's Pie has pure comfort in every bite! The filling combines mushrooms, grated carrots, and onions for a meaty mince that is savory and satisfying! 

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Vegan

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Melissa Huggins

Ingredients

US CustomaryMetric

Mashed Potatoes

• ▢ 2 pounds yukon gold potatoes , peeled and quartered (about 6 medium potatoes)
• ▢ ½ cup non-dairy milk , unsweetened (more if needed)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegan butter
• ▢ Salt to taste

Filling

• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons grapeseed oil (or preferred oil)
• ▢ 16 ounces baby bella mushrooms , finely chopped
• ▢ 1 medium onion , grated
• ▢ 1 large carrot , finely grated (*see note)
• ▢ 3-4 cloves garlic , minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tamari , low sodium (sub soy sauce)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
• ▢ ½ cup red wine
• ▢ 1 cup walnuts , ground into a course meal or chopped finely (measured whole)
• ▢ 1 ¼ cups vegetable broth , low sodium
• ▢ 1 tablespoon corn starch , whisked with 2 tablespoons water
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas , thawed
• ▢ Salt and fresh-cracked pepper , to taste

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Instructions

Mashed Potatoes

• Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water. Add salt to the water. Over high heat, bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a low boil. Cook until potatoes are very tender and easily pierced with a fork with no resistance when falling off. About 15-20 minutes.
• Drain potatoes well and place back in pot, then return pot to stove. Over low heat, mash potatoes to let the steam escape. Now add butter, ¼ cup milk, salt & pepper. Mash until smooth & creamy. Add an additional ¼ cup of milk at a time as needed  (*too much milk can make the potatoes soupy). Loosely cover and set aside. 

Filling

• Preheat oven to 400 °F (200 °C). You will need a 9-inch baking dish (or something similar).
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and wait until it's hot and shimmering. Now add mushrooms and sauté until they have released their moisture, reduced in size and are slightly browned. The pan should be mostly dry (about 7-8 minutes).
• Reduce heat to medium and add onions, carrots, and garlic. Sauté until cooked down about 3-4 minutes. 
• Make a small open space in the pan to add the tomato paste (make sure it's touching the surface of the pan). Cook for 30 seconds and then stir into the veggies. 
• Add tamari and herbs. Cook for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. 
• Turn up the heat to medium-high and pour in the red wine. Cook until almost completely reduced, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat back to medium. 
• Add the walnuts, broth, and cornstarch/water mixture. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in thawed peas and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat. 
• Using a spatula, place mixture evenly in a casserole dish. Now gently top with mashed potatoes and spread evenly. For texture, you can rake a fork across the top, going both ways. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes until heated throughout. For an extra browned top, broil for 1-2 minutes, but watch carefully to prevent burning.  

Notes

• Carrots: The carrots need to be finely grated to soften and add to the texture of the ground "meat" texture, so don't use matchstick carrots.
• Wine: Not all wine is vegan, but there are many varieties out there. Here is a helpful Guide to help you find the right one for you. You can also omit the wine if preferred and replace with ¼ cup of vegetable broth. 

Nutrition

Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 389mg | Potassium: 1241mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2425IU | Vitamin C: 30.3mg | Calcium: 98mg | Iron: 6.7mg

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