one of my favorite spring time specialties right on time for Saint Patrick’s Day. pies are a labor of love and I have always looked forward to celebrating holidays because I like learning about different cultures, traditions and definitely cuisines.
this recipe will forever be a family favorite and don’t worry, its easy to make. Its as easy as layering mashed potato’s and ground beef in a baking tray. to put a little twist on it I used some truffle oil in the mash potatoes. feel free to go the classic way or make changes to your liking using what you have on hand.
Shepherd’s Pie
serves approximately 8 depending on the serving size / cook and prep time is about an hour and a half
Ingredients for the mashed potatoes
6 russet potato’s - peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup - reserved potato water from cooking
1 tbsp - sea salt
2 cups - full fat coconut milk ( unsweetened )
1 tsp - white pepper
1 tbsp - nutritional yeast
3 tbsp - vegan butter
1 tbsp - truffle oil ( optional )
Ingredients for the ground beef
1 - 16.2 oz pack of Morning Star Griller Crumbles ( this is my go to plant protein for big recipes like this one but use your favorite )
1 - yellow onion, medium dice
1 - stalk of celery, medium dice
3 - small sized carrots, medium dice
2 - ears of corn, shucked
1/2 - cup peas, fresh or frozen
3 - tbsp minced garlic
2 - tbsp soy sauce
1 - cup red wine ( optional )
1 - cup crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 - cup full fat canned coconut milk ( unsweetened )
1 1/2 - Violife cheddar shreds
1/2 - tbsp sea salt
1/2 - tsp black pepper
1/2 - tsp paprika
1 - tsp garlic powder
1/2 - tsp dried sage
1/2 - tsp dried thyme
1/2 - tsp dried rosemary
Instructions
Step 1 - Prep the potatoes
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! Take this moment to gather everything, wash the produce and to get the potatoes going in some boiling water.
Once the potatoes are cooked through, strain them and set them to the side. In the same pot they were boiled in, warm up a bit of plant-based butter and cook the minced garlic till golden brown and pour in a cup of coconut milk before adding in all the potatoes. This is going to give the potatoes a very savory garlicky flavor.
Now to mash the potatoes. I like to mashed them with a combination of some reserved hot potato water, coconut milk, vegan butter and some truffle oil. Seasoned with sea salt, nutritional yeast and white pepper. Once that’s all mashed up, set it to the side and started working on the “ground beef”.
Step 2 - Building up the meat sauce
In a large sauté pan or pot, warm up a bit of oil and start sautéing the onions, carrots, and celery till golden brown then add in the minced garlic. Once this is all nice and golden dump in the bag of ground “beef” crumbles and season this all with some soy sauce. The soy sauce really gives vegan dishes like this one the extra boost of savory umami. Then add in all the seasonings and crushed tomatoes, allowing all the flavors to mingle and combine. Let this simmer for about 10 min.
To loosen this up a bit but also make for a nice and creamy mouthfeel. I like to pour in some coconut milk and let that thicken for about 3-5 min. Lastly, before this “beef” mixture is done, stir in the cheese and take it off the heat to carry over and cool down a bit.
Step 3 - Getting it ready to bake
Now for the exciting part. In a baking dish, plop all your ground “beef” mixture in there and smooth it out. Top this off with a sprinkling of more vegan cheddar cheese. Add your mashed potatoes in large spoonful’s all over the top and then smoothen it all out. I recommend pouring a bit of melted vegan butter over the mashed potatoes to get a nice golden crust while its baking in the oven.
I baked this at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 min and then broiled it on high for another 10 min. Once removed from the oven I sprinkled some flakey salt and garnished with fresh chives. All that’s left is to allow your pie to cool before digging in. To get that nice pretty slice, I recommend letting it cool down and then popping it into the fridge to firm up as it will be too hot to get those pretty slices when its too warm.
Plate this guy with some flakey salt, chopped chives or maybe a bit of extra cheese. Save any left overs in a food safe, air tight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3