I've heard that Shepherd's Pie is all about the mince. So when you nail the mince and then top it off with dollops of cheesy, garlic mashed potatoes that get all crispy and golden in the oven, it's a magical food experience.
This version is traditional Shepherd's Pie with a twist. I made a classic filling including spices, wine, and texture; but subbed out the meat for a delicious cauliflower-walnut crumble (I've also successfully used Beyond Meat Burgers, and Gardein Beefless Ground). The mince is very flavourful, complex, and rich; the cheesy garlic-mashed potatoes are fluffy with crunchy bits, and the cauliflower-walnut filling adds a wonderful texture and flavour.
It's kind of fancy when everyone gets their own individual Shepherd's pie pot. But you can easily make this as one big pie and just cut slices.
Kitchen Management TIPS: Boil water to make veggie stock (I use this Better Than Bouillon - soooo good!). Grease ramekins and set aside. Peel and cut the potatoes and garlic cloves. Grate the onions and carrots, peel and mince the garlic. Grate parmesan if using. Gather all spices, wine, Worcestershire, and tomato paste and set near stove.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Boil potatoes and start preparing mince as per recipe. I piped the cheesy, garlic-mashed potatoes on the top creating as many edges as possible for maximum crunch; but you could add big dollops or swirls and get a similar effect.
Enjoy!
x Tracy
** If you make this incredible Shepherd's Pie with a Twist recipe, I’d love to hear how it went, please leave a comment/review below. For more vegan inspiration, check me out on Instagram @ceeceecooks**
Vegan Shepherd's Pie Recipe with a Twist
INGREDIENTS
- 4-5 medium potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- 2-4 tbsp vegan butter or olive oil
- S&P
- ¼ cup vegan cheese (optional)
- ¼ cup plant-based milk, for thinning
- 4 meatless crumbles*
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, grated
- 1 cup carrot, grated
- 2-3 cloves garlic, grated
- 2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
- 4 tbsp tomato puree
- ½ cup red wine
- few thyme sprigs, or 1-2 tsp dry
- 1 tsp oregano, dry leaves
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup veggie stock*
- fresh parsley, chopped
- red pepper flakes
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350 F
Prepare 4 ramekin cups by greasing sides and bottom. - GARLIC MASHED POTATOES Boil 5 potatoes with 2-3 cloves of peeled garlic in salted water until soft (around 10-12 minutes depending on how big your cubes are). Drain potatoes, add a pinch of salt, 2-4 tablespoons butter, parmesan or any vegan cheese and mash until desired consistency. Add unflavoured plant-based milk a couple tablespoons at a time until you are happy with the texture. I prepare my mashed potatoes with a lot of texture so I don't add much milk or mash for too long - however, if you like a smoother mash, add more milk and mash/whip longer.
Set aside. - MINCE FILLING Lots of choices for the mince - Beyond Meat Burger, cauliflower-walnut crumble, Gardein Meatless Ground (one package). For this recipe (photo) I used the Beyond Burger (4) crumbled up. Add olive oil and crumbled burger to a hot skillet, add grated onion, grated carrot, grated garlic while stirring and browning the veggies. Add Worcestershire, tomato paste, red wine, fresh thyme leaves, and rosemary. Add the veggie stock (I use this one), reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Place ¼ of the mince in the bottom of the prepared (cups), pipe ¼ of the cheesy-garlic mashed potatoes on the top of each dish. Place on baking sheet and cook for 18-20 minutes until the potatoes are crispy and brown on the edges. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley and hot pepper flakes. Serve with a leafy green salad.
NOTES
This recipe is from simplyceecee.co food blog. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images or republish this recipe without prior permission. Thank you.
Claire
Easy. quick and delicious! I used beyond meat. Even my carnivores loved it!
simplyceecee
Claire, thank you! I'm so happy your whole family loved the recipe!