The Best Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie You’ll Ever Make

Shepherd’s Pie is an iconic delicious British casserole dish traditionally made with seasoned minced beef or lamb baked with a smooth potato mash on the top. The original Shepherd’s Pie was made using leftover pastry crust, meat and gravy. Over the years, the crust was replaced with the creamy potato mash, and that is how it is made today.

It was previously a frugal and practical way of using leftovers but now it’s a celebrated baked dish that many love to make during the holiday season.

I don’t blame you if you have never tried Shepherd’s Pie before, because finding a vegetarian version is hard…and finding a tasty vegetarian version is even harder!

Here is my mouthwatering recipe that even meat-eaters love. It’s also extremely easy to make.

So, what is this vegetarian version made of?

Vegan Seasoning

I’ve used a special vegan seasoning from Nhau & Co in the mince, and I’ve also added this on top of the smooth potato mash before baking it. This vegan seasoning increases the flavour of this dish by 10x. The secret ingredient of this vegan seasoning is pineapple extract…it adds a delicate sweetness to the savory meat substitute used in this recipe.

Meat Substitutes

I used Impossible Beef for the meat substitute here. You can use Beyond Meat or any other meat alternative if you like. If you don’t want to use any of these soy protein meats, you can use minced mushrooms or jackfruit in the same quantity.

Veggies

Traditionally, peas and carrots are used to brighten the dull meat texture, and to give some vibrancy to the dish. I believe you can add any veggies you like to this if you prefer!

Creamy Potatoes

Creamy mashed potatoes are vital for this dish. This needs to be baked until golden, to achieve that perfect crunch at the very top. Some recipes add egg with the potatoes to achieve a more golden sheen at the top and other recipes even add breadcrumbs to add some extra texture. You can play around with this, but I’ve written a basic creamy potato recipe here.

The Best Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie You’ll Ever Make

The Veggie Wifey

A delicious vegetarian alternative to the pie we all love to eat during the holiday season and Christmas!

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Servings 8 people

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Baking Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Equipment

• 1 Retangular Baking Dish 31.6cm (l) x 18cm (w) x 5.1cm (h) (this is with handle, or 26cm long without)

Ingredients

For The Mince

• ▢ 1 tbsp avocado oil
• ▢ 1 medium onion macedonise cut
• ▢ 4-5 cloves garlic brunoise cut
• ▢ 2 small tomatoes carre cut
• ▢ 120 grams carrots mirepoix cut
• ▢ 340 grams Impossible Meat
• ▢ 120 grams frozen peas
• ▢ 2 tbsps vegan seasoning Nuoc Mam Chay Plant-Based Fish Sauce (Dairy and Gluten Free)
• ▢ 3/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
• ▢ 1 tsp sumac
• ▢ 1 tsp dried thyme you may use fresh too
• ▢ crushed red pepper as per taste and spice

Creamy Potatoes

• ▢ 750 grams potatoes parmentier cut
• ▢ 1 tsp salt for boiling
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt for seasoning
• ▢ 2 tbsp butter
• ▢ 4 tbsp cream
• ▢ 1/8 tsp pepper
• ▢ paprika to taste
• ▢ dried rosemary to taste

Instructions

• In a large pot of boiling water, add the salt for boiling, the potatoes, and boil the potatoes until it can easily be mashed with the back of a fork

For The Mince

• In another wide high-quality non-stick pan, heat up the oil
• Sauté the onions until translucent
• Add the tomatoes and garlic, and sauté until the water from the tomatoes evaporate
• Add the carrots, and sauté until it turns tender
• Add the Impossible Meat, and sauté until it starts to brown.
• Add the peas, and sauté again until the water evaporates.
• Pour in the Nhau and Co Vegan Seasoning, and mix it in thoroughly.
• Sprinkle in all the remaining seasoning, and mix thoroughly again.
• Set this aside to cool

For The Potatoes

• Now, for the potatoes. Drain all the water from the boiled potatoes.
• Place the potatoes in a bowl, with the butter, cream, salt, rosemary, paprika.
• Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth, and set aside.

Assembling The Shepherds Pie

• In the baking dish, line the bottom with the vegetable mince and flatten it out until it reaches about 2 inches in thickness.
• Gently add the mashed potatoes on top, and smooth it out with a spatula. This should be another 1.5 inches in thickness.
• Using the top edge of the fork, scrape the potatoes from edge to edge, creating the lines you see in the image
• Add an extra 1 tsp of Vegan Seasoning before placing it in the oven
• Bake this in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 175°C

You can pair this up with the following appetizers for the perfect Christmas meal. Poinsettia cups and Christmas Dumplings