Hello everybody! Here is a recipe I did not think I would be making. Recently, I wanted to try out something new, something I had never made before, and then, I started to think about how I could make a vegan shepherd’s pie. This one is a bit untraditional, yeah. First of all, because it is vegan, but second of all because I added an actual pie crust, both for taste and structure. I really like pie crusts, but if you don’t, then feel free to skip that step altogether. I can definitely recommend this dish if you’re tired of small light salads, or if you are cooking for someone who thinks that they cannot feel full on a vegan meal because damn does this gorl have some weight to her. I also recommend this dish for leftovers, she does phenomenally after a night in the fridge.
Filling: the first thing we are going to make is the filling. Chop 1 large carrot and 1 large onion and add 2-3 cups of scrambled tofu or soy chunks of your choice (I am using Naturli’s minced). Fry it in vegetable oil on a hot skillet for a couple of minutes and until everything is well-combined and golden. Take 2 cups of gravy (you can make your own or buy it premade). I cheated a bit and used a powder gravy to which I added 1 cup of water, 5-6 tablespoons of red wine, and 1 a cup of vegan cream, alongside 2 tablespoons of veggie stock powder, oregano, and sage, salt, and pepper. Let everything mix together on low heat and until resembles goulash or ragough, add peas if that’s your jam.
Crust: many premade pie crusts are accidentally vegan, and I hate to admit it, but I bought one premade. Place it in your oven proof tray and bake it on 180 degrees C for 10-12 minutes. Then take it out to rest.
Mash: Boil 7-10 small potatoes until they are nice and soft (for about 15 minutes) smash them with a fork and add 1 cup of vegan cream, a tablespoon of vegan butter, some salt, and some pepper. Then mix with a whisk or a hand mixer until well-combined.
Assembling: Pour the gravy filling into the pie crust, which should remain in the tray. Make sure it’s evenly distributed. Add the mashed potatoes on top, even out with a spoon or spatula. Now bake the pie in the oven on 180 degrees C for 20-30 minutes, or until small golden brown peeks appear on the mash. Take it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before digging in.
