Here’s another great British dish for you! A vegan version of our great shepherd’s pie. Super tasty and filling, it’s a real family favourite! Easy to make and packed with flavour, it’ll have everyone asking for more! Perfect for entertaining guests or for a special night in!
What is shepherd’s pie?
Shepherd’s pie is a traditional and inexpensive British dish originating from the sheep country in Scotland and northern England. The original version is a baked meat pie made with minced or diced lamb and topped with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. We’re leaving out the meat, of course, and we’re substituting it with a mouth-watering filling made of vegan mince, mushrooms, diced carrots, and peas.
What’s the difference between shepherd’s pie and cottage pie?
In our case there is no difference between the two, because we’re making it vegan! Anyway, just for the record, shepherd’s pie is made of lamb and in cottage pie they use beef. Otherwise there is no difference.
How do you make vegan shepherd’s pie?
Shepherd’s pie is made up of two distinct layers. On the bottom there is a thick layer of mince, with diced carrots and peas. On top there is a lovely, thick fluffy layer of creamy mashed potatoes.
First of all you peel the potatoes and put them in a pan of cold salted water. Bring them to the boil and simmer for about 30 – 40 minutes, or until they are cooked through. In the meantime, you can prepare the filling.
How to make the filling
Put 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large non-stick pan. Sweat the chopped onion and minced garlic on a low heat, with a lid on, for 5 – 10 minutes, or until soft and translucent
Cut the carrots into dice and weigh out the peas. Finely chop the mushrooms. I use the pulse function of a food processor for this – it chops the mushrooms really finely with minimum effort on my part.
Add the vegan mince to the onion and garlic, turn the heat right up and sauté on a high heat for a couple of minutes. Separate the strands of vegan mince with a fork while you cook the mince. Once it has browned a bit and you have separated the strands, add the diced carrots, peas and mushrooms. Continue to cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the water, miso paste, vegan stock powder, tomato purée (concentrate), salt and pepper. Mix well, cover with the lid and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes.
How to make The topping
Preheat the oven to 220 °C and prepare the topping. Drain the potatoes and mash them well, or put them through a potato mouli if you have one – that way you can be sure there’ll be no lumps. Add the soya milk and vegan butter. Mix well, making sure the butter melts properly. Taste and add a little salt if necessary.
Now it’s time to assemble your vegan shepherd’s pie! Put the vegan mince mixture into the bottom of your oven dish and flatten it out. Then add the mashed potato and spread it out well, so that you completely cover the mince. Put a few little knobs of butter on top and place in the middle of the oven. Bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the topping is just starting to brown.
How to serve your vegan shepherd’s pie
Leave your shepherd’s pie to stand for 5 minutes before serving. Pre-cut the portions by scoring the top with a knife, making 6 – 8 portions depending on how hungry you are. This vegan shepherd’s pie is a complete, nutritionally balanced meal in itself. However, if you want, you could serve it with a side salad, or a simple vegetable side dish like garlicky spinach.
How long will shepherd’s pie last in the fridge?
Your shepherd’s pie will keep for several days in the fridge. I doubt it will still be around for several days though – at our house it’s all gone within 24 hours of making it!
Can you freeze shepherd’s pie?
Yes, you can freeze any leftover shepherd’s pie. Portion it first and then put it in the freezer in containers suitable for freezing.
The ultimate vegan shepherd’s pie
6-8
servings45
minutes30
minutesA mouthwateringly delicious vegan shepherd’s pie recipe!
By Deborah, veganhotstuff.com
Quantities for a large 22 x 30 cm rectangular dish
Ingredients
- For the vegan mince filling
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
150 g finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic (minced)
400 g vegan mince
350 g cremini mushrooms (white or brown)
150 g carrot
150 g peas
1 1/2 tbsp tomato purée (concentrate)
1 tsp brown miso paste
1 1/2 tsp vegetable stock powder
200 g water
black pepper (to taste)
- For the potato topping
1,2 kg potatoes (type suitable for mashing)
50 g vegan butter
100 g soya milk
1 pinch unrefined sea salt (more if necessary)
extra vegan butter (to put on the top before going in the oven)
Directions
- First of all, peel the potatoes and put them in a pan of cold salted water. Bring them to the boil and simmer for about 30 – 40 minutes, or until they are cooked (see notes below). In the meantime, prepare the filling.
- Prepare the filling
- Put 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of a non-stick saucepan. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic. Put a lid on and sweat on a low heat without colour for about 10 minutes, or until soft and translucent.
- Add the vegan mince and fry on a medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Separate the strands of mince while frying. Once it has browned a bit and you have separated the strands, remove from the heat while you prepare the next step.
- Wash and chop the mushrooms very finely. I use the pulse function of a food processor for this job.
- Dice the carrots and weigh out the peas.
- Prepare the topping
- Preheat the oven to 220 °C.
- Drain the potatoes and mash them well, or put them through a potato mouli if you have one – that way you can be sure there’ll be no lumps.
- Add the soya milk and vegan butter. Mix well, making sure the butter melts properly. Taste and add a little salt if necessary.
- Assemble your shepherd’s pie
- Put the vegan mince mixture into the bottom of your oven dish and flatten it out.
- Then add the mashed potato and spread it out well, so that you completely cover the mince.
- Finishing touches
- Put a few little knobs of butter on top.
- Place on a rack in the middle of the oven and bake for 30 – 35 minutes, or until the topping is just starting to brown.
- Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- Pre-cut the shepherd’s pie into portions.
- Serve your vegan shepherd’s pie while it is still hot, with or without a side dish (see notes above and below).
Notes
- For the best results, use potatoes which are specifically for making mashed potatoes.
- I use unsweetened soya milk. If you want to use a different kind of vegan milk, make sure it’s unsweetened. A different kind of milk may result in a different flavoured mash.
- I use a pea protein vegan mince. It’s important to separate the strands with a fork while sautéing it so that it doesn’t clump.
- I used brown miso paste, but you can substitute it with white miso paste. If you don’t have miso paste, just substitute with an extra teaspoon of vegetable stock powder.
- I always use stock powder instead of cubes because the powder form doesn’t contain fat. Stock cubes, even vegan ones, often contain hydrogenated fats. Read more about the dangers of hydrogenated or trans fats here.
- This is one of the very few recipes where I use tomato paste or concentrate. This is because I need the full tomato flavour and colour without any of the water. My favourite is Mutti triple concentrate. Mutti is a good quality Italian brand. Use whatever is available where you are.
- I always use unrefined sea salt in all my recipes. It’s the only kind of salt I have in my house. Unrefined sea salt contains dozens of naturally occurring minerals and elements and the sodium chloride content is lower.
- I only use good quality extra virgin olive oil for cooking. Poor quality oils are bad for your health.
- This vegan shepherd’s pie is a complete, nutritionally balanced meal in itself. However, if you want, you could serve it with a side salad, or a simple vegetable side dish like garlicky spinach.