There you have it, friends, we have officially entered the Holiday season. While I am, usually, known for making easy-peasy recipes that take one hour (or less) to make, it is always great to add a variety of food to the table.
While making pies might seem intimidating to make, I can assure you that Shepherd’s Pie will be very easy. It just requires a friendly amount of steps to create.
May I also include, that if you have been creating my recipes; from creating sauces from scratch, braising vegetables, and chopping all sorts of ingredients to sauté – I can assure you, this is not going to be intimidating at all.
A RECIPE FOR “FRIENDSGIVING”
If I’m being completely honest, I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving – although this recipe will be out for such festive gathering & meant for the Holidays (beyond Thanksgiving), I feel that it is important to address that I do not support the truth behind the “holiday”. Instead, it is an opportunity to make time with family and friends, be grateful, and happy. Friendsgiving. I, however, cannot deny the food it brings over the years. I love food and I love holiday flavors! It is an excuse for me to develop and share recipes on this blog. Well, it’s rarely an excuse. HA!
WHAT IS SHEPHERD’S PIE?
Shepherd’s Pie is a rustic cottage savory meat pie. Traditionally, it is made with red meat, vegetables, potatoes, and flavored in a gravy sauce. Honestly, I’ve never had the traditional shepherd’s pie with meat in it; the first time I’ve eaten shepherd’s pie was at at small vegan restaurant in Manila over 4 years ago. I loved the unique flavors it brought (and it reminded me so much of holiday flavors); that I had to recreate it. So I dived deep into what they would traditionally use in Shepherd’s Pie.
With trials and errors over the years, I have finally made the perfect one!
STEPS IN A SHEPHERD’S PIE
As I’ve mentioned, this recipe is easy to make but it does require multiple steps. There are three components to what makes a shepherd’s pie, this will include:
- Gravy – Which is what will flavor this dish as a whole. For this recipe, we will create a mushroom, vegetable base infused gravy with a hint of red wine to compliment the meatiness.
- “Meat” Filling – I don’t normally call for plant-based “meat” substitutes, but I can honestly speak for using the Impossible Burger ground beef. This is not sponsored, by the way. But what I love about the ground beef, unlike other substitutes, is that there is no distinct after taste and it has the meatiest texture like red meat. You can bring this to a (masked, socially distanced) party to non-vegans and they will not tell the difference at all. It’s perfect for Shepherd’s Pie. It’s not the healthiest but it’s the holidays, we can let loose a little.
- Mashed Potato – Creamy, dreamy mashed potatoes. Yukon gold potatoes give the creamiest texture. It is a little less starchy compared to other potatoes and, when mashed, is velvety. Pro-tip: use a food processor or potato ricer for a smooth consistency. The potatoes serve as the finishing layer of the “pie”. Instead of using pastry, potatoes take place in this dish.
POUR IN THE GRAVY!
One of the problems I had with Shepherd’s Pie is that it would dry easily in the oven as it bakes.
The solution? Make a generous amount of gravy and make sure your meat filling is all sauced up before baking. While you don’t necessarily need to pour gravy to finish as you serve / eat a slice of the pie, adding that extra sauce on top will prevent it from drying out. Plus, who doesn’t not like extra gravy? It is essential to a holiday feast.
PRO-TIPS BEFORE GETTING STARTED
- Short on time? Prepare the meat filling and gravy up to two days in advance! Just be sure to store it properly in an air tight container in the coldest part of your fridge to keep it fresh.
- Prepare your potatoes last! Cold or room temperature potatoes will get harder and gritty in texture. Use a food processor / potato ricer (or masher) to give a better smooth consistency.
- Use vegetable paste over regular broth – I used The Better Than Bouillon paste (1 tablespoon) dissolved in water. I prefer using this over regular vegetable broth as it is richer in flavor. You may also use a vegan “no beef / no chicken” Bouillon cube. If you don’t have either, vegetable broth will do, just be sure to season to taste as you go.
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Vegan Shephard’s Pie
Equipment
- oven safe casserole dish (9" x 13" or 7" x 11")
- potato masher / ricer / food processor
- blender / immersion blender
- sauté skillet
- Boiling pot
- sauce pan
- measuring cups
- collander
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
FOR THE GRAVY
- 6 pcs dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1½ cup hot boiling water
- 1½ cup vegetable broth see notes (I used the Better Than Bouillon vegetable base)
- ⅓ medium (½ cup) white onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves (1 tbsp) garlic minced
- 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- 3 tbsp red wine (any red wine of choice)
- 3 tbsp unsweetened plain plant milk (I used almond milk)
- 2 tbsp unsalted vegan butter
- fresh thyme to taste
- fresh rosemary to taste
- 1½ tbsp corn starch dissolved in 1½ tbsp water for a slurry
- salt & pepper to taste
FOR THE "MEAT" FILLING
- 340 g (0.75 lbs) Impossible Burger Ground "Beef" or substitute with any meatless grounds (defrosted)
- 1 medium (½ cup) carrot diced
- 3 stalks (½ cup) celery thinly sliced
- 3 pieces rehydrated shiitake mushrooms chopped
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- ⅓ medium (¾ cup) white onion diced
- 3 cloves (1 tbsp) garlic minced
- 1½ tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tbsp low sodium soy sauce or tamari
- ½ tbsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- fresh thyme to taste
- fresh rosemary to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp olive oil for sautéing
FOR THE MASHED POTATOES
- 4 pcs Yukon gold potatoes peeled and roughly chopped
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp unsweetened plain plant milk
- ½ tbsp garlic powder
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- salt & pepper to taste
- water for boiling
Instructions
STEP ONE: FOR THE GRAVY
- Rinse dried mushrooms clean before using. Bring dried mushrooms to a boil or soak in hot water for 20-30 minutes to rehydrate. Remove soaked mushrooms and squeeze out excess liquids. Chop (3) pieces for the gravy sauce. The remaining mushrooms will be used for the filling and set aside. Reserve the mushroom liquids for the broth.
- Preheat a sauce pan to medium. Coat with a drizzle of olive oil. Once heated, toss the diced onions in to sauté until it is fragrant. Add thyme and rosemary and stir. Drop in the mushrooms and sauté with the onion mixture. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt & pepper. Finally, toss in the garlic and allow to sauté for another 3-5 minutes.
- Add the liquids such as the mushroom & vegetable broth, soy sauce, and plant milk. Stir. Using a blender (or immersion blender) pour mixture and blend until all solid ingredients have turned into liquid form. Transfer back into the sauce pan and set pan to medium low heat.
- Pour red wine and add the butter. Mix until well combined. Then add the corn starch slurry and whisk.
- Allow the gravy to simmer until it thickens. Turn off heat.NOTE: I like my gravy a bit runny than very thick. If you prefer to have a thicker gravy, add another tablespoon of corn starch and stir in the gravy as it simmers (be sure it is dissolved in a little bit of water before adding it in).
STEP 2: FOR THE "MEAT" FILLING
- Using a sauté pan, preheat stove top to medium high heat. Coat with olive oil. Once heated, toss the diced onions in to sauté until it is fragrant. Add thyme and rosemary and stir. Drop in the mushrooms and sauté with the onion mixture. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt & pepper. Add the carrots and finally, toss in the garlic and allow to sauté for another 2-4 minutes.
- Add the plant-based "meat" into the pan and stir with the aromatics until well combined and it is fully crumbled into grounds. Toss in the celery, green peas, and add tomato paste. Mix and let it set for 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
- Using a measuring cup, gradually pour a cup of the gravy sauce into the meaty filling. I would do half a cup at a time. Season with soy sauce, paprika, and brown sugar. Stir. Allow the mixture braise until liquid reduces. You don't need to overcook the filling as it will be baked to finish.Reserve remaining gravy to serve.
- Season with salt & pepper to taste. Turn off heat.
- Prepare your casserole dish. Gently pour filling on the dish and spread on the entire dish. Set aside.
STEP 3: FOR THE MASH POTATOES
- Bring roughly chopped potatoes to a boil until it is tender and breaks apart when a fork is pierced through.
- Strain out the potatoes from the water. While it is still hot, transfer in a food processor (or on a mixing bowl if you are using an immersion blender / masher / ricer). Pulse on high speed until potatoes are smooth and creamy. Bring in a mixing bowl.
- Season the potatoes and add the butter, milk, garlic and onion powder, paprika, salt & pepper. Fold all ingredients on the potatoes until well combined & smooth.
- Grab the casserole dish with meat filling. Pour mash potatoes on top of the meat filling and spread out into an even layer and smooth out the surface with a back of a spoon or spatula.
- This part is optional (and mainly for aesthetics), using a back of a spoon (or spatula), create patterns or textures on the top layer of the mash potato. You can also run a fork to create streaks. This can also help baking the dish evenly.
STEP 4: TO BAKE
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake the pie for 18-25 minutes or until potatoes have turned golden brown on the edges.
TO SERVE
- Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
- Pour with gravy sauce to serve.