Friday Recipe: Vegan Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie is one of the most delicious winter foods. I ate it a lot when I was studying abroad in London–any kind of traditional Irish and British pub food, really.

I know, not the most appetizing photo ... But oh so tasty!

Alas, being a vegan it’s not really an option … Or is it?

In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day–a day where I never dare to go out drinking because of the masses of drunken idiots, mostly college kids–I celebrated with a homemade vegan shepherd’s pie, courtesy of PETA’s weekly recipe. I did make a few alterations, however, making this traditional dish completely from scratch.

Here’s the PETA recipe:

4 medium potatoes, diced – See recipe for LG’s Mom’s Mashed Potatoes (veganized) below
2 Tbsp. vegan margarine
1/4 cup soy milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
12 oz. faux ground beef-style crumbles
1 10.5-oz. can Campbells mushroom gravy (or 1 1/4 cups prepared vegan gravy of your choice) — See recipe for LG’s vegan cream of mushroom soup below
1 6-oz. can mixed peas and carrots, drained
Salt, garlic powder, pepper, and cayenne, to taste

  • Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash with the margarine and soy milk. Season with salt and pepper.
  • In a medium pan, sauté the onion in the oil until translucent.
  • In a medium bowl, mix the cooked onions, faux beef crumbles, mushroom gravy, peas and carrots, and spices. Pour into a pie pan. Top the crumble mixture with the potatoes, spreading to the edges.
  • Bake in a 350°F oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the potatoes are browned and the crumble mixture bubbles out the edges.

And the few alterations I made ….

LG’s Mom’s Garlic Mashed Potatoes (veganized):

  • 3 large potatoes
  • 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme
  • 2-3 tbsp Earth Balance margarine
  • Salt to taste
  • Organic plain almond milk (optional)
  1. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. Smash garlic cloves with garlic masher. Add all to boiling water. Boil approx. 20 minutes or until very soft.
  2. Drain potatoes and garlic with in a tightly woven sieve. Add to large capacity mixer with flat beater. Whip and add Sour Supreme and margarine. Salt to taste. Use almond milk if desired.

LG’s Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

  • 1/2 Knorr Vegetable Bouillon cube dissolved in 1 1/2 cups of water
  • 10 fresh crimini mushrooms, diced
  • 3 tbsp Earth Balance margarine
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme
  • 1/2 cup organic plain almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp ground thyme
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Melt margarine in pan and whisk in flour until dissolved and foaming.
  2. Add Sour Supreme and plain almond milk, whisk.
  3. Add mushrooms, vegetable bouillon, thyme, salt, and pepper.
  4. Cook down until desired thickness. Add more flour is you want it to be thicker.

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