Okay, so this recipe isn’t exactly suitable for the nomadic lifestyle, or it can be, depending on how advanced your mobile home is. My reason for sharing this recipe is because it came out so unbelievably delicious, I couldn’t deprive my tribe. My friend Danielle and I (the one who helped me with Nomadik Healths easy Vegan Chili and easy Vegan Pesto recipes), were having one of our famous cooking nights on a brutally cold evening. I thought “I’m in need of a comfort food fix, let’s attempt a vegan shepherds pie”. Traditional Shepherds pie is made with lamb, but is often made with beef. Considering I was never a fan of lamb even before my vegan days, we opted for the beef flavor. The hardest part about this recipe was coming up with a soy-free, beefy base (I avoid soy for hormonal reasons). Of course Danielle was up for the challenge.
The “beefy” magical trio
So, we brain stormed. I’ve ground up mushrooms as a meat replacement before, but it was always too soft. We needed something to add a little more texture and firmness, but not take away from the meaty appearance. Suddenly, it dawned on me. Let’s add walnuts in the processor with the mushrooms and later incorporate brown lentils in the recipe! Holy crappoli…what a match made in heaven. I felt like I made a scientific discovery. It looked so much like ground beef, my social media DM’s blew up with “ok, what the hell did you use….thats gotta be meat.” and “are you not vegan anymore?!”. Danielle and I were stoked, but we only solved half the equation. Texture is nothing without flavor.
Mmmm, Beefy
Maintaining that beefy flavor is essential in recreating a not-so-shepherd-shepherds-pie. I’ve been obsessed with Better than Boullion Vegan Broth and have been adding it to so many recipes. I couldn’t find the beef replacement version so I took a chance with the chicken one and it came out awesome. In addition, we added thyme, rosemary, vegan warcestershire sauce, and Miso paste (this helps bind).
For starters, the smell was INSANE. All of the ingredients complimented each other so much in both flavor and aroma. Once we took our first bite we couldn’t believe how much we nailed our concoction on the first try! Danielle not being fully vegan really helps verify what tastes close to the real deal. Ugh, just writing about this recipe is making my belly growl. Okay, enough talking, let’s make this vegan shepherds pie!
Vegan Shepherds Pie
Prep time: 20min Cooking: 30min Total time: 50min Servings: 6-7
Ingredients
Funny story about these mashed potatoes… I accidentally bought vanilla flax milk instead of the original. I thought I totally soiled it! (Spongebob reference). Seriously, I was nervous… but IT TURNED OUT AMAZING, don’t be afraid to try it.
Mashed potatoes
- 6-8 rausset potatoes, peeled and largely cubed
- 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/2 cup dairy free milk, I use Good Karma Flax Milk
Veggies - 3 large cooking carrots, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas
- 1 large or 2 small onions, cubed
“Beef” base - 1 cup walnuts
- 2 cups crimini mushrooms (brown mushrooms)
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 cup cooked lentils
Add In’s - a sprig of rosemary
- a sprig of thyme
- 1/2 tsp vegan warcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp better than boullion broth to 2 cups boiling water
- 3tbsp miso paste
Directions
Mashed Potatoes
- boil potatoes until fork tender (about 20 min)
- remove potatoes from boiling water and add to blender or processor
- add the butter and milk to blender with a dash of salt
- blend until smooth, set aside
“Beef” Base
- add walnuts, washed mushrooms, and garlic to food processor
- don’t over process, you want it to be more chunky than mush
- transfer to a cookie sheet, spreading out as much as possible (see images)
- let cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 15min
- mix around, return to the oven for an additional 15min
- separately, prepare your lentils (they should cook for about 20min)
Veggies
- heat a drizzle of olive oil in large skillet
- add all cut veggies to pan including peas and corn
- Sauté until carrots are fork tender
- set aside
Add In’s
- prepare the better than boullion broth in 2cups boiling water
- add miso to the broth, stir until dissolved
Combined
- transfer veggies to large pot
- add in cooked lentils, mushroom-walnut “beef” base, prepared broth, thyme, rosemary, and warcestershire sauce.
- fold all ingredients together
- once well combined, transfer to one ceramics or glass dish, OR individual mini pies (I did both)
The Finale
- Top with mashed potatoes (use a piper if you have, I couldn’t find mine so I stuffed the mash in a plastic bag and snipped a hole in the corner to dispense. If you don’t care about the aesthetics, just spread the mash on top).
- Bake prepared pies in the oven at 400 until the mashed potatoes turn golden brown
- serve and enjoy! 🙂
Nomadikally Yours, Briana
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