Vegan/Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie

The other day at school, one of the other teacher’s I work with was reading a book about becoming vegan.  After judging her a little (half the vegans I’ve met are annoying as hell about it), I started thinking about changing recipes to make them vegan (or at least vegetarian).  At that same time, I got an email update from The Scrumptious Pumpkin (a lovely food blog by someone who takes WAY better pictures than me) with a recipe for winter vegetable shepherd’s pie.  I was intrigued by this recipe a. because of the sneaky cauliflower.  I HATE the taste of cooked cauliflower, but I know it’s really good for you, so I was interested in sneaking in cauliflower where I wouldn’t be able to taste it. And b. because I got thinking about how easy it would be to transform it into a vegan/vegetarian version!

The mashed potatoes and cauliflower really are yummy, and I may try doing the combination every time I make mashed potatoes!  I used the mushrooms in this recipe to take place of the ground beef in traditional shepherd’s pie, and their flavor is really enhanced by the wine.  Fantastic.  Obviously, if you’re a meaty person and need the ground beef in this recipe, go for it and brown up a pound before you saute your vegetables.  It’ll be delicious for sure, but it’s not at all needed in this meal.  This dish takes a while to make, but most of that time is the prep.  If I’d been smart, I would have prepped the vegetables ahead of time (you know, like yesterday when I did NOTHING).  Prepping things ahead of time will cut the time in half, so I’d definitely recommend that.

Ingredients (serves 6):

3 small potatoes, chopped

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

3 whole cloves garlic

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided (omit if you’re making this vegan, it’ll still be delicious, don’t worry)

1/4 cup chives, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 medium carrots, diced

3 medium parsnips, diced

2 c baby portabella mushrooms

1 tbsp dried oregano

1 tbsp thyme

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 c red wine

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and roast 3 cloves of garlic in foil for about 20 minutes.

2. Steam potatoes and cauliflower over a pot of boiling water until fork tender, about 10-15 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl and mix in 3/4 c cheese, about 3/4ths of the chives, roasted garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.  Mash mixture with a potato masher (if you’re fancier than me) or fork (because I’m cheap).  Cover and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, saute onions, garlic, carrots, and parsnips in olive oil for about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and salt and pepper to taste; continue cooking for 2-3 more minutes.

4. Add tomato paste, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, and wine.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until sauce reduces and thickens.

5. Pour mushroom mixture evenly over the bottom of a casserole dish and top with potato and cauliflower mixture.  Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top and broil for 5-10 minutes or until the top of the potatoes have browned.

The final product out of the oven

Yum!