Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
With cold weather, we crave warm stews and comfort food. And if you're like me you want to also be healthy since winter is when we tend to go to carbohydrates. I try to substitute when I can gluten and carbs with other tasty options.
Sheperd's Pie originated from making a stew from leftovers, and still is but now a healthier version with predominately vegetables can be just as satisfying. The lentils provide protein and I recommend fresh veggies vs. frozen but you get just as many nutrients especially if busy. From the kale and parsley to the carrots, this dish has a ton of vitamin C and K plus more.
Ingredients:
1 cup cooked lentils (optional)
2 cloves garlic minced
1 yellow onion chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots (or bag of frozen vegetables) chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1/2-1 bunch of kale chopped
8 oz. mushrooms cut half of quarters
1 tsp dried thyme (or to taste)
1.2 cup Italian parsley
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
Salt & pepper (to taste)
5 Yukon Potatoes (1 potato can be substituted by one sweet potato or yellow
squash for sweetness)
Half Bag frozen cauliflower
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Greek Yogurt (optional)
Salt & pepper (to taste)
Instructions for Mash:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil then add teaspoon of salt. Boil potatoes (cut to
cook faster) for about 5 minutes (check softness with fork). Add cauliflower
and boil until all soft to mash. Drain.
2. Add butter and olive oil to sauté garlic. Add mash mixture and fork until
smooth. Salt & pepper to taste. Greek Yogurt optional.
Instructions for Stew:
Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heatuntil the onions are soft and transparent (3-5 minutes).
While the onions and garlic are cooking, cut vegetables. Once the onions aresoft, add the carrots, kale and celery to the skillet and sauté until celery istransparent.
Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, salt, thyme, smoked paprika, and freshly cracked pepper to the skillet (3-5 minutes). Add tomato paste and flourto the skillet. Stir and cook the vegetables with the flour and tomato paste until the vegetables are coated and the pasty mixture begins to coat the bottom ofthe skillet (about 2 minutes).
Add the vegetable broth to thicken, stirring to dissolve the flour and tomato paste from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the cooked lentils and peas, and allow to mixture to heat through.
Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Pour the vegetable mixture into a casserole dish, or use your skillet if it is oven safe. Spread the mashed potatoes on top.
Bake the shepherd pie in the fully preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until everything is heated through. To achieve a browned mash, turn on broil until brown.
