Veggie Sheperds Pie

I absolutely love this recipe! I’m sure most people associate shepherds pie with meat and lots of cheese but I’m very confident that the combination of texture and taste in this pie will make you forget all about the “missing” ingredients. And it’s no doubt a lot healthier! :) If you’re a vegetarian or simply a veggie lover this is a great dish you just have to try!

Don’t let the long list of ingredients scare you off, it’s a piece of cake!

300 g (11 oz.) kidney beans (be sure to prepare your beans on forehand if you buy them dry)

300 g (11 oz.) big white beans

1 dl (1/2 cup) green or red lentils

800 g (28 oz.) Heinz chopped tomatoes with garlic flavor. (Use regular tomatoes if you prefer less garlic taste)

3 small or 2 large carrots

1 red paprika

1 onion

3 garlic cloves

3-4 sweet potatoes

1 large cauliflower

2 celery stalks (1 is okay if you aren’t a big fan of celery)

1 red chili

150 g (5 oz.) peas

2-3 dl (1 ½ coups vegetable stock)

1/3 cup red wine

Worcestershire sauce (do not overdo)

Tabasco sauce (again do not overdo)

Balsamic vinegar
1 Rosemary twig or a tbsp. dried (the fresh gives more taste and should be taken out before the pie goes into the baking pan)

Salt

Pepper

Any other spice you want to add J


I start by putting the beans in the bottom of the pan and mixing  them together with olive oil and some balsamic vinegar. (Be sure you pan is big enough… this is a lot of food!)

Big white beans and kidney beans before the balsamic vinegar

Get your lentils cooking if you buy the dry, like I do. Peal your sweet potatoes and get them and the cauliflower cooking as well. You are going to mash both the cauliflower and the sweet potatoes so you want them pretty soft.

Chop your vegetables, whatever size you like is okay but I recommend not making the pieces to large.

Here we have our fresh vegetables :)

When you have done that drizzle some oil in a sauté pan and add the onion and garlic. It’s important that you don’t overheat the garlic; this will make it taste bitter. Add the red wine and let the onions soak it up for a couple minutes before adding the crushed tomatoes.  

Add the vegetable stock, the balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tabasco sauce and the rest of the vegetables, except the cauliflower and sweet potatoes those are our toppings. Let the vegetables soak up the flavors for about 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and any other spice or herbs you may want to ad!  

After letting the vegetables simmer on low heat for at least 10 minutes pour them into your baking pan over the beans. Simply spread the mashed sweet potatoes over the vegetable mix then finish of with the mashed cauliflower over the sweet potatoes. For those who want a smoother mash just add a little milk or milk substitute like soy milk or soy cream. I like putting some freshly ground pepper in the cauliflower.

Now you just have to bake the pie in the oven at 200 C or 390 F for about 20-25 minutes or until the cauliflower starts to look a bit golden. Let it cool down for at least 5 minutes before serving. And that's it :)

Decorate with some fresh parsley or celery leaves

Bon appetite J