Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

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I have always loved shepherd's pie, but it has been awhile since I was able to enjoy it.  I had a version of this during Teacher Appreciation week.  The parent association at my school put together a parent led potluck luncheon for teachers and staff.  There were at least 50 types of dishes there from a variety of kitchens.  As I was filling my plate, I decided to give this a try.  I went back to my classroom to begin eating lunch when I tasted the shepherd's pie, I was surprised by how amazing I thought it was.  I literally ran back down the hall to catch the parent who made it.  She gave me an overview of the ingredients and how she made it, but I failed to catch her name.  I have since experimented with our conversation and have this awesome dish that I have even enjoyed for breakfast leftover.  
Makes 5-6 servings.

Ingredients
1 package of MorningStar Farms Grillers Original (or other veggie patty of your choice), chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn
5 babybella mushrooms, chopped
2 cups vegetable broth, divided
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
4-5 potatoes, peeled and cut
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

  1. In a large frying pan, heat about a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.  Add onion, celery, and carrots.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes or until vegetables begin to soften, stirring occasionally.  Add mushrooms and garlic.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes.  Add veggie patties and corn.  Stir to combine and add 1 cup of vegetable broth.  Allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.  
  2. While cooking the vegetables, begin to boil the potatoes.  Boil for about 10-15 minutes or until they are tender.  Drain, but return to the pot.  Add butter, salt, and pepper.  Place lid on pot and allow the butter to melt.  With a handheld mixer, beat the potatoes adding milk slowly until desired consistently (softer mashed potatoes are more desirable for topping the pie).  Cover with lid and set aside.
  3. Combine flour and remaining vegetable broth.  Make sure the vegetable mixture is simmering, and add about half of the flour and broth mixture.  Stir until combined.  Return to a simmer and continue to add a little at a time until gravy has thickened.  Remove from heat.
  4. Pour vegetable mixture into a deep baking dish.  Dollop the mashed potatoes over the top and spread evenly.  Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes or until it is bubbly.  Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 5-10 minutes.  Serve.
Notes:
  • When chopping vegetables and patties, make sure everything is about the same size.  It makes for even cooking and a consistent texture.  
  • This dish is perfect for baking in individual containers.  
  • I usually begin to boil the potatoes just before I begin cooking my vegetables and finish mashing them just before adding the gravy.  The timing usually works out.


1 comment:

  1. Della fixed this during my visit recently. It was delicious! I will be fixing this myself.

    ReplyDelete

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