Posted on March 20, 2018 by Kate Halsall
There was a conversation during my massage group on Tuesday, about the difference between a Cottage Pie and a Shepherd’s Pie. Just in case you didn’t know – it’s the meat that’s the difference. In a Shepherd’s Pie it’s lamb (shepherds watch their flocks by night!) and in a Cottage Pie it’s beef. Apparently one has peas in it too, but we put that down to personal preference! Anyway, since that conversation, all I’ve wanted is a vegan version of one of these pies. As the snow prevented a number of things from happening on Saturday, I cooked one! So here is some healthy vegan comfort food!
This vegan Shepherd’s Pie serves 6 if you’re having additional veg with it, 4 if not!
Ingredients:
- 400g tin mixed beans
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 carrot finely sliced
- Handful of button mushrooms sliced
- Handful of frozen peas (I add these to everything!)
- 2 tbs tomato puree
- 150g soy mince – this is optional, you could add more pulses instead.
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 large “normal” potato (again optional, you could just have all sweet potatoes if you prefer)
- ½ tsp garlic (I’m still not supposed to be having this, so feel free to add more!)
- 1tsp olive oil for mashing
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method:
- Add a little oil to a pan and sauté the carrots and mushrooms. Add the garlic, the soy mince and the tomato puree (you could add a little splash of wine here if you wanted but we couldn’t advocate that of course!). Then add the mixed beans and chopped tomatoes. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, peel and chop the potatoes and add them to boiling water until tender. Drain and then mash with the olive oil and again season to taste.
- Add the beany mix to an oven dish and top with the mash. Cook in an oven or grill until the top goes brown..and you’re done!
This vegan Shepherd’s pie should go down a storm with family and friends and the left overs are great for lunch!