VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE

After making (and devouring) my Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes final week, I was truly yearning a few shepherd’s pie. But, as a result of the stern finances I’m running with, I decided to make a vegetarian shepherd’s Pie. This warm and comforting dish is nonetheless filled with deep and wealthy flavor, even with out the meat, and I love all of the shade and texture that the vegetable medley brings to the plate.

INGREDIENTS 1 cup cooked lentils (optional)* ($0.21) 2 cloves garlic ($0.16) 1 yellow onion ($0.31) 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16) 3 carrots ($0.37) 2 stalks celery ($0.38) 8 oz. button mushrooms ($1.99) 3/4 tsp salt ($0.03) 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10) 1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05) Freshly cracked pepper ($0.05) 1 Tbsp tomato paste ($0.11) 1 Tbsp flour ($0.01) 1 cup vegetable broth ($0.13) 1 cup frozen peas ($0.45) 4 cups mashed potatoes ($1.36) INSTRUCTIONS Mince the garlic and cube the onion. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in a big skillet over medium warmth till the onions are mushy and obvious (3-5 minutes). While the onions and garlic are cooking, peel and cube the carrots, cube the celery, and slice the mushrooms. Once the onions are soft, upload the carrots and celery to the skillet and proceed to sauté till the celery starts to melt relatively (5 minutes). Finally, upload the mushrooms, salt, thyme, smoked paprika, and freshly cracked pepper to the skillet. Continue to sauté till the mushrooms have absolutely softened (3-5 minutes). Add the tomato paste and flour to the skillet. Stir and cook dinner the vegetables with the flour and tomato paste till the vegetables are coated and the pasty combination starts to coat the backside of the skillet (about 2 minutes). Add the vegetable broth to the skillet, stirring to dissolve the flour and tomato paste from the backside of the skillet. Allow the broth to come as much as a simmer, at which level it's going to turn out to be relatively thicker. Stir within the cooked lentils and frozen peas, and enable to combination to warmth through. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Pour the vegetable combination right into a casserole dish, or use your skillet if it's oven safe. Spread the mashed potatoes out over the floor of the vegetables and gravy. Use your spoon to make a decorative development within the mashed potatoes, if desired. Bake the shepherd's pie within the absolutely preheated oven for 15 minutes, or till everything is heated through. To gain a browned floor at the mashed potatoes (optional), turn at the oven's broiler (and vicinity the pie below it, if no longer already), and watch intently till the best has browned to your liking. NOTES Using cooked lentils is optional, however the quantity of servings might be nearer to 4 with out them. It ought to take approximately 1/3 cup dry lentils to make 1 cup cooked.

VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE
Full skillet of Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with a spoonful of vegetable filling on top.

THE FILLING…
To make up for the red meat I made certain to make use of lots of vegetables, adding mushrooms, which supply a sensible “meaty” umami flavor. I also delivered in a cup of cooked lentils for bulk and additional protein. Lentils are huge simply due to the fact they cook dinner tremendous fast, have a small shape, and a slight style that allows them mix truly properly into recipes. I typically use them half and half with meat to stretch my dollar, but that similar methodology also works properly with vegetables. If you’re no longer a fan of lentils, no worries. You can simply go away them out and you’ll nonetheless have a delicious and hearty instantly vegetable filling on your vegetarian shepherd’s pie.

THE TOPPING…
I made a moment relatively smaller batch of my Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes to best the pie, but you possibly can use any kind of mashed potatoes you're keen on (make certain to make use of vegetable broth on your mashed potatoes to maintain this recipe vegetarian). Because the filling for the vegetarian shepherd’s pie is relatively additional time consuming, taking a brief cut at the mashed potato topping is a sensible method to save a few time and effort. You may also make them the day forward (like I did). Just be certain to warm them up earlier than making an attempt to unfold them onto the pie simply due to the fact chilly mashed potatoes don’t precisely “spread.” LOL

VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD'S PIE
A colourful vegetable medley and a wealthy brown gravy make this Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie simply as satisfying as its red meat counterpart.

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