Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone! I’m sure many of you have some fun plans for the day and are getting out and celebrating! But, if you’re like me, this year my husband and I are keeping it low key and just staying home, relaxing and maybe having an Irish beer later.
Tonight I’m whipping up my super simple and delicious vegan shepherd’s pie! I am IN LOVE with this recipe.
The filling is really easy to make and a few ingredients really make it taste “meaty” that makes my husband go back for seconds and thirds!
Let’s Get Started!
We’re going to start by sautéing some onion, celery, carrots and garlic in a large pot with a little olive oil. You can omit the oil ya want 🙂 Then we are going to add in a WHOLE shredded eggplant. Peel the eggplant first and then simply grate it on a box grater or you can shred it in a food processor.
After the eggplant is added in, drain and rinse 1 can of green or brown lentils then throw them in the pot.
Your kitchen should be smelling amazing at this point…
After that comes the secret ingredient- Red Wine. Perfect excuse for you to pop open a bottle and pour yourself a glass while your cooking. Or if you’re like me, you might already have an open box laying around to calm down those stressful nights after work- who’s with me on that?
Add 1/2 a cup of red wine into the pot along with 1 cup of vegetable stock and 2 tablespoons of flour and mix it all up. Let the filling simmer for about 5 minutes until it begins to thicken. You don’t want it to be too runny.
On to the potatoes! Now…hear me out everyone… for this recipe I used…
INSTANT MASHED POTATOES!
Yes I know, crazy right? But I had a box laying around for a while now because I have always been interested in trying them. The ones I used were from Idahoan I liked this brand because the ingredients were just potatoes, an emulsive and a preservative. If you’re totally not into instant mashed potatoes though you can make your own mashed potatoes for the top. But I will tell you- I was surprised at how good they were and my husband didn’t know the difference and was shocked when I told him after!
I followed the instructions on the box, minus some of the vegan butter- I didn’t think it needed that much. I also used almond milk and I think they turned out great!
In a large casserole dish, pour the filling in and smooth the top over. Then carefully add the mashed potatoes on top and spread it evenly not to disturb the filling. Bake it at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
You’ll be tempted to dig in right away- but you WILL burn your tongue. So wait for it to cool for about 10 minutes before scooping yourself a portion.
Guilt-Free Vegan Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large eggplant peeled and shredded
- 1 15 oz can lentils drained and rinsed
- 2 TBSP tomato paste
- 1 tsp thyme fresh or dried
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 2 TBSP flour
Potatoes
- 2 2/3 cup water
- 2 TBSP vegan butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/3 cup almond milk
- 2 2/3 cup Instant Idahoan Mashed Potato Flakes original
Instructions
Filling
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Add the diced onion, celery and carrot to a large pot and sauté for about 5 minutes until softened. Next add in the shredded eggplant and garlic and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
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Add in the rest of the filling ingredients and simmer for about 5-10 minutes until the flour has helped to thicken the filling. You don't want it to be runny! If it is too runny, add another tablespoon of flour.
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Pour into a large casserole dish and set aside.
Potatoes
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Follow the instructions on the Idahoan Potato box. Boil the water, butter and salt first. Then turn off the heat and add in the milk and potatoes. Mix until set.
The only thing I changed was a cut the amount of butter and used almond milk instead of regular milk. If you don't want to use instant potatoes, you can of course make your own mashed potatoes for this recipe.
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Once the potatoes are done, spoon the potatoes over the filling mixture and spread it out evenly. Pop it in a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes until the top is set and golden brown.
Enjoy!
Xo, Melissa
