Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

OK, so maybe I was hungry...Right, I was also aware that it was quite late and I'd been to the cinema, but the sound of vegetarian Shepherd's Pie? I couldn't resist, and I am sure glad I didn't, cause it was pretty tasty, I must say!

I tried to make one third of the original recipe I found, as the original sounded like way too much food, and chopping, for last night's meal. You can find the original recipe in the link at the bottom, where it is also vegan.

Here's what I used:


Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
(Serves 4, about 400 calories each)

For the filling:

1,5 cup soya protein granules, also known as soy "mince" or TVP
2 cups of water - so you don't have to add more at later stage
2 tbsp soy suce
1 tsp each of onion powder, garlic powder and paprika (or more!)
1 tbsp oil
300 g chopped tomatoes
1-2 handfuls of green lentils
1 carrot, finely diced
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp vegetable stock (I used Marigold) or 1 stock cube
1 tsp each of oregano, thyme and pepper (or other pizza spices)

For the mash:

2-3 large baking potatoes, around 300-400 g, diced
2 tbsp butter
50 ml milk
Salt & pepper to taste

- Boil the water, and mix in the soy mince, soy sauce, paprika, onion- and garlic powder in a large saucepan, place a lid over. Take the pan off the hob and let it stand for ten minutes so the soy mince can take up all the flavours and water.

- Add a dash of oil, and stir the mince well for a few minutes, before adding the vegetables and stock. Stil some more and leave it to simmer a couple of minutes. Tip in the lentils and spices, combine, and leave it to simmer for 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a bit more water if i dries up.

- Whilst this is cooking away, start working on your mash! Chop the potatoes in small dice, and boil in some lightly salted water until soft, for about 20 minutes. Add the milk, butter and seasoning and mash for your life!

- When the mash is done (it doesn't matter if it's left for 10 minutes while the rest is getting ready) and the filling is nice and thick, turn the oven up to 200°C. Pour the vegetables and mince in, and nicely layer the top with the potato mash. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the topping is slghtly golden - take out, let it cool down slightly, and dig in!

Original source:
http://www.veganeren.com/2011/09/shepherds-pie.html

- Jules