Vegetarian Shepherds Pie

A few months ago I was looking through my cookbooks for something different to make for dinner – I like to try new recipes now and then. I found a veggie Shepherd’s pie recipe in one that was really pretty good. So, as I do, I made it my own, adapting it to use all fresh, seasonal veggies. This recipe is not vegan, as it uses butter and plain yogurt in the mashed potatoes, but it would be simple to make substitutions to create a vegan dish. This is so good! I made a pan for my in-laws to reheat after father-in-law had surgery, and they couldn’t say enough how much they like it, carnivores though they are.

This iteration I used cauliflower, leeks, mushroom, carrots, onion and peas

Here goes:

Sautéing leeks, onions and garlic

Ingredients

Mix of vegetables of your choice, including onion
4 cloves garlic
Herbs/seasonings of your choice
2 pounds (1 kg) of potatoes
4 Tablespoons (57 grams) butter
1 cup (230 grams) plain yogurt – I use low fat
1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable broth
1 teaspoon (2.5 grams) Paprika
2 Tablespoons (28 ml) olive oil

Select a baking dish of the size you want to serve (no lid needed.) You will need enough cooked vegetables to fill the pan to within about 2 inches from the top. The finished mashed potatoes adequately cover a 7 X 11- inch pan.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat water to boil the potatoes. Peel the potatoes and cook in boiling water until fork pierces fairly easily, 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, chop vegetables, onion and 2 cloves garlic. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan large enough to accommodate all the vegetable. Sauté the onion until just translucent. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add warm vegetable broth and herbs/seasoning and continue cooking the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until tender. Drain off any excess liquid.

Mash the potatoes, adding the butter, yogurt, salt, paprika, 2 cloves garlic pressed and pepper to taste. Spoon cooked vegetables into baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over top of vegetables, spreading to the edge. Poke a small vent hole in the potatoes. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until vegetables are bubbling and top is just starting to brown. Serve and enjoy!

The yogurt gives a nice, sour cream-like taste to the mashed potatoes, with much lower fat.

Serve it up!

I did take the photos used in this post.

A few thoughts: I think this dish would be great with some cooked lentils added. Husband asked for a pie crust on the bottom one time. I did add the crust, but didn't think it improved the dish enough to warrant the extra work - not a fan of making pie crust!