Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

After making (and devouring) my Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes last week, I was really craving some shepherd’s pie. But, because of the strict budget I’m working with, I decided to make a vegetarian shepherd’s Pie. This warm and comforting dish is still full of deep and rich flavor, even without the meat, and I love all the color and texture that the vegetable medley brings to the plate.

To make up for the meat I made sure to use plenty of vegetables, including mushrooms, which give a nice “meaty” umami flavor. I also added in a cup of cooked lentils for bulk and extra protein. Lentils are great because they cook super fast, have a small shape, and a mild flavor that helps them blend really well into recipes. I often use them half and half with meat to stretch my dollar, but that same technique also works well with vegetables. If you’re not a fan of lentils, no worries. You can just leave them out and you’ll still have a delicious and hearty straight vegetable filling for your vegetarian shepherd’s pie.

I made a second slightly smaller batch of my Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes to top the pie, but you can use any type of mashed potatoes you like (make sure to use vegetable broth in your mashed potatoes to keep this recipe vegetarian). Because the filling for the vegetarian shepherd’s pie is slightly more time consuming, taking a short cut on the mashed potato topping is a good way to save some time and effort. You can even make them the day ahead (like I did). Just be sure to warm them up before trying to spread them onto the pie because cold mashed potatoes don’t exactly “spread.” LOL

VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD'S PIE

INGREDIENTS

1 cup cooked lentils (optional)*
2 cloves garlic
1 yellow onion
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 carrots
2 stalks celery
8 oz. button mushrooms
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Freshly cracked pepper
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp flour
1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup frozen peas
4 cups mashed potatoes

INSTRUCTIONS

• Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions are soft and transparent (3-5 minutes).
• While the onions and garlic are cooking, peel and dice the carrots, dice the celery, and slice the mushrooms. Once the onions are soft, add the carrots and celery to the skillet and continue to sauté until the celery begins to soften slightly (5 minutes).
• Finally, add the mushrooms, salt, thyme, smoked paprika, and freshly cracked pepper to the skillet. Continue to sauté until the mushrooms have fully softened (3-5 minutes). Add the tomato paste and flour to the skillet. Stir and cook the vegetables with the flour and tomato paste until the vegetables are coated and the pasty mixture begins to coat the bottom of the skillet (about 2 minutes).

Read Here for Full Recipes>>www.budgetbytes.com/vegetarian-shepherds-pie/

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