misadventuresofbeingamom:

Very Veggie Shepherds’ Pie

My husband loves shepherds’ pie and I am always trying new versions. This one with cauliflower potatoes makes the topping healthier without compromising the taste. I also added chopped cabbage and celery since they are “negative” calorie foods. I don’t know how much I buy into that sort of hype, but they add some flavor with little calories, so it sounds like a good idea to me!

Recipe

Very Veggie Filling Ingredients:

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 portabella mushrooms, de-stemmed and finely chopped

2 zucchini, small dice

3 garlic cloves, pressed

5 carrots, small dice

1 cup celery

1 cup shredded cabbage

2 cups cooked lentils (I buy pre-cooked Lentils from Trader Joe’s in their salad section, but you could cook your own, too!)

1 tbsp dried thyme

2 tsp ground fennel seed

½ tsp garlic salt (or regular will do)

½ tsp ground pepper

2 cups vegetable broth (I didn’t exactly measure, so this may be a little more/less – next time I make this I will take a more exact measurement for recipe purposes)

 

Cauliflower-Mashed Potatoes:

3 Russet Potatoes, diced

½ head cauliflower, cut into small florets

3 cloves garlic, whole (then pressed)

¼ cup soymilk

Salt and Pepper to Taste

 

Very Veggie Filling:

In a 4 quart pot, preheat oil, add onions and sauté until translucent, around 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, mushrooms, zucchini, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage and spices.

Bring to a boil, cover and lower heat to simmer, and cook for 20 minutes (I like my carrots pretty mushy and use them as a gauge as to whether or not I need to cook this any longer).

After 20 minutes (or after the carrots are soft), add lentils and cook for an additional 5 minutes.  At this point I usually add a little corn starch to help thicken the mixture, but it’s never been an exact measurement, and you don’t have to – depending on how thick you want your filling to be). 

 

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes:

Place Potatoes in a 4 quart pot and cover with water- making sure there is 3 inches or so of extra water (for when you add the cauliflower). Bring to a boil, add cauliflower and garlic (to not lose the garlic, I sometimes use a tea ball/infuser to keep the garlic in, but it isn’t a big deal), and lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes or so – until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

Drain in a colander and return to pot. Take cooked garlic and run through a garlic press (or finely chop if you don’t have a garlic press) into the pot. Use a potato masher to mash a little bit, then add soymilk and continue to mash until you are happy with the consistency – I like mine a little chunky.  Salt and Pepper to taste. 

 All Together Now

[Note: This time I added about a cup of grated cheese that needed to get used, and sprinkled a little more on top before baking to make the “diet” mashed potatoes more appealing to my husband, but you wouldn’t have to! Or you could add Vegan Cheese if you wanted more of a cheesy flavor, I just used what I had on hand.]

Preheat Oven to 375F.  Put filling into 2 or 3 quart baking dish. Then top with Cauliflower-Mashed Potatoes and Bake for 17-20 minutes.