This version of plant-based shepherd’s pie celebrates vegetables in a light, springy version of a family favorite. Mushrooms give earthy, meaty texture. Cauliflower and carrot provide succulence and colour, all coated in a herby broth sauce.
Reviews of this Plant-based Shepherd’s Pie
People love this recipe and it has been featured in many magazines and online blogs and is from the Jewish Food Hero Cookbook.
This Plant-based Shepherd’s Pie was featured in Jewish Boston Magazine. They wrote
“ If you’re a reluctant vegetable eater, don’t worry: I assure you the dish is tasty (be generous with the seasonings!), substantial and surprisingly easy to put together. It would make a perfect addition to your Passover menu, or your everyday recipe repertoire.”
Mari Levine
This Plant-based Shepherd’s Pie was also featured on the Jewish Food Experience website, on the Chabad website and in the Arizona Jewish Post.
Any Vegetables Will Work
The topping suggested is white potato, but you can dress this up or down as you wish. You could mash any root vegetable. I made another cottage pie main dish for Passover with butternut squash as the topping. Alternatively, carefully arrange sliced vegetables on top for a more refined appearance – steamed carrots, yellow summer squash, and zucchini cut into rounds would all work well.
If you eat kitniyot during Passover, you can also use peas and thin string beans here.
Add more spice
Tailor the flavour to suit your palette. Add 1 tsp chili powder or a couple of extra cloves of garlic. If you have a favorite spice combination – you can use it in this Plant-based shepherd’s pie. I could see this working with a Indian spice blend , an everything bagel spice blend, zaatar spice blend, Yemenite Hawaij spice blend. If you like the Hawaij spice blend, you will love Eileen’s Hawaij Vegetable Soup recipe.
Make Ahead
This is an ideal make-ahead dish, perfect for busy holiday days. Simply prepare in advance and refrigerate or freeze, and oven cook when suits. Oh and great news, this dish is Kosher for Passover and great for leftovers,
About potatoes and starches
Potatoes and starches have a bad reputation in our times as carb food that causes weight gain. Potatoes are a health food that offers fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin B6 content. Potatoes and starches are so important in our diet because they are filled with fiber and eating them gives us that good feeling of satiety. You can read more about what a healthy diet might look like here.
The Jewish Food Hero Cookbook
This plant-based shepherd’s is in the Jewish Food Hero Cookbook: 50 simple, plant-based recipes for your holiday meals. Order your copy here.
Passover resources from Jewish Food Hero
The holidays are a special time, and also a busy time. So many times, I find myself so busy preparing food and getting ready to welcome guests. Oftentimes, I have felt disappointed with how our holiday table looks. This is what inspired me to work with a graphic designer to create these two Passover products from the Jewish Food Hero.
Passover Seder Place Cards
These printable Passover Seder Place Cards add an elegant, decorative design element to your table. Place cards also allow you to intentionally place guests at your Passover table. All you need is a printer and a pair of scissors. You can even get family involved in helping to prepare these cards. Children will love to add their own extras too!
Click here to purchase the Passover Seder Place Cards from Jewish Food Hero’s Etsy Shop.
Passover Seder Cheat Sheets
I made these printable Passover Cheat Sheets to add a beautiful design element to our Passover table and to be help all our guests feel comfortable and included. Some of us remember all the details and symbolism of the Passover ritual. For others, having these simple and stylishly designed cards on hand will help them relax and enjoy the experience.
Click here to purchase these Passover Cheat Sheets from Jewish Food Hero’s Etsy Shop.
Plant-based Shepherd’s Pie
Description
This version of plant-based shepherd’s pie celebrates vegetables in a light, springy version of a family favorite. Mushrooms give earthy, meaty texture. Cauliflower and carrot provide succulence and colour, all coated in a herby broth sauce.
Ingredients
Mashed potatoes topping:
3 pounds (1.4kg) red skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 cup almond milk
Pepper to taste
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pie filling:
2 medium onions, diced
3 cups sliced mushrooms (from about 1/2 (1kg) pound whole mushrooms)
3 cups vegetable broth (not low sodium)
1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, minced
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
3 tablespoons potato starch
1 teaspoon sea salt
Pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 F
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Place the potatoes in an extra large soup pot, and cover with at least 1 inch of cold water.
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Boil, uncovered, for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender
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In a large skillet, sauté the onion and mushrooms in 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water for 10 minutes, adding more broth if needed.
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Add the sage, thyme, and carrots, and sauté for another 5 minutes
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Add the cauliflower and cook for 5 more minutes
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Add more vegetable broth to the skillet, reserving 1/4 cup to mix with potato starch
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In a small bowl, combine the potato starch with the 1/4 cup reserved vegetable broth. Mix well.
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Add the potato starch mixture, sea salt, and pepper to the vegetables in the skillet.
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Stir until thickened.
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Drain and mash the cooked potatoes, adding the almond milk, pepper, and sea salt
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To assemble, pour the cooked vegetables into a lightly oiled 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
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Top with the mashed potatoes and smooth the surface with a spoon
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Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling and browned.
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While the dish is cooking, chop the vegetables for the garnish. It is worth paying attention to maintaining a uniform and delicate shape.
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Steam the vegetables for the garnish just enough so they retain their beautiful color and a bit of crunch
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Arrange the warm vegetables on top of the casserole
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Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Serve family style on the table.
