Vegetarian or vegan Shepherds Pie skips meat in favor of vegetables and beans for a hearty main dish or as a side dish. Top with creamy mashed potatoes, browning them under the broiler for nice presentation. If serving as a main dish, add a tossed green salad. This also works well as a side dish to roast chicken. For serving two, the recipe halves nicely. Just choose one kind of bean.
1teaspoondried basil, oregano and thymecan use 1 tablespoon blend
1teaspoonpaprika
115 ouncecan diced tomatoes
1cupcorn kernelsthawed if frozen
1cuppeasthawed if frozen
1cupraw baby green beanschopped
115 ouncecan red kidney beansrinsed and drained
115 ounceCannelini beansrinsed and drained
Instructions
Heat oven to 350°F degrees then start the mashed potatoes. Peel potatoes and cut into quarters or eights. Aim for the same size so they cook evenly. Place in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water and add 2 teaspoons of sea salt. Bring the potatoes to a simmer over medium heat and cook until very tender when a paring knife easily pierces the potatoes.
Drain potatoes well and place back in the hot pan (heat off). Cover and allow to steam dry for a few minutes. Next, push the potatoes through a ricer. Alternatively use a hand masher or hand mixer. Add sour cream and butter and stir. Season with salt and pepper. The texture should be creamy and firm, not runny.
Next, assemble all of your prepped vegetables and ingredients in little bowls. Put them on a rimmed baking sheet for organization. In a medium saute or fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook until soft, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste, water, dried herbs, paprika, tomatoes, corn, peas and green beans. Cover and cook until the green beans are tender and some of the moisture has cooked down, a few minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and taste. Gently stir in the beans. Distribute mixture between 4 – 10 ounce ramekins or a medium size casserole dish. Swirl mashed potatoes over the top with a spoon to cover the vegetable-bean mixture.
Place the casserole (s) on a rimmed baking sheet and bake in the oven until hot or when a digital thermometer reads 160-165 degrees. It should take about 30 minutes. If the potatoes are not brown, bake under a to broiler just until browned. Serve immediately.
Notes
You can prepare this a day or two ahead. They hold well in the refrigerator. Allow to stand at room temperature for an hour before baking. They are done when the internal temperature read 160-165 degrees with a digital thermometer.To give this a Southwestern flavor use smoked paprika, smoked pepper, ground cumin and add some chili powder.