Well, it has been a couple weeks since Christmas, but I just had to share this recipe that I made for my family’s Christmas dinner this year. Christmas meals are somewhat complicated in my family to say the least. With me being a vegetarian (vegan most of the time), and my sister being gluten-intolerant (check out TradingPaperCrowns.com for some of her amazing, gluten-free, but not-so-vegetarian, recipes), we have the fun task of creating both a vegan and a gluten-free, TASTY dinner menu. With the majority of our family being meat-eating folks who don’t mind a little gluten, the taste factor is always most important… or we might hear those familiar phrases like, “If you would have added just a little ham…” or “Don’t you think some flour would fluff it up…” lol, crazy family, but I love them :)
So with that in mind, I was able to create a savory, gluten-free, vegan shepherd’s pie. This veggie-filled, protein-packed pie is a deliciously hearty, main dish for both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike… and yes, the family loved it!
ingredients
- 1 red onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 T olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked lentils, rinsed & drained
- 4 cups veggie broth
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp rosemary
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- dash of cayenne pepper
- 1 cup asparagus, chopped in 1" pieces
- 1/2 cup petite peas
- 1/2 cup carrots, diced
- 1/2 cup corn
- 8 to 10 yukon gold potatoes (about 3 lbs)
- 4 T vegan butter
- salt & pepper to taste
instructions
- Begin by cutting the potatoes in half. Place them in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Add a dash of salt, cover, and let boil for about 20 minutes.
- After they are cooked, drain the potatoes and place in a mixing bowl. Next, add the vegan butter, salt, and pepper. Using a masher or large fork, mash until smooth and set aside.
- While potatoes are cooking, preheat oven to 425 degrees F and lightly grease a large (9"x13") baking dish.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until the onions are slightly translucent and the smell of garlic begins to fill the kitchen... mmm, I love that smell!
- Next, add the lentils, veggie broth, all the seasong, and stir.
- Bring to a boil at medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to simmer until lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.
- In the last 10 minutes of simmering the filling, add all the fresh veggies, stir, and cover to let all those flavors fuse together.
- Add about 2 T of the mashed potatoes to the filling to thicken the mixture.
- Next, transfer the filling to your baking dish and top with mashed potatoes. Smooth down any crazy lumps with a spoon.
- Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until the potatoes are toasty, golden brown. Let cool, then serve it up!
Made this the other night for dinner and my whole family LOVED it!! The next day my son (10) asked for it for lunch and was devastated when his sister informed him it was VEGAN! lol – didn’t stop him from licking the plate clean :)