Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I’m very happy to announce that we raised $7,234 dollars (and climbing!) for the Japan Disaster Fundraiser!! I am absolutely blown away and touched by your generosity. I never dreamed that this much money was possible in just over a day’s time. This money is going to help many in need!
I’m currently working on the Excel document for the giveaway (it’s taking me longer than planned!) and I will be sure to update this post later today when I have the winners selected, so be sure to check back.
UPDATE: The winners can be found on this page.

To me, St. Patty’s Day is the final hurrah of comfort food for the Winter season. Spring is right around the corner (4 days, but who’s counting?), and after today, we will gradually shift to lighter fare in hopes that the weather follows suit.
We are actually being blessed with beautiful Spring weather too! I’m hoping the snow will be gone by tomorrow.

But, today, it’s all about the warm comfort food to bid farewell to Old Man Winter.
Last night we paid tribute to our Irish roots with this delicious vegan shepherd’s pie with gravy. I wonder what our Irish relatives would think of a vegan shepherd’s pie? I’ll have to make it for them if we make it to Ireland this year! Eric was actually happy to have a vegan version because he is not a fan of ground meat, which is traditionally used in this dish.
It was not only the first time I have made a vegan version of this classic dish, but it was also the first time I have ever made a shepherd’s pie, period! It turns out that it isn’t so scary after all, unless of course you are afraid of using a knife. I’m not going to sugar coat this, this recipe requires a lot of peeling and chopping so be warned.
But, it was worth the effort, resulting in an extremely comforting and delicious dish.


Vegan Shepherd's Pie with Gravy

Yield
6 generous servings
Prep time
Rest time
10 minutes
Cook time
Total time
Adapted from Choosing Raw.
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes
- 3 lb. potatoes (I used a bag of organic red potatoes), peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp Earth Balance, or equivalent
- 1/3 cup + 2 tbsp non-dairy milk (I used soy)
- 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
For the vegetable filling
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 medium carrots, peeled & small dice
- 2 parsnips (or other root vegetable), peeled & small dice
- 4 celery stalks, small dice
- 1 cup, full sodium vegetable broth (or more as needed)
- 1/4 cup red wine (or more broth)
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2-3/4 tsp kosher salt, to taste + black pepper
- 3 tbsp flour (I used whole wheat)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425°F and lightly oil a 2.5 quart/2.3 litre casserole dish. Place peeled and chopped potatoes into a large pot and add water, 2 inches above potatoes. Bring to a boil and then simmer on low for about 30 minutes until very tender.
- Meanwhile, prepare the vegetable filling. Chop the onion and mince the garlic and add to a skillet along with the oil. Cook on low for about 5-7 minutes. Now add in the chopped carrots, parsnip, and celery. Cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes.
- When the potatoes are done cooking, drain and add back to the pot. Add the Earth Balance (or butter), milk, and seasonings and mash well. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients (broth, red wine (optional), thyme, and flour). Add this liquid mixture to the vegetables in the skillet and stir well. Add your salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or so until thickened. Season to taste.
- Scoop vegetable mixture into casserole dish. Spread on the mashed potato mixture and garnish with paprika, ground pepper, and Thyme. Bake at 425°F for about 35 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Mixture will be very hot in the middle so be careful! I suggest serving this with All-Purpose Vegan Gravy.
Tip:
Suggestion: Serve with All-Purpose Vegan Gravy
I adapted this recipe from the lovely Gena over at Choosing Raw. Her version is a bit different than mine, using mushrooms. I didn’t have any mushrooms on hand (grocery store was out of them!), so I made do without.

Again, lots of chopping for this recipe…but keep your eye on the prize! You could always make this process go faster by using a food processor too.

Add the the oil, onion, and garlic into the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes on low heat.
Now add in the carrots, parsnips, and celery and cook on low for about 10 minutes or so.

Make the boozy broth. It wouldn’t be a St Patty’s Day meal with out a little booze!

After mixing the seasonings, flour, broth, and wine together in a bowl, add it into the veggie mixture and cook on medium for another 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, make the mashed potatoes and set aside.
By this point, your veggie filling will have thickened up nicely. It shouldn’t have too much liquid in it at this point. If for some reason your mixture is dried out, you can add a bit more broth as needed.

Pour it into a 2.5 quart/2.3 litre casserole dish.

Spread mashed potatoes on top and garnish with paprika, Thyme, and black pepper.

Bake for about 35 minutes, until golden, at 425F. The veggie mixture will bubble around the edges!

And it will be SUPER HOT, so please cool for about 10-15 minutes before serving…tongues will burn. Trust me on this one. ;)

I highly recommend making the vegan gravy to go along with it as it complemented this dish really well.

I think this was a good first attempt at making a vegan shepherd’s pie. When I make it next time, I might add in a layer of my ‘veggie meat’ made with mashed beans, chopped walnuts, and seasonings, similar to the one used in my taco salad. I think it would give it a great texture!

Tonight we enjoy leftovers!

I’ll leave you with some fun Irish proverbs to kick off St. Patty’s Day…
Never bolt the door with a boiled carrot. (hahah)
Man is incomplete until he marries. After that, he is finished.
It is sweet to drink but bitter to pay for.
Don’t break your shin on a stool that is not in your way.
If you dig a grave for others, you might fall into it yourself.
May you live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.
Good job with the fundraiser!! That’s so amazing. Tonight I’m making a guiness beef stew for the fiance and his family. Not exactly vegan, but definitely a comfort food! I’m so ready for spring to get here, and lighter meals on patios :-)
Oh my gosh! SO much money has been raised. Truly amazing.
This recipe sounds SO comforting and delish!! Can’t believe you made a vegan shepard’s pie. SO cool :)
Angela~
This looks so AMAZING and COMFORTing too! ;o)
I don’t mind doing lots of chopping when it results in THIS!
Yum!
xo
That recipe looks amazing. I’m sure my “boys” would love it.
I tried clicking on the link to the winners and it is directing to your March 15 picture.
Way-to-go on the fundraising. Your readers are very generous!
The food looks excellent, too!
Way to go on the fundraising! That vegan shepherd’s pie looks really delicious – I normally avoid veganized recipes that are usually meat-based, but after having lentil loaf and veggie sloppy joes (and loving them!) I may have to give this one a try.
Hooray for BLASTING your goal out of the water!
The link isn’t working… it’s Thanksgiving :( As much as I love Thanksgiving, I want to see if I can eat my weight in GLOS!!!
I live in Scotland so I’ve made shepherd’s pie a couple of times. I made something really really similar 2 days ago actually, and was gonna say you should try adding green lentils, it is properly scrummy :) It reminded me of your spaghetti with lentils actually. yum yum
Any ways, yours looks lovely. I will have to try it soon! Also, since this is my first time posting I thought I would just say you are absolutely amazing and an inspiration!! My peers and I follow your blog religiously xx
Lentils is a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion. Also thanks for your kind words about the blog :)
Just chiming in on the lentil suggestion. There is a restaurant in my neighborhood known for their shepherd’s pie, and they also do a vegetarian version with lentils. It’s so delicious, once I tried it I had no desire to ever have the meat version again!
That gravy looks spectacular.
awesome thanks!
I’m so glad to hear you raised so much money! That’s so wonderful of you! This Shepherd’s Pie looks wonderful!! I’ll put it on my list to make! And I L-O-V-E-D your lentil loaf.. I made it twice last week!
Shepherds pie looks yummy I have never had one either but I love all of the veggies involved!
I’m blown away with how much money everyone was able to raise! That’s just fantastic. Such a great idea, Angela!
I’ve tried Gena’s shepherd’s pie recipe and LOVED it so I have no doubt this recipe is killer. Yum!
Oh I lovvveee shepards pie.. i’m like you and have never made it. the thought of making it always intimidated me.. thanks for sharing the recipe!!
That vegan shepard pie looks amazing! I am putting it on my recipes for next week while it’s still cold outside!
I am absolutely blown away at how much money has already been raised – that is awesome!
I’m so happy that so many people came through with contributions!
that’s very different to the Shepard’s Pie I grew up eating (I’m Irish) but it looks totally delicious! I bet Eric adored it :)
Your Irish relatives would probably be more baffled by calling it “Pattie’s Day” than a vegan version of Shepard’s Pie – there’s no such day/ person! The short version of Patrick is Paddy so you can impress them with that little nugget of trivia ;)
Angela! I love love love all versions of shepherd’s pie. This one looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it!
I’m making a healthier version of Shepherd’s Pie tonight too! I didn’t think of trying a vegan one though, yum! I guess I’ll have to save this one for next year!
Thats amazing how much money you were able to raise in such a short time!
I also really adore your place mats :)
thank you…it’s actually a tea towel..heh
Yum I love sheperds pie and have been eating more vegetarian lately so this is perfect for me!
And congrats on the fundraiser that is amazing that you raised so much! :)
Great that you raised so much money!!