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.
This recipe received the highest compliment my husband could give: ” that was great. It didn’t taste vegan at all!”. This will definitely become a family staple. Thank you!
So happy to hear this Tracy!
Hi!! I made this recipe last night for St. Patrick’s Day and it was really really delicious!! But I did make a few modifications. I added 1 cup Boca soy crumbles, 1 cup of frozen peas, 1 cup diced fresh mushrooms, and I scraped the kernels off one fresh ear of corn (I added these things because they seemed traditional and needed). I also ended up doubling the liquid broth part of the recipe. So the veggie filling almost had it’s own gravy, made the dish a little harder to plate up, but the taste was amazing!! I’m glad I did this, because unfortunately my husband and I did not like the Homemade Vegan Recipe that there was a link for. But by making the dish a little saucier we didn’t need the gravy! = )
Made it today. The gravy is what really adds the flavor. Next time I plan to reduce the potatoes and double the veggie filling.
Thanks for posting this!
You have no idea how amazing this was for us!! We are new to being fully vegan, and we have had a few meals this week that were making me feel a little helpless in the kitchen… but oh my goodness, I would make this everyday if I were only cooking for myself lol! Thanks so much!
The Shepards Pie was yummy!!!!! I did add mushrooms & some fennel (bulb) because I had somebody. I think I ate 1/3 of the potatoes before they made it on the pie. I did also make the gravy, the consistency was perfect but the molasses was just to overpowering for me. Can I leave out the molasses or sub it with something else? Thanks soooo much for an awesome dinner
Even though it’s ridiculously hot in the midwest, I made the shepherd’s pie and gravy with rolls for dinner Monday night because my husband and I wanted comfort food. This hit the spot. It was soooooo good. And still good. Eating left overs for lunch!
Made this and had it last night for dinner. It was……. amazing! I added sweet potato to the mash and peas and corn to the pie. My family loved it too. Will def be a favourite at our house! Thank you so much!
This looks awesome. I think it would be great to see you make a version of a Beef Bourguignon or a Coq Au Vin.
I love this website so much the recipes are amazing i can’t wait to try this one with my family. I wish i seen it on Paddys day so i could have made it sooner.
Lots of love from a fellow irish woman :)
Symone
Recipe looks great, will definitely try this out. As an Irish person living in Ireland I have to say that no one here uses the term “St. Patty”, it is so wrong! Paddy’s day is more commonly used. Patty is short for Patricia or a burger patty.
I made this last night and it was a huge hit! I didn’t have parsnips on hand but will add those and also throw in some mushrooms next time. I wasn’t going to bother with the addition of the vegan gravy but decided to mix it up at the last minute as a treat because my son is down from Portland. So incredibly delicious!!
Hello Angela,
Love your food!
What is an alternative to wine in this yummy Shepard’s Pie? I stopped drinking alcohol when I went all healthy and clean vegan : )
Thanks!
Tara
Thanks, Tara! If you want to avoid using wine in the recipe, feel free to replace it with more vegetable broth. Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe! I made it last night for myself and my boyfriend after a day of St. Patrick’s Day festivities and it was perfect comfort food! I added some chopped up portabello mushrooms to the veggie mix and topped the whole thing with lots of frozen peas before adding the mashed potatoes at the end. (My mom always adds peas to hers so it tasted like home.) Also made your All-Purpose Gravy for the side and it was amazing. Thanks again!
What is Earth Balance?? Can you please explain, because I still don’t get it, even though a couple of people asked it already… is it like butter? or chips? heeeeeelp :(
i would also like to know this
This sounds so good. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Can’t wait to give this a go.
Simon
Hi! I was wondering if it makes a difference if I bake it covered or uncovered? Thanks!
This is so delicious! I had some leftover cauliflower and added that to the potato mash, and instead of the earth balance I added in 2 tbsp olive oil.
Thank you! FYI, yours is the best vegan Shepherd Pie I’ve seen in the whole Internet. My boyfriend finds it very difficult to eat vegan (he’s Greek and he’s used to strong tastes and simple meals), so I’m constantly searching new ideas that will feed him and keep him happy.
I just made the pie for dinner, and added some quinoa, that made it taste like real mincemeat and he loved it. Try it and tell me!
I made this! It was delicious. However, I changed quite a few things. I used Fettle Vegan’s miso gravy (didn’t have nutritional yeast), I made my own veggie broth (in my pressure cooker, 15min!), and since I’m not super crazy about italian seasoning, I used a little sake/aminos in the veggies when they were cooking. I also sauteed mushrooms, garlic, onion and used sake/aminos in the gravy as well. It has an interesting sweet taste from the parsnips (never had them before) but overall it was a hit.
That sounds great! Thanks for sharing :)
I love this recipe.
But please..
It’s St Patrick’s or St Paddys day..
PATTY is what you call a female named Patricia.. or maybe what you put in your burger.