gluten-free · Nut-free

Thanksgiving is almost here!

And we’re looking for comforting, fall recipes that can feed a crowd. That’s why we turned to a Thanksgiving classic—shepherd’s pie—and make a delicious vegan version that not only was comforting and irresistible but made out of whole food ingredients.

We’re making the filling using three different kinds of mushrooms, onions, garlic, fresh thyme, and fennel seeds. This gives it an incredible meaty and fragrant flavor. But the best part is the delectable creamy, buttery topping. The secret? Sweet potatoes and cauliflower. They’re steamed and blended together into a thick, smooth puree that just melts in your mouth and provides the perfect contrast to the meaty filling. Plus, you can get a great caramelization on top for extra flavor!

This recipe is a fantastic addition to your Thanksgiving repertoire as a hefty entree, and we bet everyone will be fighting for the last piece!

Scroll down for the video and recipe ↓

  

 

MUSHROOM FILLING

For this filling, we’re using a mix of portobello, king oyster, and cremini mushrooms. Having a mix of different varieties gives the filling a more complex flavor. Different mushrooms have different flavors: portobellos are earthy and keep a nice meaty texture, while kind oysters are firmer and act like a sponge so they’ll absorb anything you add them to. Finally, cremini mushrooms have more water to them and have a milder mushroom flavor which works well with the other two to bring it all together. All of them work beautifully with the lentils, onions, garlic, thyme, and fennel to make a meaty, fragrant filling.

If you can’t find these specific mushrooms, feel free to substitute another kind in, just make sure to use the same weighted amount as the recipe. If you’re cooking for a big group and want to double or triple the recipe, we recommend using portobellos and cremini mushrooms—both are available almost everywhere and affordable, so you can buy a large quantity.

PURÉE TOPPING

We wanted to make a sweet potato topping for this pie because it’s sweet, it’s sweet adds a little variety of flavor to the typical shepherd’s pie made with regular potatoes. But the cauliflower is what really gives it that creaminess and is the defining factor between a smooth, buttery topping and a mashed potato-like one!

We used white Japanese sweet potatoes in our recipe to preserve the light color of the topping, but if you can’t find any or prefer a more orange topping, feel free to use regular orange sweet potatoes.

Watch the recipe video here:

Vegan Lentil Shepherd’s Pie

Makes one 11 X 8-inch pie. Serves 6 large portions.

INGREDIENTS

Sweet Potato & Cauliflower Purée

3 cups | 460g chopped Japanese sweet potato, or regular sweet potato

3 cups | 230g large cauliflower florets

4 tbsp | 44ml mushroom or vegetable broth, plus more if needed

1 tsp | 5g sea salt

1/4 cup | 60ml olive oil

Filling

6 tbsp | 66ml olive oil

1 cup | 90g medium diced portobello mushrooms

1 1/2 cup | 100g medium diced king oyster mushrooms

1 1/2 cup | 95g medium diced cremini mushrooms

1 cup | 112g medium diced white or yellow onion

4 cloves | 30g garlic, halved

5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked

1 tsp | 2g whole fennel seeds

1 cup | 190g black lentils

2 tsp | 14g dijon mustard

1/2 cup | 100ml white wine

2 1/2 cups | 570ml mushroom or vegetable broth

1/4 cup | 15g finely chopped fresh parsley

4 tbsp | 8g chopped dill

METHOD

Purée

1. Get a large steamer ready and add sweet potato and cauliflower to the basket. Cover and steam on medium heat for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are soft, but not watery. Remove from heat.

2. Add the steamed sweet potato and cauliflower to a high-speed blender and add mushroom broth and salt. Start blending, increasing the speed of the blender gradually. You’ll need to stop and scrape the sides a few times to get the blender moving since it’s a thick consistency, but try to avoid adding any extra broth unless absolutely necessary. If you add too much liquid, it’ll be more like a sauce (TIP: If it ends up being too liquid, you can always reduce it in a pot on the stove over low heat until it thickens up to the desired consistency). Once it’s blended into a puree, add olive oil and blend again. The consistency should be thick and smooth. Remove from blender and set aside for assembly.

Filling

1. Heat a large pan on medium heat and add 4 tbsp of olive oil and all the mushrooms. Spread them out evenly around the pan and cook on high heat without moving them until starting to brown (about 3 minutes).

2. Stir and move to one side of the pan. On the other side, add onions, garlic, thyme, fennel seeds, and the rest of the olive oil. Lower the heat and cook on low flame for 3 minutes, or until onion becomes translucent.

3. Stir everything together in the pan and add lentils. Stir again to combine and season with salt and pepper. Add mustard and stir to combine.

4. Now add the wine and let reduce by half. We want to evaporate the alcohol. When the liquid has reduced, add mushroom broth. Season to taste, cover, and cook for 02-25 minutes until lentils are soft and almost all the liquid has been absorbed. Add parsley and dill and stir to combine. Set aside for assembly.

Assembling

1. Preheat your oven to 450ºF. In an 11 X 8-inch baking tray with sides, add all the filling. Use a rubber spatula to spread it out into an even layer.

2. Add sweet potato and cauliflower puree. Use spatula again to spread it out onto an even layer as best as you can. Use a fork to draw lines across the top for extra crispiness and caramelization.

3. Add pie to the oven and cook for 10 minutes or until it starts to get golden on the top. If you have a broiler, turn it on and cook for 1 minute. Rotate, and cook for 1 more minute. If you don’t have a broiler, continue cooking at 450ºF until nice and caramelized on top. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

4. Serve warm. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

  

Did you make this recipe? tag us on Instagram @eatogether.co so that we can see it!

 

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