Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Did you know that February is National Pie Month? Over the weekend Chris and I made this wonderful discovery and have been brainstorming about which pies to make this month ever since! Chris is obsessed with pies so this is going to be a good month!

To kick off this journey, I decided to start with a non-traditional twist on Shepherd's Pie. Being half British, I have an appreciation for this traditional meat and potatoes dish. The challenge was making it vegetarian! So I read several recipes and came up with my personal version. This dish mixes mashed potatoes, yummy veggies and a meat-substitute to create a tasty three-leveled treat. Enjoy!

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Potato Level Ingredients:

10 New Potatoes (scrubbed and cubed)
1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of milk
1-2 stalks of green onions (chopped)
salt, pepper and parsley to taste

Veggie Level Ingredients:

2-3 carrots (chopped)
2-3 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 15 ounce can of corn (drained)
1 15 ounce can of peas (drained)
1 15 ounce can of green beans (drained)
salt, pepper and thyme to taste

"Meat" Level Ingredients:

1 medium sized onion (chopped)
1 green bell pepper (chopped)
1 pound mushrooms (sliced)
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Other Ingredients:

2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
Vegetable Oil

First, boil your potatoes with a pinch of salt until tender then remove from heat. As that is going, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet to start with your "meat" layer. Toss in your onions, bell pepper and mushrooms.

While those are cooking add a tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce with a pinch of salt and pepper to the mix. Once everything has sauteed to your desire, remove from heat. This layer will be the bottom layer of your pie, so spread evenly across the bottom of your baking dish and set aside.

Your potatoes are probably nice and cooled by this point so grab a fork or masher to make your mashed potatoes layer. Add your butter and milk to the potatoes and mash away until nice and fluffy. Then add your green onions and your salt, pepper and parsley to taste. Once ready, set aside.

Now, heat another tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet to saute your veggie layer. Start with your carrots and celery then add your canned veggies. Make sure they are nice and drained before adding. Season with a little salt, pepper and thyme and then remove from heat once carrots and celery are tender. This is your second layer, so go ahead and spread evenly over your "meat" layer in the baking dish.

Pour and spread the can of Cream of Mushroom evenly over the veggie layer then sprinkle with cheese. I can't get over my love affair with cheese so I used the entire 2 cups.

Lastly, spread your mashed potatoes evenly over the top and bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes.

When the potatoes have browned a bit, take out of oven and let cool before serving. I caught Chris doing just this...

When ready, serve it up and enjoy!

This was the first time I got in the kitchen without a specific recipe to follow. I'm not the best at winging it but I think this went well! Try it out and let me know what you think! Also, let me know what you change...you won't hurt my feelings, I promise!