Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

[general_antiope 189]

I'm a cheese and mashed potato freak. Carbs all the way. I love my mother's Shepherd's pie but tried doing it 100% vegetarian and it was unbelievably good!!

2 heads cauliflower (1 would do, but again i needed the illusion of mashed potatoes)

1 pkg Smart Ground soy "beef"

1/2 pkg lipton Soup savory herb mix

1 yellow onion, diced

1/2 pkg Soya Kaas mild cheddar cheese (dairy free alternative)<--- by the way, this is the best non dairy cheese on the market. i've tried tons, they sucked. This is delicious AND melts properly! Whole Foods has it.

1 can Tomato Soup

1 - 2 cups veggies - I used roasted carrots, anything fresh or frozen

3 - 5 TBSP butter/margarine

little bit of milk, optional

salt, pepper

I had tons of carrots leftover from juicing so I cut them up with some EVOO and salt and pepper and roasted them for 20 minutes. You can use canned green Beans, corn, peas, anything you want to use up. Once I made this with Steamfresh southwest corn...mmm!!! Those spices were great.

Cup up and boil the cauliflower til mushy. Mash it like potatoes with butter, salt and pepper. I used a little bit of milk to make them creamy but they hold Water well, I didn't need it.

With some EVOO, brown the diced onion then throw in the meat alternative. After about 10 minutes, I added in some Savory Herb recipe Soup mix I had left over. Only needed about 1/2 a packet.

Chuck the Tomato sauce and whatever veggies you want into the skillet. If they are fresh or raw veggies, cook them first - frozen is already cooked so those can just get dumped in and heated. **NOTE: If you are using frozen veggies, you don't need to add Water to the mixture, but if you're using pre-cooked veggies, keep an eye on the mix and add a little water as needed so it doesn't get too thick.

In a casserole dish, dump in the meat and veggie mix, layer with slices of the Soya cheddar cheese, then spread the cauliflower on top. Sprinkle the top with some sea salt/fresh ground pepper and bake for about 30 minutes at 350. The cheese does take a bit longer to melt than regular cheese, so keep checking it.

This recipe was so incredibly good!! Spices make all the difference with meatless meats. :shades_smile:

It's also very band friendly with tons of Protein and vegetables. Just gotta be careful with the butter and cheese.

enjoy!

Edited March 18, 2008 by kcampbell

[Zannie 6]

I love Shepherd's Pie! :thumbup: What a perfect Bandster meal it is -- even with real mashed potatoes on top! I've never tried the fake-out version with cauliflower though... This one sounds good!!! Thanks!

Edited March 20, 2008 by Zannie
typo

[*susan* 1,709]

Ok, I have heard about substituting cauliflower for mashed potatoes, and see that Ruby Tuesday's has cauliflower "mashed potatoes" but have always been afraid to try it. Does it really and truly taste like potatoes?

[general_antiope 189]

Susan - you'd be shocked. :shades_smile: Slightly different texture, not as starchy, but the flavor is dead on.

[Daisalana 33]

Susan- My mom swears it's like mashed potatoes (Ruby Tuesday's).. I got the guts to try it once, and I did not like it at all. It didn't taste like mashed potatoes to me. and I guess I don't like cooked cauli so much.. I like it raw.. but, definitely try it. My mom gets them everytime we go, and she's not even low-carbing it.

[*susan* 1,709]

Ok, I guess I will have to be brave and give it a try.