Vegan Shepherd's Pie! An experiment

I decided to experiment a little this week and try something that I've never made before! Truthfully, I don't even think I've tried traditional shepherd's pie. All I knew was that I needed to get rid of all the frozen butternut squash I bought from Costco, SO I decided to put a fun, plant-based twist on the recipe!

Speaking of getting outside my comfort zone, I have some exciting news! I started a Youtube channel! Now I get to spend hours editing and watching myself bumble around on camera... AND still choose to release it for the world to see. Really though, I've been having a lot of fun making these videos and finding my style of editing! It's a really cool creative outlet that I've wanted to play around with for years, but just never had the courage to start. There really has been no better time to finally take the leap than in 2020! I hope you'll join me and watch as I very literally figure it all out as I go!

Now on to the recipe. I did just make this up on the fly, but I gotta say... It turned out pretty darn good!

However, you can definitely switch it up and use regular potatoes instead of butternut squash if you want to make this more like the original.

I chose to use the squash because that's just what I had, and I think it turned out really well considering I've never seen anyone do it this way before!

Truthfully, it reminds me of a Thanksgiving dish because of the umami flavors of the sauteed mushrooms and onions mixed with spices like thyme and parsley. It would be a great recipe to keep in your back pocket for when that time of the year rolls back around!

It was surprisingly easy to make vegan too! All I had to do was replace the ground beef in the original with lentils and switch the beef broth to vegetable broth. What resulted was a hearty, warm, and comforting dish perfect for sharing with the whole family. Mmhhhhmmmm. I think I might make another one now that I think about it!!

I hope you enjoy this fun, new recipe! Make sure to check out the video below to see me *quite literally* manifest this recipe into existence in my small little apartment kitchen LOL

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Recipe details below!!

Butternut Squash Shepherd's Pie

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 hours

Servings: 1 full pie pan, 2-3 people

Pan size: 9 inches in diameter and 1-1/4 inches deep.

Category: Dinner, Holiday, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Healthy

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 lb bag of mixed frozen vegetables

• 1 cup of dried lentils

• 4 ounces of baby Bella mushrooms

• 1/2 white onion

• 1 garlic clove

• 2 cups of vegetable broth

• 2 tbs of tomato paste

• 2 tbs of flour (I used oat flour)

• pinch of dried parsley and thyme

• salt and pepper

Topping

• 1 bag of frozen butternut squash

• Optional* 2 tbs of vegan butter

Instructions:

Filling

1. 1. Bring 1 cup of dried lentils with 1 and 3/4th cup of water to a boil. Then set the burner to low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes.

2. Dice the onions, mushrooms, and mince the garlic. Add the onions to a pan and simmer until translucent.

3. Add in the garlic, stir, and then add in the mushrooms.Cook on medium heat for 2-3 minutes.

4. Add in the pack of frozen mixed vegetables along with the seasonings.

5. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes and then add in the vegetable broth, flour, and tomato paste.

6. Stir and allow the mixture to thicken.

7. Set aside and allow it to cool completely.

Topping

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF

2. Cook the frozen (or fresh butternut squash). I microwaved mine.

3. Using a hand mixer or a masher, puree the squash until it resembles the texture of mashed potatoes.

4. Take a pie pan and layer the lentil and vegetable mixture into the bottom, about an inch and a half away from the top.

5. Layer the butternut squash on top, using a spatula or a fork to push it to the edges of the pan.

6. Bake for 45-60 until the top is golden brown.
   

Notes

• *The butternut squash can be replaced with mashed white potatoes

I would love to see your recreations! Tag me on Instagram @nicolebolar.blog if you give this one a try! AND make sure to subscribe to my youtube channel if you want to see more fun recipes, vlogs, and college adventures!

Stay safe and healthy out there!

– Nicole