Vegetarian “shepherd’s” pie

There might be vegetarian shepherds, right?  Shepherds that don’t want to eat meat and maybe just have a thing for sweaters?

We have a couple of sort of heavy roasted meat dishes on the plan for the week (roast chicken, carrots, & brussels sprouts, herb rubbed pork tenderloin & mashed potatoes) so I thought it would be a good idea to do a couple of meatless dishes.  Also, my kid is obsessed with beans.

Vegetarian “shepherd’s” pie

Makes about 6 servings.

Topping:

2.5 lb. sweet potatoes (2-3 large)

0.75 C shredded cheddar cheese

Salt & pepper

Filling:

0.5 C onion, diced (about 1 small)

4 carrots, sliced into rounds

4 stalks celery, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 TB flour

1.5 C stock (I used chicken because it’s what we had and we are not actual vegetarians.  If you are charged with the care and feeding of actual vegetarians, use veggie stock.)

2 15-ounce cans of beans, drained and rinsed well (I used chickpeas and kidney beans)

1 C frozen corn

1 C frozen peas

2 sprigs of fresh thyme (or about 0.5 tsp dried)

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

Salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 375F.  Prepare an oven-safe casserole or other dish with olive oil, butter, or cooking spray.

Cook the whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes in boiling salted water until very soft (time will vary depending on the size of the sweet potatoes).   Drain and allow to cool until they can be handled.  Mash with cheddar cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Warm some olive oil or butter in a large non-stick pan or skillet over medium to medium-high heat.  Saute onions, carrots, celery, and garlic until the onions are translucent.  Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables.  Add the stock, and cook until it thickens (about 3 – 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and add the beans, corn, peas, and herbs.  Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the bean and vegetable mixture to the casserole dish.  Top with mashed sweet potato mixture.  Bake for 30-40 minutes until filling is bubbling and top is crisp and beginning to brown around the edges.    (Note:  you may want to put the casserole dish on a baking sheet.  It can bubble over and make a huge mess all over the bottom of your oven.  Guess why I know this?)

Verdict – delicious!   Hearty and filling but not super heavy, which I think sometimes happens with meat-and-potatoes dishes like traditional shepherd’s pie.