Follow this easy step-by-step recipe for a vegan spin on a traditional Irish dish - shepherd's pie with Beyond Beef!
Typically St. Patrick's Day is a regular ol' day for me. However, this year, I was feeling a bit inspired because we all need a few more reasons to celebrate, right? So, I decided to do a vegan twist on an Irish classic - shepherd's pie.
For the most part, Shepherd's pie is a combination of minced beef or lamb cooked with onions, peas, and carrots and topped with mashed potatoes. As a result, it's a hearty, one-pot dinner! This recipe was the perfect excuse to use the Beyond Beef from Beyond Meat, and I must say it turned out pretty darn good.
Origins of Shepherd's Pie
Shepherd's pie has a humble origin that I can especially relate to - the need to preserve leftovers. Leftovers and I have a love-hate relationship. I hate wasting food, but I also don't particularly like eating the same meal after meal (anyone else with me). Shepherd's pie was the solution to this problem!
Around the 18th century across Ireland and the United Kingdom, "cottage pie" became a widely popular way to reimagine leftovers. For instance, people would use their unused roast and potatoes from the week and whip up something entirely new to enjoy.
Shepherd's pie came onto the scene when people decided to use mutton or lamb as the base instead of cottage pie, where beef was traditionally used. And the rest is history!
How to Use Beyond Beef
Beyond Meat has become one of the most used and readily available plant-based meat substitutes in recent years. You can currently find Beyond Meat in smaller, heath food stores but larger grocery chains too (yay for increasing those vegan options)! In addition to the Beyond Beef that we will be using in this Shepherd's pie recipe, Beyond Meat also makes burger patties, meatballs, beef crumbles, breakfast patties, and sausages.
Luckily, Beyond Beef cooks pretty similarly to the regular stuff and can be cooked on the stovetop, griddle, or grill. If making ground beef, then the Beyond Meat only needs about 5-8 minutes on the stovetop. For burgers, grill them at medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side. Unlike regular meat, I suggest adding a little bit of oil to the pan when working with Beyond Meat because you don't have the animal fat that keeps the pan juicy.
Ingredients for Shepherd's Pie with Beyond Beef
I kept with a very traditional recipe for this shepherd's pie, but added a vegan twist of course! Here are all the ingredients you'll need to make this classic dish:
- Oil
- Yukon gold potatoes
- Sweet onion
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Beyond beef
- Tomato paste
- Vegetable broth
- Frozen peas
- Worcestershire sauce
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- Salt
- White pepper
Tips for Making Shepherd's Pie with Beyond Beef
Here are my top tips for ensuring you have a tasty Shepherd's pie with Beyond Beef:
- The starchier the potato, the better! I recommend using Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe.
- This is a great dish to prepare ahead of time. Assemble the ramekins, but don't cook them in the oven. Store for up to two days in the refrigerator, and when ready to serve, heat them in the oven at 360° for 18 minutes.
- Place the ramekins on top of a cookie sheet when placing them in the oven. This will prevent any juices from falling to the bottom of your oven and burning up.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days or in the freezer for one month.
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Print📖 Recipe
Shepherd's Pie with Beyond Beef
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 Ramekins 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Follow this easy step-by-step recipe for a vegan spin on the traditional Irish dish - shepherd's pie with Beyond Beef!
Ingredients
- 750 grams Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 package Beyond Beef
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, split
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ¼ teaspoon rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon thyme
- 3 tablespoons soy creamer (I use the Silk creamer)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 360°
- Peel and quarter the potatoes and place them into a pot of water. Cover with an inch of water and add a dash of salt. Bring the water to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until fork-tender (about 20 minutes). When they are done, drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
- While the potatoes are cooking, heat a cast iron skillet with butter over medium heat. Once heated, add onions and carrots into the skillet. Cook until onions are translucent, stirring occasionally (about 5-7 minutes).
- Add garlic and a dash of salt and pepper to the skillet, and stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the Beyond Beef, salt, pepper, and ½ tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Once combined, add Beyond Beef mixture to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes.
- Mix in the tomato paste and cook for an additional five minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth. peas, rosemary, thyme and remaining ½ tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover for 25 minutes.
- Time to switch back over to the potatoes! Mash the potatoes with the soy creamer and salt and pepper to taste.
- When the Beyond Beef mixture is done on the stovetop, transfer to the ramekins. Fill each ramekin halfway with the Beyond Beef mixture and spoon the mashed potatoes over top.
- Place the ramekins on a baking sheet in case they bubble over and cook at 360° for 18 minutes*.
- Let the ramekins cool for 15 minutes before serving. Top with a slice of butter and enjoy this delicious, comfort meal!
Notes
Feel free to add any other veggies you'd like to the Beyond Beef mixture and cook accordingly. I think celery and corn would be great in this recipe!
Broil the shepherd's pie for the last couple of minutes of baking if desired.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 40
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Ramekin
- Calories: 351
- Sugar: 5.2g
- Sodium: 838mg
- Fat: 9.4g
- Saturated Fat: 1.5g
- Carbohydrates: 47.8g
- Fiber: 4.6g
- Protein: 22.3g
- Cholesterol: 5mg
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