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Andrea's Shepherd's Pie with Mushroom Gravy

Description

We recently served this for Thanksgiving and it just may become a tradition at Christmas as well. Even the Spiral House dogs, Sophie and Rocky, gobbled up their portions. The three secrets to this dish are Beyond Meat’s Beyond Beef product (a plant-based beef substitute), smoothly whipped mashed potatoes on top, and a generous drizzle of rosemary/shitake gravy made with lots of fresh rosemary.

Assemble the casserole a day ahead and refrigerate it if you like to make your holiday meal preparation that much easier. Then, all you need to do on the holiday itself is bake the shepherd’s pie for 45-60 minutes in a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven till bubbly. Pour some of the gravy on top when serving and place the remainder of the gravy in a bowl to the side of the casserole. (The Rosemary Mushroom Gravy was inspired by a recipe from the Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s Compassionate Cuisine program.)

 

Ingredients

For the Potato Layer

7
Russet Potatoes (peeled and cubed)
1⁄2 teaspoon
Salt
1⁄2 cup
Your Favorite plant-based, unsweetened milk (we used Silk organic unsweetened)
4 tablespoons
Earth Balance Buttery Stick (or your favorite vegan butter)
3 tablespoons
Worcestershire Sauce
3 tablespoons
Tamari Soy Sauce
 
Salt and Freshly-ground Pepper (to taste)

For the Rosemary Mushroom Gravy

4 tablespoons
Olive Oil
1⁄2
Large Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
2 1⁄2 tablespoons
Fresh Rosemary (finely chopped)
1⁄2 teaspoon
Salt
1 pound
Fresh Shitake Mushrooms (stems removed, caps finely sliced)
1⁄4 cup
Dry White Wine
4 cups
Vegetable Broth
2 tablespoons
All Purpose or Gluten-free Flour
1 tablespoon
Tamari Soy Sauce
1 tablespoon
Nutritional Yeast
4 tablespoons
Earth Balance Buttery Stick (or your favorite vegan butter)
 
Freshly Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

For Veggie Beef Layer

3 packages
Beyond Beef (defrost in the fridge the night before preparing or soak packages in hot water till defrosted when ready to prepare)
3 stalks
Celery (finely chopped)
1
Medium Yellow Onion (finely chopped)
6 cloves
large garlic (finely chopped)
3 tablespoons
Olive Oil
3 tablespoons
Whole-seed Dijon Mustard
2 cups
Butternut Squash (cut into 1-inch cubes)
1 teaspoon
Dried Sage
1 1⁄2 teaspoon
Dried Thyme
 
Salt and Freshly-ground pepper to taste

Summary

Yield
Servings

Instructions

Method for the Beyond Beef Layer

  1. Roast the freshly washed, whole butternut squash in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 15-20 minutes and allow to cool to make peeling and cubing easier. Peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes when cool.
  2. Spray the inside of a 9-x-13-inch casserole or lasagna pan with organic canola or grapeseed oil.
  3. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the chopped onion and sauté 5 minutes until soft. Add the chopped celery. Sauté about 10 minutes until soft.
  4. Add the cubed butternut squash, sage and thyme and sauté until squash is cooked but still firm. (It should hold its shape when you mix it with the Beyond Beef.)
  5. Add the chopped garlic and sauté for another minute until the garlic is fragrant.
  6. In a large mixing bowl, gently mix the Beyond Beef, the onion/celery/squash mixture, and the mustard, using your hands. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Spread the mixture along the bottom of the oiled casserole. Do not press. Keep the mixture light.

 

Method for the Mashed Potato Layer

  1. Peel and dice the potatoes. Add to boiling water with half a teaspoon of salt. Boil until fork tender.
  2. Drain potatoes and mash with vegan “butter” until potatoes are smooth, adding more or less of the vegan milk until light and whipped.
  3. Stir in the tamari and Worcestershire sauce, adding more to taste if you like.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Gently smooth the mashed potatoes over the Beyond Beef layer.
  6. If making ahead, cover and refrigerate till you are ready to cook the casserole, allowing enough time for the shepherd’s pie to come to room temperature before baking.

 

Method for the Rosemary Mushroom Gravy

  1. Heat oil in a deep pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook about 5 minutes until soft.
  2. Add the rosemary, salt and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms have browned (about 10 minutes). Add the wine and cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated.
  3. Add the vegetable broth and simmer until reduced by one-third (another 10-15 minutes).
  4. Combine the flour, nutritional yeast, tamari, and a little of the vegetable broth from the pan in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.  Add to pan and continue cooking over a reduced heat until gravy is thickened.
  5. Remove from heat and add chunks of the vegan butter.
  6. Season with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

 

Method for Baking and Serving

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
  2. Bake casserole uncovered for 45-60 minutes until bubbly along inside edges.
  3. To serve, drizzle rosemary mushroom sauce over the top of the potatoes, serving the remainder of the gravy on the side. Garnish casserole with a sprig of rosemary.

 

 

Notes

1. The rosemary in the gravy definitely needs to be fresh for the gravy to have a wow factor!