Meatless March Meal #11: Shepherd's Pie

Okay, so this dish might not win any beauty pageants, but my husband LOVED it! He gave it a 9 out of 10. {Just FYI, this scale is based on meals this month, not food in general, so maybe in real life it's like a 7ish.} I thought it was okay. I probably would have liked it better if it didn't have kidney beans {I learned that I don't really like kidney beans all too much}.

Also, it's a pretty straight forward recipe. {Original recipe found here.}

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients: }} prep & cook time: 25 minutes }} bake time: 15 minutes

Olive oil

1 med. carrot, coined

1 med. onion, chopped

Celery {optional: I don't like cooked celery, so I omitted it}

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can kidney beans, drained {you may consider using black beans if you're not a fan of kidney beans}

1 can diced tomatoes {I used Hunt's Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes again, super bueno}

1/2 c frozen corn

1/2 c frozen peas

1-2 c vegetable broth

1/4 c flour

3-4 c mashed potatoes {we used leftovers from our Rosemary-garlic mashed potatoes}

Shredded cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat olive oil {about 1 T} in a skillet. Add carrots and saute until soft. Next, add onions and garlic. Saute until soft and smelling yummy.

2. Add beans, tomatoes, corn, peas, and broth. I know the recommendation on the amount of broth to add is vague, but I would suggest adding a little bit at a time until it's a little bit more liquid-y than desired consistency. The original recipe calls for 2 cups, but I thought that was a bit much. Cook until peas and corn are cooked.

3. Mix some water with your flour until it's a "smooth paste." I took this to mean, not too thick, but not too runny. {I know the picture kind of looks like baby spit up, but I promise it's just water and flour!} Pour the flour mixture into the skillet to make your "gravy." Stir it in until it reaches desired thickness.

4. Pour your mixture into a 9x9 pan {or 13x9 if you like}, and spread the mashed potatoes over the top {that's the hard part, but you can do it!}. Sprinkle some paprika on top for a nice garnish {as you can see, the garnish did nothing for this ugly dish, but at least it tasted good!}

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until mixture is bubbling {underneath the potatoes}. Eat and enjoy!