Vegan Shepherd's Pie Recipe

In a small pan over medium-low heat, fry the garlic in olive oil until tender and brown. Set aside.

Prepare the cauliflower by trimming the outer leaves and removing the core. Chop the cauliflower into 1-inch pieces.

Fill a pot with an inch of water and bring to a boil. Place a steamer basket or insert that fits your pot. Put the chopped cauliflower into the steamer basket and cover the pot.

Steam the cauliflower until very tender, about 15-20 minutes.

Transfer the cauliflower into the bowl of a food processor and add the nutritional yeast, miso and reserved garlic. Process until the cauliflower becomes smooth. Salt and pepper the cauliflower mash to taste. Set aside.

Cook the lentils. Look over your lentils to make sure there are no small rocks or debris. Rinse the lentils.

In a medium pot over high heat, bring the lentils, water, bay leaf, shallot and salt to a boil. Once the water reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the lentils are just tender, about 15-20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and shallot. Drain the lentils and set them aside.

In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, carrots and green beans together until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the peas and cook until tender, about 2 minutes. Remove vegetable mixture from heat and set aside.

Make the sauce. In a medium pot, whisk together the broth, miso, tomato paste and 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast.

Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the broth mixture to a blender or food processor. Add ½ cup of the lentils into the broth mixture and blend until smooth. If the mixture is not smooth, add up to another ½ cup of vegetable broth until you reach the desired texture. Add salt and pepper if desired.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a 9x9-inch baking dish or a baking dish of a similar size, combine the remaining 1½ cups of lentils, the vegetable mixture and the sauce.

Top the vegetable mixture with the cauliflower mash, spreading from edge to edge. Bake the shepherd’s pie for 30-40 minutes or until the mixture is hot.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!