Eco-friendly Comfort Food: Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
The days are colder, and that calls for warm, cozy, easy suppers. Rather than finding a new recipe, I always gravitate toward my classic comfort foods. My favourite go-to supper on cold days when I need something comforting is shepherd’s pie.
Why shepherd’s pie? Easy! It’s super versatile – I can make it using whatever I have left over in the fridge, which is great to use up all those ingredients. I can easily double the recipe to have leftovers for a couple days. I can use a variety of meats and veggies. And because it’s so customizable it’s great for all food sensitivities.
What do you need? Well here’s an overview. Remember, all of these ingredients can be substituted or left out, depending on what you have in the cupboards.
“Meat” of your choosing (you can also sub lentils for a veggie option)
Worcestershire sauce (try this gluten free recipe)
Potato (I love sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes)
Your choice of vegetables. Some great veggies include cut green or yellow beans, mushrooms, celery, bell pepper, and spinach may even be a good addition. Frozen vegetables are also a great addition!
I know, that’s not very specific, so here’s a much more specific list, for those of you who prefer following a stricter recipe:
Ingredients
4 cups or 500 grams ground or shredded meat
1 onion chopped
3 large carrots diced
2 1/3 cups or 400 grams canned corn or tinned peas (or frozen vegetable medley)
½ a cup vegetable stock (sub chicken or beef if you prefer)
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp tomato puree
3-4 large baking potatoes
Splash of milk (or milk alternative of your choice - I use unsweetened oat milk but you can also use almond milk)
Knob of butter (optional)
Recipe
Brown onion and meat on the stove
Add onion and meat to slow cooker with carrots and corn
Add any other veggies you have
Add stock, worcestershire sauce, and tomato puree
Season with salt and pepper
Cook on low for 5 hours or until carrots are tender
Half an hour before the mix-ins are ready, peel & chop potatoes
Boil potatoes and drain.
Mix in milk and butter and mash to make mashed potatoes
Spoon mashed potatoes on top of pie filling in slow cooker
Cook for 1-2 hours on low
Turn oven on to Broil - Low.
Brown top of shepherd’s pie under grill for 20 minutes or until golden
Serve straight from slow cooker
Top with cheese or cheese alternative if you like.
Make the potatoes creamier by using cream cheese or vegan mayo when making mashed potatoes. Or, if you don’t like potatoes you can use mashed cauliflower!
This recipe is incredibly versatile and so easy to make. I have made so many variations of this recipe and it always turns out amazing! So don’t be afraid to be creative - I’ve even seen seafood shepherd’s pie. Tonight check out what you have in your fridge, maybe combine a few recipes, and voila you have a delicious shepherd’s pie!
