This hearty, rich and savory meal is made solely of plants! It is basically a vegan version of shepherd’s pie and cottage pie. Complex flavor is developed with delicious ingredients such as garlic, onion, thyme, tamari, Worcestershire sauce, and red wine (vinegar).
The Mashed Cauli-tatoes recipe can be found here.
Gardener's Pie
Plant-based version of shepherd's pie or cottage pie
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil such as canola
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced about 5-6 cups
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or substitute red wine or grape juice, up to 1/4 cup
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
- 10 ounces frozen mixed vegetables
- 1/2 cup red lentils
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons corn starch or 1/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 batch mashed cauli-tatoes https://guesswhoscooking.com/2019/11/18/mashed-cauli-tatoes/
Instructions
-
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat.
-
Add onions and saute for 5 minutes or until they start to become translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
-
Add vinegar/juice to deglaze the pan, then add stock, mushrooms, mixed vegetables, lentils, tamari, thyme, and worcestershire sauce. Cook until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
-
Preheat broiler on high.
-
Mix corn starch with ¼ cup water to make a slurry. Add to pot and stir until liquid is thickened. Add 1-2 more tablespoons corn starch if necessary, or more stock or water if it's too thick. The sauce should be thicker than gravy. Add salt to taste.
-
If prepared in a stock pot, transfer the mixture to a large casserole dish. If using a Dutch oven, keep it in there. Place about ½ cup mashed cauli-tatoes at a time on top of the mixture with remaining cauli-tatoes. Use a spoon or spatula to smooth out the mash, covering the mixture below, and sealing off the edges.
-
Broil for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned on top.
Recipe Notes
- Mashed Cauli-tatoes Recipe
- Red Wine: If using red wine instead of red wine vinegar, use 1/4 cup and decrease vegetable broth by 2 tablespoons.
- Flour: If using flour instead of corn starch, there is no need to make a slurry. Add the flour directly to the pan and stir. Use twice as much flour as corn starch.
- Simpler Version: Simply top the mashed cauli-tatoes with the vegetable mixture, sort of like mashed potatoes and gravy. This saves about 15 minutes or so.
- Ingredients like Worcestershire sauce and tamari can be left out if you don't have them, but they help build a more complex flavor.
- Vegan: make sure to use vegan Worcestershire sauce
- Gluten-free: Use tamari (usually gluten-free but check the label) or gluten-free soy sauce. Use corn starch, not flour, to thicken.
Typical fried rice is mostly refined carbohydrates with extra oil and salt but few vegetables. This recipe still has the flavor and a similar texture, but without the refined carbs, and with a little healthy fat from a healthy oil and tons of veggies! On top of that, it’s quick and easy to make, especially if you buy cauliflower that has already been “riced.” Hint: They sell it at Trader Joe’s now, plus other brands are also carrying it. To make it gluten-free, use gluten-free tamari or soy sauce. To make it vegan, leave out the eggs.
Print recipe
