The British classic gets a vegetarian makeover with mushrooms and cauliflower. The result is a delicious low carb vegetarian shepherd’s pie recipe that the whole family will love!
Shepherd’s pie was a classic that many households in Australia and Britain grew up with and started as a way for people to make left-over scraps of meat and vegetables into a delicious meal.
As with so many peasant dishes, it is hard to beat in terms of flavour.
In my vegan shepherd’s pie recipe I’ve used mushrooms in place of meat. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know I love mushrooms.
Not only are they amazingly versatile, they are also good for you as well.
And this month I’m working with Australian Mushroom Growers Association to promote mushrooms as a wonderful food for heart health.
Here are some interesting facts on how mushrooms are beneficial for a healthy heart:
- Mushrooms contain a type of fibre that naturally helps to lower blood cholesterol
- Mushrooms are low in fat, sodium and kilojoules, helping to control weight and blood pressure.
- Mushrooms, along with vegetables, help to reduce the risk of heart disease.
- Research shows that eating mushrooms can help to lower the bad cholesterol in the blood, which can help prevent narrowing of the arteries.
While the health benefits of mushrooms are a plus, they are always a staple in our house because of their delicious versatility.
It’s funny to think that my once mushroom hating husband now regularly requests mushroom meals such as my mushroom quinoa burgers, vegan mushroom alfredo and mushroom soup.
Continuing the makeover of my vegan shepherd’s pie I’ve used cauliflower in place of potato, which works hand in hand with mushrooms healthy heart benefits, thanks to the sulforaphane in cauliflower.
Sulforaphane has been found to significantly improve blood pressure and kidney function. It also makes this a wonderful low-carb dish that is also significantly less stodgy than the original.
Be sure to check out the Power of Mushrooms website from the Australian Mushroom Growers Association for more amazing recipes and ideas for using fresh mushrooms!
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Mushroom and Cauliflower Vegan Shepherds Pie
Ingredients
- 650 g cauliflower (1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 medium sized carrots peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 10 g dried wild mushrooms reconstituted in 2 1/2 tbs boiling water (1/3 oz)
- 500 g mushrooms diced (1 pound)
- 1 tbs thyme leaves roughly chopped
- 1 tbs tomato paste
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbs dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp thyme leaves
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 celsius (400 fahrenheit).
- Chop the cauliflower into roughly equal sized pieces and add to a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Season with salt and cook the cauliflower until tender. Drain.
- Place a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrots and celery. Cook until slightly golden and caramelised. Add the mushrooms in 6 parts, making sure each batch is cooked before adding the next.
- Remove the wild mushrooms from the boiling water, reserving the water, and roughly chop. Add to the mushrooms along with the tomato paste. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the red wine. Cook until the red wine has almost evaporated before adding the mushroom soaking liquid and vegetable stock. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes or until roughly half of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat.
- Place the cauliflower in a food processor or high powered blender along with 2 tbs olive oil, the nutritional yeast, mustard, salt and thyme leaves. Blend until smooth and taste. Adjust seasonings as required and add the nutmeg and blend for a further minute.
- Divide the mushrooms between 4 large ramekins and top with the cauliflower mash. Bake for 20 minutes or until lightly golden.
Recipe Notes
Nutritional Yeast (sometimes called savoury yeast flakes) is available in health food stores. Make sure you purchase nutritional yeast and NOT brewers yeast as they are very different things. You can also purchase nutritional yeast online from amazon (see link in recipe) as well as in Australia from here.
DISCLOSURE: This post was sponsored by Australian Mushroom Growers Association as part of their Mushrooms for Heart Health campaign. All opinions are my own. I just love mushrooms!
Jenny says
My husband and i agree that this is one of the best recipes we’ve had. We recently started eating vegan and we dont feel like we missed out on anything with this dish. I didn’t even add the garlic and it was still full of flavor. Thank you!
Nicole says
So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. You totally made my day!
Donna says
We are moving towards more plant based meals. I cooked this for dinner tonight and we loved it. Will definitely add this to our regular meal rotation. Can you please tell me the logic behind cooking the mushrooms in batches and is that why they are so meaty in this dish? Thanks for sharing this recipe, Nicole. I will be trying your mushroom bolognese as well.
jrb says
I prepared this dish and it was amazingly delicious, a very hearty meal. I saved the wine broth after cooking the mixture and added a little corn starch and worcestershire sauce to it and used it as a gravy topper. I paired it up with some sourdough bread.
Nicole says
I am so glad you enjoyed it! Great idea to re-purpose the extra broth – I bet that was delicious with sourdough!
Trish says
Well this was just delicious!! The cauliflower mash had so much flavor it was amazing. I didn’t have ramekins so I put everything in a casserole dish. Definitely a keeper of a recipe. So many variations you can make with this too. Love the idea of adding lentils, which, I may do next time … or not 🙂 Days are slightly cooler in upstate NY but the nights are feeling like fall so this was a perfect dinner last night! Very comforting. Thanks for a fabulous recipe!
Carin says
I’d like to make this for 8-10 people. Should I double it?
Carin says
Oops. Didn’t see the “yields 4” at the top. Loving your recipes.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Thanks Carin! And yes, this recipe makes 4 shepherds pies. How did yours turn out?
Shannon says
This looks so delicious! I make a similar version with lentils all the time!
Jennifer says
I don’t see it mentioned when to add the garlic. I assume it’s to the onion mixture sauté?
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
I add the garlic when I add the tomato paste. Sorry for missing that earlier. I’ve updated the recipe now 🙂 I hope you enjoy it.
Natalie says
Jennifer—this recipe was an absolute triumph! It was hands down the best thing I’ve ever cooked. The cauliflower topping was so velvety and light, yet rich, and the filling was also rich, perfectly savory and just so wonderful. The only modifications I made were omitting the wild mushrooms (as I didn’t have any on hand), and adding about 2 cups of cooked lentils to the filling for some added protein and fiber. The lentils were a perfect addition to this filling.
I didn’t see in the recipe where I was supposed to add the garlic to the pan—I added them when the mushrooms had finished cooking down and it seemed to turn out perfectly!
Thank you for such a splendid recipe. I’m a vegetarian working my way into the vegan world and this recipe was game changing. I’ve shared it with anyone who will listen! 🙂
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Thank you so much Natalie. I’m so glad you enjoyed it, as much as I did. My husband, who is a definite carnivore, loves it. I love your addition of lentils. I like to sneak them in now and again for a bit of protein too.
If you liked this recipe you’ll probably like my mushroom bolognese (which I also sometimes add a 1/4 cup of lentils too as well) as it has many of the same flavours. You might also like my mushroom and black bean chili too.
Good luck with your vegan journey. Let me know if you have any questions or if I can be of assistance. 🙂
Arielle says
I’m so excited to try this dish. Thank you for the great great recipe! Since I don’t have 4 ramekins at this time, do you think a casserole dish would work? If so, what size would you recommend? Thank you!
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
I’d try a 20cm (8inch) square casserole dish if you don’t have ramekins. It will also take longer to cook. Simply cook until the top is lightly golden. I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know how it turns out 😀
Neal Pearson says
Do you mean a quart, or a 1/4 cup, pint, litre or bottle of red wine? A 1/4 is meaningless as a quantity unless one knows the uniits – i.e. the whole that it’s one quarter of ! Im guessing that you mean1/4 bottle unless I hear otherwise.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Sorry, for the confusion. I’ve updated the recipe. It should be 1/4 cup. 🙂
Amanda McInerney says
Oh yum, Jen – this looks just like the real thing. I reckon I could even slip this one past my boy.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Thanks Amanda!
ATasteOfMadness says
Whoa.. vegan shephards pie? I am seriously craving this right now!
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Christie Connelly says
Delicious Jen! Perfect for sneaking veggies into the kids too 🙂
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Hehe yes, it is a great way of sneaking veggies into the kids, and adults too I suspect 😉
Mushroom Enthusiast says
Great recipe. But then it does have my favourite superfood….
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Mine too! 🙂
Rosa says
So comforting and scrumptious! A great vegan dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Thanks Rosa