Name: Portobello Shepard's Pie Recipe
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 3 cups mashed potatoes (homemade or boxed); 1 1/2 cups vegan cheese shreds; 1 tablespoon plant-based butter (optional); 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast; fresh or dried chives; salt and pepper to taste; 4 large portobello mushrooms, about 3 to 4 cups chopped; 3/4 cup chopped onion; 3/4 cup chopped carrot; oil or water for cooking; 1/2 cup green peas; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon vegetable paste; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary leaves; 1/2 teaspoon thyme; 1 teaspoon paprika; 1 tablespoon cornstarch; salt and pepper to taste; oil for spraying

Portobello Shepherd’s Pie is a delectable vegan twist on the classic dish. It features large, meaty portobello mushrooms sautéed with onions, carrots, and peas in a savory sauce. The filling is then topped with a creamy layer of cheesy mashed potatoes and baked until golden and bubbly. This hearty and flavorful dish is a satisfying comfort food that will please everyone at your table.

Portobello Shepards Pie Vegan Recipe Plant Based Dinner Planted365

This is a great dish to bring to any holiday gathering. It’s a hearty crowd pleaser. Another delicious option to bring is this Vegan Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole.

Ingredients in Portobello Shepard’s Pie

Portobello Mushrooms are large, mature cremini mushrooms known for their robust flavor and meaty texture. They have a dark brown cap, a firm stem, and we’re using them here as a meat substitute. They have a rich, umami taste that’s perfect for a Shepard’s pie.

Onions come in a variety of types. such as red, white, and yellow, and add flavor, aroma, and texture. I used regular yellow onions here but red onions would be good. Use what you have!
Carrots add lovely bits of orange as well as their delicious flavor and all their nutrition.
Green Peas are the cute green legumes found inside pea pods. I used frozen here and those are best, but any pea or other green vegetable will do.

Tomato Paste has a deep tomato flavor and is used to add richness and intensity to the sauce in this dish. We only use a little so the tomato flavor isn’t very strong … just enough to add another layer of flavor.
Better Than Bouillon Paste is a concentrated paste that’s a convenient alternative to traditional bouillon cubes or canned broths, offering a more robust taste. I love it. I use it in just about every soup and stew I make. The vegetable one as well as the mushroom and the onion are vegan.
Garlic adds a distinctive flavor and aroma here.
Mashed Potatoes on top are a classic feature of Shepard’s pie. You can use homemade or boxed potato flakes. I used the boxed to make this because that’s what I had. However, I do think mashed potatoes made from scratch would be even better.
Vegan Cheese is added to the mashed potatoes for a cheesy flavor. I used Daiya Cheddar Shreds, but use what you have and like.

How to Make Portobello Shepard’s Pie

You’ll Need:

To make Portobello Shepherd’s Pie, start by making the mashed potatoes. You’ll need approximately three cups or so.
From Scratch: If making mashed potatoes from scratch, boil four or five peeled and diced potatoes until tender. Drain, then mash with a dash of plant-based milk, vegan butter, salt, and pepper until smooth and creamy. Adjust ingredients to taste.
From Boxed: Prepare enough, according to package directions, that will leave you with four cups of mashed potatoes.

Finally … Stir in the Cheese and a little nutritional yeast for a great cheesy taste.

Sauté diced Portobello mushrooms, onions, carrots, and garlic in a little olive oil or a few tablespoons of water (water is my preferred method for this recipe). Add tomato paste, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, and vegetable bouillon paste and a bit of water, if needed. Sprinkle in a bit of corn starch. Stir and simmer until the mixture thickens, then stir in peas.

Spoon the portobello mixture into the bottom of a baking dish and spread evenly.

Add the Mashed Potatoes on Top: Spoon the mashed potatoes over the portobello mixture and gently spread it evenly to about an inch or two thick.

Spray the top with just a tiny bit of oil. This helps the top of the mashed potatoes to brown nicely. Then bake in the oven at 375 degrees F for about 30 minutes.

Cooking Tips for this Recipe

Water sautéing or adding a bit of oil. I made this twice, once using oil and one without. They’re both delicious. I personally though the one without oil and sautéed using only water was better. If you water sauté, just add a bit of water to the pan and add a bit more when it’s about to run dry. When your vegetables are all cooked and tender, let the last bit of water cook out and remove the pan from the heat before it can stick or burn.

How Make Ahead and Freeze

This dish is really easy to make ahead and freeze, which is exactly what I’m doing. We spend holidays at my daughter’s with her and her husband and their seven kids. One of my granddaughters is officially vegan! so we definitely need to bring some things to share.

To freeze this, let it cool to room temperature and then cover tightly with plastic wrap and put in the freezer. On the day of, just remove from the freezer in the morning and let thaw on the counter for a few hours. Then hat in the oven for about 10 to 15 minutes at 375 degrees F until heated through.

Use freezer safe containers!

Variations

This is a pretty versatile and flexible dish and ingredients can be easily changed up. In place of peas, you can add broccoli, beans, or sliced Brussel sprouts. A blend of any vegetables would be good with the portobellos. I think chopped beets would go well in this, too, in place of the carrots.