It seems like every week there is another alert about food products that have been tainted with Salmonella. The latest beef recall brings the total up to about 12 million pounds, with several hundred people in 25 states being affected.
And right before Thanksgiving, I was stunned to read that raw turkey products contaminated with salmonella had sickened 164 people in 35 states.
Yes, I know that my carnivore friends will argue that romaine lettuce has been found to be a culprit too, and I agree that we all need to be extra vigilant about the sources of the food we eat and observing the warnings from the CDC.
SO, if you’re interested in laying off beef for a little while, there are still easy ways to get the hearty taste of beef by selecting the right plant-based protein products.
After Thanksgiving, I had several cups of mashed potatoes left, because it is always hard to judge how much a hungry crowd of 20 will eat. My pretty niece Sandy will testify that my mashed potatoes were just as good as they usually are, but because of the abundance of delicious dishes that our wonderful family brought for the holiday dinner, I had some extra mashed potatoes left this year!
So, after the holiday, I started casting around for other things I could do with leftover mashed potatoes – and I realized that I had not attempted a British Cottage Pie in quite awhile. (I also learned, in my research that Shepherd’s Pie (which is what I previously called this dish) always contains lamb, and Cottage Pie always contains beef! Who knew?)
I decided to use a bottom pastry crust . . . although if you are short on time, you can make a perfectly wonderful version of Cottage Pie without it.
For my stand-in for beef, I used Gardein Beefless Ground. It packs a lot of protein (18 grams in 3/4 cup), and comes in a resealable bag so it’s easy for me to use in more than one recipe. And my carnivores think that its hearty texture is a very plausible substitute for beef. To heighten that heartiness, I also used Better than Bouillion No Beef Base, which my hubby says made my Cottage Pie taste remarkably like beef.
Because my mom likes peas (one of the few green veggies she enjoys), organic frozen green peas dominated my veggie mix of onions, carrots, and mushrooms.
The leftover mashed potatoes get mixed with milk and cream, and enlivened with some shredded Cabot Seriously Sharp White Cheddar.
Here’s a shot of the potato topping being added, so that you can get a sense of how to do it!
Once the cheesy mashed potato mixture is evenly spread over the top of your ground meat and veggie mixture, you just pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes until the top is browned and bubbly.
Let your Cottage Pie cool for a few minutes to make sure that you get nice clean slices. It smelled so good that we couldn’t wait, which is why our slices were a bit raggedy!
Just because the Brits use beef in this pub favorite doesn’t mean you have to! Please try my recipe!
- Unbaked pie crust (your own or pre-made)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, minced
- ½ cup chopped organic carrots
- 5-6 white or cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 cup frozen organic green peas
- ½ bag Gardein Beefless Ground (frozen, not thawed)
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon No Beef Base
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- ¼ cup cream
- ¼ cup milk (or eliminate the cream and milk and use ½ cup half and half, if that’s what you have on hand)
- 1 cup grated sharp white cheddar (I like Cabot Seriously Sharp White Cheddar)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Paprika, optional
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- While the oven heats, either make your own pie crust or take the lazy way out (which is what I did) and use one of the Pillsbury pre-made pie crusts. Leave the package out for about 10-15 minutes before you unroll one of the crusts and lay it in a deep dish pie plate. Once the oven is at the right temperature, prick the pie crust all over with a fork, and place the pie plate on a rimmed baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes until just starting to brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter. Saute the onion until translucent, followed by the carrots, and then the mushrooms. Add the frozen peas and cook for just a minute or two while you assemble your other ingredients. Turn off the heat, and when the veggies are cooled a bit, place them in a medium mixing bowl because you’re going to need the skillet again.
- In a blender, mix the water and Better than Bouillon No Beef Base together. Buzz in the cornstarch, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste. Better than Bouillon has a fair amount of sodium, so I don’t add salt and pepper at this point.
- Sauté the frozen crumbles in your now empty skillet for about 3-4 minutes, add the bouillon mixture, and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the mixture thickens. Add the reserved vegetables to the skillet.
- Rinse out the bowl that held the veggies, and add the leftover mashed potatoes. Since the leftover mashed potatoes are probably cold, you might want to put them in the microwave for a few minutes to make them easier to manipulate. Using a potato masher, mash in the milk and cream (or the half and half), and then add the shredded white cheddar, and freshly ground pepper. Combine well.
- Put the meat and veggie mixture into the slightly cooled pie shell and spread the mashed potato mixture evenly over the top. You can sprinkle a bit of paprika on the potatoes if you’d like. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Let sit for about 5-8 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
All Rights Reserved.
You must be logged in to post a comment.