Lisa's Famous Shepards Pie
Tofu Mixture:
1 pound firm tofu (must be frozen solid and then thawed)
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon coriander
pinch pepper
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tablespoons tamari Mashed potatoes:
4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 tablespoons margarine
1/2 cup nondairy milk (I use soy)
dash salt Mushroom Gravy:
2 tablespoons cornstarch + 1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
3 tablespoons tamari or Braggs
pinch pepper
1 1/2 cups potato water vegan margarine, as needed
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. For tofu mixture, once tofu is defrosted, squeeze out all water like a sponge. Shred into small pieces. Fry onion, oil and spices on medium heat until translucent. Add tofu, nuts, lemon juice and tamari. Continue to stir while cooking for 5-10 minutes.
2. For mashed potatoes, boil potatoes in large pot until soft. Drain (reserving 1 1/2 cups liquid), place back in pot or in a large bowl, and add margarine, milk, and salt, to taste. Mash.
3. For gravy, dissolve cornstarch in water in small bowl. Fry mushrooms with oil on medium-low heat in small saucepan for 3-4 minutes. Add tamari, pepper, and potato water. Bring to simmer for 2 minutes. Add cornstarch mixture and stir constantly on low heat until thickened.
4. Place tofu mixture in bottom of baking dish. (I use a glass baking bowl about 6-8" deep and 10" wide) Add mushroom gravy on top, followed by potatoes. Smooth top of potatoes and add a few pads of margarine on the top.
5. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden. Serve immediately!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
Really love this recipe! Not usually a fan of tofu but with the walnuts it gives it a great taste! I did change a few things because the first time I made it it was a little runny. I used only 1 cup of potato water, not 1 1/2. I also used 3 tablespoons cornstarch instead of 2 in order to make the gravy thicker. Great recipe!
I made this for my big family gathering, and all my "vegan? Whaaaaa?" family members gobbled it up. Thankfully I escaped with some leftovers. Bwah haha.
:)>>> Definitely a keeper ... this will replace my previous long-time favorite shepherds pie recipe. I added some sage and some frozen peas/carrots to the tofu mixture, otherwise I wouldn't change a thing. It's difficult to believe there's no meat in this dish.
Thanks so much for all of your wonderful reviews! I haven't looked on here in awhile and had no idea that so many people were enjoying this. Fabulous. I should note that I usually add more lemon and Bragg's to taste in the tofu/nut mixture. I also really enjoy adding some cumin in there as well. Thanks for the ideas about the veggies, but I personally prefer to keep them on the side. I like the heartiness the dish has without them.
This recipe was so good. I used textured soy instead of tofu(didn't have any) and it was great. The meat eaters in the house didn't know the difference. :)
This was wonderful! I loved the tofu/nut base. Two thumbs up!
8)
Delicious! I added a layer of carrots and a layer of green beans. I forgot to save the potato water for the gravy -- maybe this is why my gravy took so long to thicken? I had to cook it down a long time. Maybe that in turn is why there was a bit less gravy than I'd like? I might increase the gravy recipe next time by 25-50% just to be sure. I'll also make sure to use smaller potatoes -- my potato-to-other stuff ratio is a bit high in this attempt. But all those are minor issues for me, this dish is delicious and is feeding me for three days! And I eat BIG! No need to wait for Thanksgiving imo!
Also, I marinated the tofu in Braggs and garlic powder. I feel this accomplished substantive good.
Soooo worth the effort. I highly recommend this dish, especially with the additional veggies suggested by previous posters (I used peas and corn). I tried to cheat and used mashed potato flakes. It was fine for the topping but the gravy was probably not as thick as it should have been. So next time I'll do all the steps.
If you are looking for an amazing holiday recipe, this is it.