Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

This is real comfort food, ideal for a winter supper.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

1 Medium Onion, finely diced

1 Medium Carrot, quartered lengthways and diced

½ Celeriac, cut into cm cubes

1 Cup of Frozen Peas

1 400g tin of Aduki Beans, drained

1 Clove of Garlic chopped

1 tsp of Marmite

Pinch of Thyme

Pinch of Rosemary

Butter or Dairyfree spread

2 medium or 1 large potato, halved and quartered

Method:

Pour a splash of oil into a medium sized oven-proof pan and heat on a medium heat.

When the oil is warm, add onion and garlic, cook on a medium heat for three to five minutes, until onions turn translucent.

In a second pan, bring water to boil and add the potatoes. Cover and simmer until cooked through.

Add carrot and celeriac to the first pan. Cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add herbs to the pan with the vegetables, and season with salt and cracked black pepper. Mix well.

Add the drained aduki beans to the vegetables.

Add about half a cup of boiling water to the vegetables and stir in Marmite until dissolved.

Add the frozen peas to the vegetables. Stir thoroughly, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and the stock has thickened. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to sit for a few minutes.

Preheat grill to a medium heat.

Drain the potatoes and allow to sit. Add a generous amount of butter or dairy-free spread and mash until smooth.

Spoon a small amount of mashed potato onto the top of the vegetables, until evenly covered.

Place the oven-proof pan under the grill and remove when the mashed potatoes start to turn golden or crisp.

(An alternative option is to peel and thinly slice the potatoes to roughly ½ cm thickness. Add to boiling water and simmer until almost cooked but still firm. Drain and set aside. Once the vegetables and sauce are cooked, layer the potatoes on top. Drizzle with olive oil and cook under the grill until crisp and golden.)