the poverty luxe kitchen vol. 12: vegetarian shepherds pie.

i have a funny story about todays recipe: once upon a time my mom started making shepherds pie for dinner on a pretty regular basis. it probably wasnt the most authentic recipe (for starters, it used beef, not lamb), but it was super cheap and fairly simple so i get the appeal. and apparently, i hated it. but according to my mom, she just kept making it until i forgot that i hated it and it eventually became one of my favorite dinners. so much so that when i went vegan as a teenager (yes, i have in fact always been unreasonable), she even went as far as to "veganize" (real word in the vegan community), her recipe and to this day, its still one of my favorite dinners. 

so today were going to make some vegetarian shepherds pie. im posting the vegetarian version of the recipe here, but since this is very easily veganized ive also included the alterations to do so (dont worry, there arent many). 

i would also like to note that the quantities for this recipe are for a 9x13 inch baking pan, which we do not own. instead, i make it in two smaller casserole dishes and put one in the freezer for the following week (this helps with the fact that this recipe unfortunately dirties a lot of dishes). 

now lets go: 

vegetarian shepherds pie. 

serves 6-8

heres what you need: 

approx. 2.5 pounds russet potatoes (i usually use either half of a 5lb bag or 3 big baking potatoes)

1/2 stick butter (or 1/4 cup butter substitute)

splash of milk (or unflavored milk substitute)

olive oil

1 onion

3-4 cloves garlic

basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste

2 cans kidney beans

1 can green beans

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can corn

1 cup shredded cheese (or cheese alternative, entirely optional)

heres what you do: 

preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

peel and chop potatoes into small pieces, boil in a large pot with salted water until soft (about 10-15 minutes). 

drain potatoes, return to pot and mash with butter and milk, set aside. 

finely chop onion and garlic and saute over medium-high heat in a large pan with salt, pepper, basil and oregano until the onions start to soften. 

drain kidney beans, corn, and green beans very well and add to the pan with the onions and garlic, add tomatoes and stir. 

continue to cook, stirring occasionally until everything is hot and the flavors meld together, adjusting seasoning as necessary (approx 10 minutes). 

place bean and veggie mixture in a 9x13 baking dish (or split between two smaller dishes), and top with a layer of mashed potatoes and cheese. 

bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and starts to brown.