You know that scene in Forrest Gump where Bubba rattles on and on about his love of shrimp and all the different ways to eat them? That’s me when it comes to potatoes. There’s never been a potato dish that I didn’t love. My favorite of all? Mashed potatoes and gravy.
Growing up, Thanksgiving was the grand poobah of holidays, if only for the excuse to OD on a mountain of creamy, fluffy mashed potatoes with savory gravy oozing down its sides and seeping into every nook and cranny. I do recall one Thanksgiving when I left a little room on my plate for turkey, too, but I blame the extra dinner guests who showed up unexpectedly and the ensuing shortage of mashed potatoes.

Vegan Sheperd's Pie Recipe
Equipment
- Saute Pan
- Spatula
- Large Stockpot
- Mixing bowl
- Casserole Dish
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes Ingredients
- 3 pcs Large Red or Yukon Gold Potatoes peeled and halved
- 2 tbsp Vegan Butter
- 1/3 cup Non-Dairy Milk I like to use coconut milk with my mashed potatoes, but any plant-based milk will work just as well
- Salt to taste
- Garlic Powder to taste (optional)
Ground “Meat” Filling Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Canola Oil
- 1/2 pc Onion diced
- 8 ounces White or Cremini Mushrooms quartered or small chopped
- 2 pcs Carrots diced
- 2 cloves Medium Garlic minced
- 1/2 pound Plant-Based Ground "Meat" my favorite is Beyond Meat—it tastes great and the texture is pretty close to the real thing
- 2 1/2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 teaspoon Vegan Worcestershire Sauce available at most grocery stores
- 1 cup Vegetable Broth
- 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1/4 cup Red Wine
- 1 teaspoon Dried Rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried Thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Frozen Peas
- 1/2 cup Frozen Corn
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Mashed Potatoes Instructions
- Fill a large stockpot ¾ full with water and place potatoes inside.
- Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes.
- Remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon and transfer to the mixing bowl, reserving the potato cooking water.
- Add vegan butter.
- Mash the potatoes with a potato masher. A fork works, too.
- Add non-dairy milk a little at a time, mixing potatoes in between with a fork or whisk.
- If the potatoes are too thick for your liking, add some reserved potato cooking water a little at a time, mixing as you go, until you get the consistency you want.
- Salt to taste.
- For a garlicky flavor, add garlic powder to taste and mix. Set aside.
Ground “Meat” Filling Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400F.
- Add oil to a large non-stick saute pan and place over medium heat until oil shimmers.
- Add onion, mushrooms, and carrots.
- Cook while stirring frequently until onion is translucent and juices from mushroom cook-off, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic.
- Cook while stirring frequently for an additional minute.
- Add “meat” and use your wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat down into small clumps.
- Cook while stirring frequently until meat browns, about 2 minutes.
- Add flour.
- Cook while stirring frequently to coat evenly, until browned bits of flour begin to stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, vegetable broth, soy sauce, red wine, rosemary, and thyme.
- Cook while stirring frequently, scraping browned bits from the bottom of the pan as you go. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low.
- Simmer gently until sauce thickens a bit, about 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from heat.
- Add pepper, peas, and corn. Stir to combine.
- Salt to taste.
- Some vegetable broths are pretty salty, to begin with. Same with Worcestershire sauce and of course, soy sauce. I find that I never really need to add salt at the end, but feel free to add some to your own liking.
- Transfer to casserole baking dish and let cool.
Assembling the Pie Instructions
- Top the filling with mashed potatoes and spread evenly across the “meat” filling.
- Make sure that the mashed potatoes go all the way to the edges of the dish to prevent the sauce from leaking out.
- I say that, but if I’m going, to be honest, I’ve never managed to make a shepherd’s pie without having some of the sauce bubbles out from the sides during the bake. If you can pull off this feat, consider yourself my shepherd’s pie hero.
- Feel free to sculpt the potatoes with any decorative design you want.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes get some color, about 20-25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven.
- Let cool 15 minutes before digging in.
Notes
Alice Mesa is an environmental scientist turned foodie. She followed her heart away from a 10-year career in the water quality industry and into the kitchen, where she spent the next few years as the owner and operator of a handcrafted vegan chocolates business. Alice combines her passion for cooking with her vegan lifestyle by creating and writing about dishes that are not only delicious, but plant-based as well.