Recipe: Vegan Cottage Pie

With fabulous products like Gardein there is no reason to skip on flavor. Show your love for the environment and the animals by embracing Meatless Monday with all the taste and none of the cruelty. Today I’m sharing my Vegan Cottage Pie recipe with the Gardein Beefless ground, and a twist! If you’re not keen on veggies then read on!

Disclaimer: I partnered with Gardein and Meatless Monday in this post. I received products from Gardein in exchange for a recipe post. But if you’re a reader of this blog you’ll know that I am Vegan and use Gardein already. This was a match made in heaven!

How many veggies do you see in the vegan cottage pie above? I’ll tell you, the answer is FOUR! Plus the soybeans in the Gardein Grounds! Curious about getting your 5 a day in one meal? Here’s how: swap and sneak. Swap out half the potatoes in the topping for cauliflower, and sneak in some mushrooms and carrots with the Gardein Beefless Grounds.

Gardein Beefless Grounds are so versatile. Great in pies, bakes, tacos and more. Any way you use ground beef you can substitute Gardein Beefless Grounds. I love that Gardein have such a great variety of frozen foods for making Meatless Mondays so easy that you can be like me, and embrace it everyday!

Vegan Cottage Pie Recipe

First some trivia. Do you know the difference between shepherds pie and cottage pie? Shepherds pie was made with lamb, and therefore Shepherds pie, all other meat versions are called cottage pie!

In my version we use Gardein and no animals are harmed, so we practice ahimsa! For this vegan cottage pie recipe you will need:

• 1 Small Cauliflower Chopped
• Equal Weight of Potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1c Panko Breadcrumbs
• 1/4c Vegan Margarine (I like Earth Balance)
• Gardein Beefless Grounds
• 1 medium Carrot Grated
• 4-6oz Mushrooms Chopped
• 1c Veggie Broth
• 1/2c Vegan Gravy
• Black pepper & Old Bay Seasoning to taste
• 3 tbspn steak sauce (yes there are vegan ones! We use HP)

First things first always preheat your oven. For this recipe we need something like 400°f. Place the cauliflower and potatoes into a large pan and on a medium heat to boil. While you make the base layer.

Empty the contents of the Gardein Beefless Grounds into a pan. Add the broth. Mix in the grated carrot, and mushrooms. Set on a medium heat stirring occasionally. Once cooked through add the 1/2 cup of gravy, steak sauce and seasonings and set aside to cool.

Once the potato cauliflower mixture is softened, drain and mash adding the vegan margarine. When mixed into a smooth mash mix in 3/4c of the breadcrumbs. Then begin assembling. I use 2 Pyrex Loaf Pans for this recipe. One to serve now, and the other pops in the fridge for later in the week.

Divide the Gardein Beefless Mix into the two Pyrex pans, then spoon on the cauliflower mash smoothing out the top. For a nice crispy top I suggest using the leftover 1/4c of bread crumbs sprinkled on top and lighting working them into the top portion of mash with a fork.

Pop into the oven for about 20-25 minutes, and voila! The cauliflower in the mash isn’t noticeable. True story: My hubby didn’t even notice the cauliflower till I told him! I serve this with some green veggies (our favorites are peas and broccoli), roast potatoes, and extra gravy. And some mint sauce and you have yourself a delicious dinner for any occasion.

For use using two Pyrex dishes and making one for the week means this vegan cottage pie recipe works for our weekly menu planning well. One for the weekend, one for the week. Also as a change for the last 3 minutes of cooking sprinkle on some vegan cheese for a crispy cheezy topping.

Questions

• Do you embrace Meatless Monday?
• What’s your favorite way to include veggies in your diet?
• Have you tried cauliflower mash?