Written by Caitlin Havener Rogers — Certified Precision Nutrition Coach
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Looking for a recipe with some Irish roots for St. Patrick’s day, or want a comfort food favorite to feed your family? This tofu and cauliflower shepherd’s pie vegan recipe hits the spot!
This Shepherd’s Pie Vegan Recipe is So Good You Won’t Miss The Meat!
A traditional shepherd’s pie (or cottage pie) is filled with cream, butter, and fatty ground beef or lamb. The potatoes in this recipe are made lighter with cauliflower and creamy with almond or soy milk.
I was inspired by Chipotle sofritas to make the “meat” out of tofu in this recipe (click here to learn more about tofu). However, it was really difficult to find ingredients to make the tofu look brown without adding chili powder or cumin! Those seasonings are prominent in Mexican foods, so they just didn’t taste right. I tried this recipe again and luckily last minute my husband suggested red miso paste which seems to work pretty well in conjunction with the Worcestershire. I added mushrooms too because it adds some umami flavor and more brown color to the mix.
I hope you enjoy this recipe whether it’s for St. Patrick’s day or any night of the week!
Shepherd’s Pie Vegan Tofu Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
For the Potatoes:
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 ½ pounds russet potatoes
- ¼ cup unsweet almond milk or soy milk, unflavored
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Marinade:
- 6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce Vegan version
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 3 tablespoons red miso paste the color is important because it helps make the tofu look like meat
- ½ teaspoon rosemary
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Filling:
- 14 oz tofu extra firm
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms diced small
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ whole onion chopped
- 2 whole carrots peeled and diced small
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 oz fresh or frozen corn kernels thawed or cooked
- 12 oz fresh or frozen English peas thawed or cooked
Instructions
- Gently squeeze out some of the liquid in the tofu with napkins or a small towel. Place tofu in a bowl and crumble with a fork to look like ground beef crumbles.14 oz tofu
- Prepare the marinade for the tofu: mix miso paste, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, rosemary, thyme, and pepper. Place the marinade in with the tofu crumbles and set aside (do this 30 min to 24 hours prior to cooking).6 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 3 tablespoons red miso paste, 2 teaspoons tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 14 oz tofu
- Peel the potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch dice. Cut the cauliflower into florets.1 head cauliflower
- Put cauliflower and potatoes into pressure cooker with about an inch or water and cook for 12 minutes. Or boil in a medium saucepan for 10-15 minutes or until soft enough to mash.1 head cauliflower
- Drain the potatoes and cauliflower and then place in a bowl with the garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Crush with the tongs and mix ingredients. Set aside.1 tsp garlic powder, 1 head cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- While the potatoes are cooking, prepare the filling. Place olive oil in saute pan over medium high heat.2 tablespoons olive oil
- Once the oil shimmers, add the carrots and saute for a few minutes.2 whole carrots
- Add the onion, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until onion begins to turn translucent.2 cloves garlic, 1/2 whole onion
- Add the tofu mixture with all of the remaining marinade to the saute pan. Mix gently with the other ingredients.14 oz tofu
- Cook until tofu has browned and a lot of the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally. Stir gently as to not break the tofu up too much.14 oz tofu
- Add the mixture in the saute pan to the bottom of an 11 by 7 inch glass baking dish. Spread evenly.
- Add the corn and peas in separate layers and spread evenly.12 oz fresh or frozen English peas
- Top with the potatoes and cauliflower. Create a seal to prevent the mixture from bubbling up and smooth with a rubber spatula.1 head cauliflower
- Bake for 35 minutes or just until the potatoes and cauliflower begin to brown and the top is firm to the touch.1 head cauliflower
- Remove to a cooling rack for at least 15 minutes before serving.
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This is delicious! I used potatoes and yams, rather than potatoes and cauliflower, to make it more traditional and heartier (especially for the non-vegetarians :)). I also added a bit of vegan sour cream and cream cheese to the mash. Thanks for the recipe!!
That sounds amazing, Anneka! I think I’ll have to try it sometimes with yams too. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂