Portobello Shepard's Pie Revisited

A long time ago, I posted this Shepard's Pie Stuffed Portobello recipe with a not so great photo. This recipe is a revisit of that and revised here and there. It's super nom!

Portobello Shepard's Pie Revisited

Instagram Photo (User: veganmiss)

* Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
* Cook Time: 20 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 3 large portobello mushroom caps, stems and "gills" removed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 package (8 oz.) Upton's Naturals Ground Beef-Style seitan, diced*
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, peeled, diced
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce*
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
• 1 lb. red creamer potatoes*
• 1/4 cup non-dairy milk*
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, minced
• 1 tbsp vegan butter*
• salt and pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. Boil the potatoes in salt water until tender with fork. Depending on preference, remove skins from potatoes after boiled.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
3. While the potatoes are boiling, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and pepper. Cook until onions are translucent.
4. Next, add the seitan and cook until it just starts to brown.
5. Add the garlic, carrots, and peas. Cook until the carrots become tender.
6. After the filling mixture has cooked, add the flour and toss the mixture in the skillet, coating all of it. Add the vegetable broth, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme. Cook for a few minutes. The mixture should then be a thicker consistency.
7. After the potatoes are boiled, mash in a bowl with the chives, butter, and salt and pepper. Add more butter to taste, if needed.
8. Stuff the portobello caps with the mixture from the skillet. Top with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes. (Be sure to pack the mixture in so that all the gaps are filled. Top the mushrooms with the mashed potatoes liberally; you are basically sealing the stuffing in.)
9. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Broil for another 2-3 minutes until the mashed potato tops are golden. 

* Note: I used local Chicago seitan company, Upton's Naturals for my filling mixture. If you do not have Upton's, please use another mock meat crumble such as Boca or Lightlife. Worcestershire sauce is not vegan naturally, so look for a vegan variety. I found mine at the Asian grocery store with the fish sauces. Most health food stores carry it. Feel free to use whatever type of potatoes you like. I just prefer red potatoes. The non-dairy milk I used was almond milk as that is what I prefer. The vegan butter I used was Earth Balance olive oil kind.

I posted an entry a bit ago regarding all my various DIY project I do. Just thought I'd post a picture of the vegan bath bomb fizzies I made. I also made some dill pickle spears and pickled red onion. The bread and butter pickle spears and pickled garlic I made about 2 months ago were broken into this week and they were a fan favorite! Everyone loved them. ♥

Shephard’s Pie Stuffed Portobello

This recipe was a spur of the moment thing this week. It was really good! These were accompanied by my really awesome vegetable soup I made earlier this week and a salad.

Shepard's Pie Stuffed Portobello

* Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
* Cook Time: 25 minutes
* Ingredients:

• 2 large portobello caps, stems & "gills" removed
• 1 8-10 oz bag of frozen peas and carrots
• 1 lb red creamer potatoes, peeled & quartered
• 1 8 oz Upton’s Naturals Ground Beef seitan*
• ½ onion, diced
• Pinch of salt (to sautee onions)
• 4 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup vegan cream of mushroom soup*
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp vegan soy butter*
• ½ cup almond milk*
• 2 tbsp dried or fresh chives
• Vegan Parmesan Cheese, as need*
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil (for cooking seitan)
• Salt & pepper, to taste

* Recipe:

1. After potatoes are peeled and quartered, place the potatoes and garlic cloves in a sauce pan with water at least an inch above potatoes. Salt and bring to a boil.
2. Once the potatoes are soft enough to stick a fork into and they break apart, remove from heat and strain the water. In the sauce pan or a separate bowl, add the boiled potatoes, soy butter, almond milk, and chives. Mash to a smooth consistency.
3. While potatoes are boiling, start to prepare the filling. Heat a skillet with the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions and pinch of salt; sweat until the onions are translucent. Next, crumble the seitan into the skillet and brown. Time to add the peas and carrots. Add the peas and carrots to the skillet and cook until tender.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, preheat the oven to 375°F.
   
5. In a cup, mix the cornstarch and cream of mushroom soup until the cornstarch is evenly mixed. Add to the seitan mixture and stir until even coated. Cook for just a few minutes until the soup has thickened and remove from the heat.Using a spoon, start stuffing the mushrooms with the seitan mixture. Be sure to pack the mixture in so that all the gaps are filled.  Top the mushrooms with the mashed potatoes liberally; you are basically sealing the stuffing in. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the top and place in the oven to 10 minutes on the top rack.
6. After 10 minutes, place the oven on broil and let the tops brown, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.
    

* Note: Upton's Naturals is a local Chicago seitan company. They sell their faux meats here in Chicagoland. You could use other seitan-style meat crumbles such as Boca Ground Crumbles. For cream of mushroom soup, I used Imagine Foods Natural Creamy Portobello Mushroom soup. For soy butter, I used Earth Balance. Feel free to use whatever type of non-dairy milk you want. I just keep almond milk at home over soy milk, etc. Lastly, for vegan Parmesan I used Vegan Topping by Galaxy Nutritional Foods. You can find the soup, soy butter, and cheese at your local health food store or places like Whole Foods.