There is one ingredient every vegan or vegetarian should keep in their pantry. That one ingredient makes a great substitute for beef broth or partial substitute for Worcestershire sauce. Using that ingredient along with a couple of other simple ingredients, this low-fat vegan shepherd’s pie turned out amazing! So amazing that my meat-loving husband said he could eat it for dinner. Make it spicy, if desired.
Link You May Need:
Filing Only Per Serving:
Net Calories: 194
Total Carbs: 36 g
Fiber: 15 g
Net Carbs: 20 g
Fat: 2 g
Protein: 10
Glycemic Load: 3
Skinny Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 teaspoons neutral-flavored oil
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and chopped
- 1-1/4 cups celery or replace some with chopped mushrooms and red bell pepper
- 4 large cloves garlic grated or minced
- 1-1/2 cups chopped carrots
- 1 cup water
- 2 (15-ounce) cans lentils or black beans, thoroughly rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate* see above link
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
- 3/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 5 drops liquid stevia* Trader Joe’s Organic or powdered to taste
- 5 drops red hot chili oil* or to taste
- Lite Swiss cheese or grated Parmesan for topping (optional)
Instructions
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If making shepherd’s pie, make the mashed sweet potatoes linked above. For a skinny version, omit the cheese, use margarine/spread instead of butter, and fat-free/1% milk/low-fat dairy-free milk. Then, preheat the oven to 350°F.
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Preheat a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat, add oil and swirl around the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low, add onion and celery; sauté until tender, about 10 minutes.
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Stir in the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
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Add water and carrots and cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
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Mix in the beans, tamarind concentrate, paprika, thyme, salt, pepper, stevia, and chili oil. Simmer for 15 minutes if serving as a stew, or immediately transfer to a baking dish or ramekins. If desired, you can top with low-fat Swiss cheese (available at Costco) or grated Parmesan.
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Spread a thin layer of mashed sweet potatoes on top and bake until piping hot, 15 minutes or less. Allow the pie to rest 5 minutes prior to serving. Serve with a green salad.
Tips
*Non-Vegan Version:
The above ingredients with an asterick represent a few of the ingredients in Worcestershire sauce. I left out vinegar (the amount of tamarind used in this recipe is acidic enough), brown sugar (replaced with stevia), etc. For a non-vegan/vegetarian version, you can substitute these ingredients with 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce to taste (or half Worcestershire sauce and half Better Than Bouillon “Organic” Reduced-Sodium Beef Base (non-organic is not gluten-free). However, if you do so, it will no longer be sugar-free.
Vegan Protein:
Consider sauting cubes of tofu until lightly brown and stirring it in the filling.
Also, consider adding some