Go Back
Print

Skinny Vegan Shepherd's Pie

A super-flavorful, hearty, vegan shepherd’s pie that will help keep you skinny and smiling. You can also serve the filling on its own as a stew.
Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Ingredient Keyword black beans, lentils, sweet potatoes, vegetables
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 37 minutes
Total Time 52 minutes
Servings 5

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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.

  3. Stir in the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.

  4. Add water and carrots and cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.
  5. 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.

  6. 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