Vegan Cottage Pie
This heart-warming dish is filled with an abundance of goodness. It is high in protein from the sunflower seed mince and fortified with vitamins and minerals from the butternut squash and shiitake mushrooms. Whether you’re vegan or just wanting to limit the amount of animal-based ingredients, trust me - it’s worth giving this recipe a try. Make this once and you’re bound to make it over and over again.
Ingredients
- 100 g sunflower seed mince (you can get from the shop sourcebulkfoods, health food stores or online)
- 2 Echalion shallots finely chopped or alternatively one chopped onion
- 125 g shiitake mushrooms discard stalk, finely chopped
- 1 pint (568 ml) stock vegan, vegetarian or if neither is required you can use chicken stock
- 2 butternut squash cut lengthways, discard the seeds
- 3-4 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 3 tbsp. tomato ketchup
- 2 tsp. coconut aminos or soy sauce (tamari if gluten-free) (I use the brand Rayners for the coconut aminos
- garlic granules
- sea salt or pink Himalayan
- Herbamere
- cracked black pepper
- white pepper
Serving suggestion
- serve with petit pois
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, gas mark 7, 220°C (200°Cfan-assisted).
- For the topping, cut the squash down the length and scoop out the seeds and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle lightly with 2 tbsp. olive oil and roast for about 60 minutes, or until tender – be sure to avoid burning the butternut squash. Then remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Once cooled, scoop the flesh away from the skin, and mash with a fork, you might want to add a touch of olive oil at this stage. Season to your taste with Herbamere, salt and white pepper. Then, using a spoon, blend the mixture until it's smooth.
- Heat the oil and shallots in a large non-stick frying pan and cook gently for 3-4 minutes, until soft but not coloured, stirring continuously. Then add the shiitake mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes. Be sure to season withs ea salt, Herbamere, cracked black pepper and garlic granules.
- Add the sunflower seed mince and stir until combined with the onions and mushrooms. Pour the stock into the pan, increase the heat to medium/high and cook for 13-15 minutes until the stock has evaporated and the mince has been hydrated and doubled in size.
- Once the stock has absorbed and evaporated, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to low and add the tomato paste, tomato ketchup andcoconut aminos. Cook for a further 5 minutes, stir frequently. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Spoon the sunflower seed mince mixture into a medium pie dish and top with thebutternut mash. Smooth out the topping with a back of a spoon. Bake for 25-30minutes, if you like the topping lightly browned, and a little crispy, cook forslightly longer.
- Enjoy!
- When making thisrecipe, I’d LOVE to see how you get on so either send me a photo to lisa@myrelationshipwithfood.com or post a picture to Instagram using the #myrelationshipwithfood and tag @myrelationshipwithfood
Notes
LISA’S TIP – Replacing the traditional potato topping with butternut squash not only adds new and exciting flavour but cuts the calories and carbohydrates too, making it a much healthier alternative if you’re following a calorie controlled or low carb lifestyle. However, if you like it more traditional, feel free to swap out the butternut squash for classic potato, or even sweet potato mash if you fancy. Serve with some seasonal greens for an additional nutritious twist! This dish has become a staple in my kitchen. My version is packed with the goodness from the sunflower seed mince, and topped with a nutrient, vitamin-packed butternut squash, it’s incredibly low in fat and high in protein, fiber and nutrients. This cottage pie is a perfect simple, economical, hearty meal that the whole family will love.
