This Vegan Shepherd’s Pie is a great, hearty vegan dish that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser among vegans and non-vegans alike.

Traditionally used in Japanese cuisine, adzuki beans add a deep, rich colour, a nutty flavour and a meaty-texture. Adzuki beans are believed to offer several health benefits, ranging from heart health and weight loss to improved digestion and a lower risk of diabetes. They’re also a great source of protein.

Our Dairy-Free Down Under Cheddar Cheese Shreds and Dairy-Free Down Under Parmesan Cheese really take this dish up a notch. It’s a great one for those who have had to cut dairy out of their diet for health reasons, but still miss their favourite cheesy dishes. And as always, cooking our shreds really enhances their flavour.

The below serving is enough to satisfy our almost-always hungry family of five. I usually serve with a side-salad, packed with greens and topped with avocado.

It’s also an easy one to cook in advance and just warm up in the oven before serving.

You can also swap out the adzuki beans for minced lamb, beef, turkey or chicken if you’d prefer. It wouldn’t be vegan then of course, but it would still be dairy-free.

 

Ingredients 

Base

500g of cooked adzuki beans (can be tinned or soaked and boiled, according to packet instructions)

1x medium brown onion diced finely

1x large carrot diced

250g mushrooms (I use large white flat or portobello)

1x tin of crushed tomatoes

2 tbsp tomato purée

2-3 tsp mixed herbs

2 garlic cloves (optional)

2-3 tbsp olive oil or any suitable cooking oil even Nuttlex

11/2 cups quality vegetable stock

Salt and pepper to taste

1-2 tbsp chickpea flour to thicken mixed to a paste before adding.

Topping 

x3 large potatoes

100-125g Dairy-Free Down Under Cheddar Cheese Shreds

3 tbsp  rice milk or any nut milk

Salt and pepper to taste

2-3 tbsp of Dairy-Free Down Under Parmesan Cheese.

 

Method

1. Peel and dice onion
2. Peel and dice carrot
3. Wash mushrooms and cut up roughly
4. Fry onion, garlic and herbs for two mins over a moderate heat
5. Add carrots and continue to cook for a further minute. Add mushrooms, stir well and cook over a low/moderate heat until mushrooms soften
6. Add tin of crushed tomatoes and the tomato purée. Stir well
7. Simmer for about ten minutes until the vegetables are cooked
8. Season, taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary
9. Add the cooked beans and stir through
10. Add enough vegetable stock to just cover the mixture and mix
11. Bring to a simmer
12. Thicken by sprinkling over a tbsp of chickpea flour and stirring it well until thickened, use more if necessary
13. Peel, boil and mash potatoes
14. Add grated cheese and enough milk to get a creamy mash texture
15. Check seasoning
16. Place the bean mix in dish Top with mash. Sprinkle over parmesan cheese
17. Bake in oven at 190°c fan until top is golden and crispy. This will take about 25 mins then to finish put under grill to bake golden brown.

Enjoy!