Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie Recipe (with homemade veggie ground round) (2024)

Meatless Mondays don’t have to be a sad affair. With this vegetarian shepherd’s pie recipe, your family won’t even notice the difference! Learn how to make this dish in 30 minutes or less, including how to make an easy veggie ground round from scratch.

ALL FROM SCRATCH VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE

Vegetarian shepherd’s pie makes an appearance on my menu at least once a month. Textured vegetable protein, commonly known as TVP, costs next to nothing if you buy it in bulk. This makes the savings considerable. In a recipe like this, I normally spend between seven to ten dollars on ground beef or lamb, if not more. Plus, when you compare the price to what pre-made veggie ground round costs in store (and all the nasty ingredients that come with it), you’ll definitely want to make your own!

While vegetarian ground round is cheaper than ground meat, making your own with TVP is even more economical. In Canada, the vegetarian ground round is three or four dollars when it’s on sale. A cup of TVP? Fifty cents. Why wouldn’t you make your own?

VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE RECIPE VIDEO

In my world, every recipe needs a demo! Here’s the video tutorial to go with this recipe. If you like my style, please consider subscribing to the Vintage Kitchen Vixen YouTube channel!

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THE BENEFIT OF MAKING VEGGIE GROUND ROUND

At most, you can save ten or fifteen minutes in the kitchen if you decide to use a store-bought vegetarian chuck. I get it. It’s a convenience factor! However, the advantage of making your own apart from the frugal factor is that you have full control over the ingredients. I invite you to take a look at some of the ingredients in a standard package of veggie ground round:

• Wheat protein product.
• Natural flavours.
• Canola oil.
• Guar gum.
• Evaporated cane juice. Ahem, sugar.
• Caramel colour.
• Unidentified spices.

Yeah, I’ll make my own, thank you very much! In any case, this is one of those meals that freezes well. Right before I had my first child, a friend filled my freezer with a vegetarian shepherd’s pie. It was quite possibly the greatest gift anyone has ever given me. Alternatively, you can prep it during the weekend and pop it in the oven later on in the week. It beats ordering takeout.

MEATLESS MONDAYS MADE EASY WITH VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE

I don’t remember when Meatless Mondays started trending, but I’m glad they did. Compared to soy and legumes, meat is an expensive grocery item. Moreover, if you’re buying industrially raised meat, it’s not environmentally sustainable nor is it a particularly healthy menu item. We’re talking hormones and antibiotics. Then there are the miserable conditions industrial animals are raised in. No living creature should have to live like that for my expense!

I like knowing where my meat comes from, and I don’t mind spending extra to support local, sustainable and humane farming practices. If that means I have to eat less meat throughout the week to eat something that’s of higher quality, so be it. I spent two or three years as a vegetarian, so I know my way around plant-based menus. When I don’t know what to make or I’m feeling lazy, vegetarian shepherd’s pie is my go-to dish. Why? I almost always have all the ingredients on hand, and I can get it on the table in roughly thirty minutes.

PLAY AROUND WITH THIS MEATLESS DISH

When it comes to shepherd’s pie, there’s more than one way to skin the cat. The most obvious one is making it with ground beef or lamb. Often times, the meat filling includes a gravy, or maybe carrots, celery, and fresh rosemary. Some people like making their’s au gratin (baked with cheese on top) or with breadcrumbs.

Different tweaks call for different names. A true shepherd’s pie is prepared with lamb. If it’s with beef, it’s called a cottage pie, but it’s all the same to me at the end of the day. Where I am, in Québec, Canada, they make it with creamed corn and call it pâté chinois. For my purposes, I use whatever I have on hand: potatoes (naturally), TVP, and whatever veggies I have in the freezer. If I have celery in the fridge or fresh herbs on hand, I’ll throw some of that in, too. I’m the cook. I can do whatever I want!

TIPS FOR MAKING THE MASHED POTATOES

Of all the comfort foods out there, mashed potatoes are my favourite. The only time I don’t make extra is when I’m making shepherd’s pie. I have no clue why that is, and it’s really a shame. I adore frying up mashed potato patties for breakfast and letting my egg yolks run into them. Speaking of egg yolks, did you know that adding one to your mashed potatoes makes them sinfully rich and creamy? I feel bad for the lone egg white though, so I toss the whole egg in, shell excluded. What I should do is start up a container for my egg whites. It’s a bakery trick, saving the egg whites. Properly stored, they can last a good long while.

Another thing that makes for creamy mashed potatoes is beating them with a handheld mixer. I learned this trick from an old Polish man who spent a lifetime running his own restaurants. He was full of stories about the war, his travels around the globe, the parties he used to throw, and his businesses, bless his heart. That man could cook, and his mashed potatoes were scrumptious.

See Also

Best Soy Curls RecipeTeriyaki Tofu RecipeEasy Japanese Miso Ground Pork Stir Fry RecipeTVP Veggie Bacon Bits Recipe (Vegan) | Smoky and Crispy

A FEW MORE POTATO TIPS

Golly, I could do a whole post on mashed potatoes! I’m not joking. I have a few more tips for you, but the gamut doesn’t stop here.

• Use Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes.
• Always start your potatoes in cold water. If you add them to boiling water, they cook unevenly.
• Use a heavy hand in salting the water. Like, a palmful of kosher salt. Your water should taste like the sea.
• If you properly salt your water, you won't need to add salt to your mashed potatoes.
• Butter, milk, and nutmeg round everything off beautifully.

THANK YOU FOR STOPPING BY THE KITCHEN!

Thank you so much for popping by today! I need to ask: have you ever made your own veggie ground round before? If you give this recipe a try, I hope you’ll let me know how it goes in the comments below! P.S. before you head on out, here are a couple of other recipes that can be made with veggie ground round…

TRY THESE RECIPES OUT WITH DIY VEGGIE GROUND ROUND

Fiery chipotle slow cooker chili

Tourtière (a classic Québecois meat pie)

VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE INGREDIENTS

For the mashed potatoes:

4 potatoes, peeled and cubed

1 egg

1/4 cup milk

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

For the vegetarian ground round:

1 cup textured vegetable protein (TVP)

3/4 cup boiling water

1 onion, chopped

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup frozen corn

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tsp summer savoury

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

4 dashes Worcestershire sauce

VEGETARIAN SHEPHERD’S PIE INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. In a medium bowl, pour boiling water over the TVP. Give it a stir and cover.
3. In a large pot, add cold water to the potatoes and bring to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer until fully cooked.
4. Heat olive oil in a large pan. Over medium-high heat, sauté the onions until soft and translucent.
5. Add the hydrated TVP, peas and corn to the onions. Sauté for 1 minute.
6. Season with ketchup, summer savoury, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Turn down heat and continue to stir occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
7. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Add milk, butter and nutmeg. Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth.
8. Add the egg to the potatoes and beat until incorporated.
9. Transfer the vegetarian ground round to an 8x8 casserole dish. Layer with the mashed potatoes.
10. Pop it in the oven for 5-10 minutes or broil.

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Love and gratitude,