I used to love Shepard’s Pie; the combination of veggies, gravy [and meat :-(], topped with fluffy mashed potatoes is an irresistible combination. It’s so comforting, perfect for these cold winter days and something I’ve missed for a long time.
I received free samples of Healthy Solutions Spice Blends mentioned in this post at no cost. By posting this recipe, I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by Healthy Solutions and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.
But that all has changed. Since discovering how smashed chickpeas resemble the texture of meat crumbles, I’ve been using them all the time in curries, stews and chilis with great success. They are awesome in this meatless Shepard’s pie too, providing the perfect texture to accompany the veggies and gravy sauce. Plus, they’re super healthy! In fact, this dish is packed with nutrition from the combination of veggies, the chickpeas, the potatoes and it only has minimal fat from the small bit of oil for sauteing and margarine for the potatoes.
The Healthy Solutions Savory Meatloaf Spice Blend is what makes this dish come together though. This spice mix is fresh, flavorful and adds an easy complexity to the dish; you don’t need a whole kitchen full of spices to make this dinner stand out. The great thing about spice blends, and in particular this one which is made for meatloaf, is they are what gives the food seasoning, not really the meat, so when you go meatless, it’s simple. The flavor you are craving is still there and still awesome.
You don’t need loads of fat, sugar, salt or unhealthy ingredients to make food taste good; an awesome blend of spices will easily make it so you don’t have to sacrifice flavor for health :-).
The veggies I used, carrots, corn, bell pepper and green beans, can be substituted out easily if you happen to prefer others. I just used these because they are what I had on hand. As long as you have approximately 2 cups of veggies, that will be good. Also, you’ll notice that I used the chickpeas and their liquid in this recipe, the liquid which is normally drained. Chickpea brine, also known as aquafaba, has taken the vegan/egg-free world by storm. I’ve used it a lot for sweet applications, like meringues or egg-less cakes, but it also has savory applications, like for sauces and gravies when cooked down a little bit. In this recipe, it takes the place of additional vegetable broth and adds a deep rich flavor to the dish.
An easy, healthy dinner solution, sure to please the whole family.
- 1½ lbs white or russet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine
- ¼-1/3 cup non-dairy plain milk
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 15 oz cans chickpeas (do not drain!)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, diced
- ½ cup corn (canned or frozen)
- ½ cup green beans, cut
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- ½ cup carrots, evenly chopped
- 2 tablespoons Healthy Solutions Savory Meatloaf Spice Mix + plus a pinch for sprinkling on top
- 1 tablespoon gluten free flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough water just to cover them. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
- Drain potatoes and then mash with the margarine and non-dairy milk. The amount of non-dairy milk you need will depend on the potatoes, so start with the ¼ cup and add more as needed to get a nice mash. Set aside until needed.
- While the potatoes are simmering, you can start the veggie mixture. In a food processor or blender, add the chickpeas
- with their liquid
- and pulse several times until they are broken up in small chunks, but not pureed. Set aside.
- Add the veg oil to a large skillet, then add the onion & garlic and saute for 5 min or so until light golden brown.
- Add the corn, green beans, bell pepper, carrots, Healthy Solutions Meatloaf Spice Mix, and flour. Saute for 5 minutes, mixing well.
- Add the chickpeas and tomato paste and simmer 8-10 minutes. Mixture will thicken as it cooks.
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- In an 8x8 baking dish, spread the chickpea mixture and arrange the mashed potatoes on top. Sprinkle a bit of the seasoning over the potatoes and then bake for 25-30 minutes.
- Let cool 8-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy 🙂
