By: Wren Fair

Nothing can beat the soul warming comfort of a Shepherd’s Pie! My vegetarian version, featuring a mashed potato top, still provides that sumptuous, soul food flavor without all the calories. As with most recipes you’ll find on Live Well, you can easily substitute the filling vegetables and spices with ingredients you already have.

Vegetable Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes (any kind will do!)

1 head of broccoli

1 summer squash

3 medium carrots

1/2 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp each of dried basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano

1/2 tsp comino (cumin)

1 tsp paprika

1 cup of low sodium chicken or vegetable broth

2 tbsp butter

1 cup milk

3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Pre-heat your over to 350 degrees. Put a pot of water on the stove to boil.  Peel and roughly dice the potatoes into large chunks. Add the potatoes to the water when its boiling. Allow the potatoes to boil while you prep the rest of the ingredients.

2. Roughly chop the broccoli, squash and carrots. Give the onion and garlic a finer dice. Check on the potatoes, if you can easily pierce them with a fork, they are ready and can be drained. If they need a little more time, go ahead and start sauteing your vegetables.

**If you saute your vegetables in a cast iron skillet or another oven safe pan, you can save yourself another dirty dish by putting the mashed potato topping directly onto the cooked veggies**

3. Using Olive Oil or the cooking oil of your choice, starting with the carrots and broccoli, begin sauteing the vegetables over medium high heat. After the carrots and broccoli have cooked for about five minutes, add the squash, onion and garlic. Add all the herb and spices at this point (including salt and pepper to taste), and continue to saute for another five to ten minutes.

4. Add the broth to the vegetables and let simmer on medium low heat while you mix your mashed potato topping. You can simmer without covering so the liquid will eventually cook off.

5. Being mashing your drained potatoes, adding in the butter and milk as you go. Add salt and pepper to taste, and some fresh rosemary or herbs if you have some on hand.

6. Once the potatoes are mashed, spread them evenly in a layer on top of your simmered  vegetables. You may need to transfer the vegetables to an oven safe pan before you do this. 

7. Finally, sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top and pop your Shepherd’s Pie in the oven. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown.