Vegan Cottage Pie
Possibly one of the most scrumptious meal you will have on the Vegan side of life, this recipe was developed during the second half of 2019 when I fully immersed in Veganism for the first time in my life. I was introduced to Veganism as a result of an animal behavioral and psychological training studies at Columbia University. The group was not only distinctly kind, but ecologically-centric people. By being with this group for the first half of 2019, in weekly seminars and meetings, I learned about this particular way of being and a different way of living.
Habitually, I had been flexitarian for the last 14-years -- taking extended breaks from animal proteins between 3-months to 9-months each year. So the transition to try out Veganism wasn't too difficult. Although, I did have concerns for carb-loading and appetite since I wasn't entirely sure if everything I would eat would be all that tasty. Armed with salad, french fries, and bread+oil as my go-to meals, (should Vegan cuisine find me hungry with no options) I committed to a full try out of Veganism for a 6-months stretch. I started on July 1, 2019. Throughout the 6-months, I found myself excited by the food science of home kitchen protein productions of TVP and seitan, natural umami productions and cheese replacements, to vegan base flavoring options. More importantly, I found an agreeable attitude towards synthetic foods, and an increasing affinity for anti-MSG as a result of a cleaner bio-system from the Vegan diet.
Some background,
In my first attempt at Vegetarianism as a teenage, I found myself skinnier than necessarily good as I was already an individual with lean muscle mass. After a year, I also found that my hair and skin were not as strong as those who regularly consumed meat. My physician was concerned about my supplementary nutrition intake and cautioned my health levels as a result of this "deviation from the norm". However, I felt great. Every time/year, I would briefly return to meat protein for the sake of getting that protein booster for my skin, hair, and nails -- each time I would encounter the shock and recovery process of eating meats from mild stomach pains to cold sweats. The biological symptoms only got worst as I grew older each year. It seemed my body's ability to rehabilitate back to carnivorous activities were weakening, compared to the previous year: I was sure I was losing the enzymes to process and digest meats naturally. Eventually, through a prolonged period of weekly Vegetarians and selective protein days -- which aided me in fortifying the health that I do have today -- I found the ability to not go overboard with my dietary qualms. When I do eat meat, I had always enjoyed pies of all sorts: cream of asparagus and medley of greens baked under a blanket of flaky pastry is a vegetarian favorite as reactor for my love of creamy chicken pot pie. I just love the taste of flaky pastry over a well-cooked, preferably baked/skillet veg or meat, served with a savory cream sauce (and not necessarily a bechamel sauce). As a Vegan, I learned to make meat replacements from lentils by first experiment with lentil soup a la Bertucci. Lentils as a focal protein, and meat replacement for Veganese, is a huge tastemaker for Vegetarian lasagne. When I began experimenting with Greek Veganese, my vegan recipes finally took off. Prior to that, Vegan tasted more like laboratory experiments. I had stemmed on a food experiment with Vegan Moussaka -- and this changed my Vegan world. Not only was the creamed potato uncompromised, to the Beef-based Moussaka I enjoyed, but the umami of the crispy baked top of the Moussaka helped me form my Vegan lentil base/paste for soups and casseroles. From there, the Vegan Cottage Pie was found.
To make this recipe, start one day before you want to eat the pie.
Night before, prep:
- Soak 1-2 cups of lentils overnight (use black, green, and/or red lentils)
- For a heartier meal: add more lentils! Lentils are the more "beef" to the recipe. By soaking, thoroughly rinsed, lentils in tomato sauce overnight in a warm slow cooker overnight you'll have the purist form of vegan protein without any processed food or fillers. It will not taste like beef in anyway, but it will introduce you to a protein palette which is vegetable base. Your palette on a Vegan diet will come out cleaner than when you eat meat. The after taste is simply non-existent in Veganese.
Now, 90-minutes to oven-baked Vegan cottage pie,
Saute in a large sauce pan or skillet:
- Onions, 1 cup diced
- Garlic, 4 cloves crushed/minced
- Soaked lentils
- with a splash of olive oil.
When the onions and garlic have sweated, add:
- Carrots, 1 cup diced
- Peas, 1 cup thawed
- Seasoning: Salt, Pepper, Bay Leaf
- Tomatoes: 1 can diced and 1 can crushed
- Optional: 1 can of water or vegetable broth
Cook and stew until the lentils are twice in size and the carrots are nice and tender. The bigger and softer of lentils you want, the more water and stewing it will take before you ladle the lentil base into the casserole for the oven.
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| This is the Cottage Pie lentil base with sauteed onions, vegs, aubergines, tomatoes. It's stewed in crush tomato sauce and seasoned with bay leaf, Kosher salt, and pepper. This recipe performs really well with mixed black, green, and red lentils. |
Have ready,
- Potatoes, 2 lbs boiled, peeled, and mashed OR Tater Tots 1 bag
- Vegan cheese, 1 pack
- (Vegan mozarella is great or if you want to stick closer to the original meat cottage pie recipe/flavors try the Vegan Swiss which is plenty pungent)
- Seasoned Panko or Vegan parmesan for the crust
- For Vegetarian mash potato crust, add one egg along with the milk, cream, and oil blend of your choice to the mashed potato. This will give you a casserole that cuts like a pie.
Pre-table,
Cook the assembled casserole in a preheated oven of 450 Fahrenheit until the potato top is bubbly or cheese melts turns golden and the panko is crispy/crusty. This should take no more than 20-minutes in the oven. Leftovers reheat nicely in 700~900W microwaves with the food container lightly covered. It's okay to steam the reheat.
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| Precook tater tots decreases in oven time and makes for a fun presentation. Lightly season with Kosher salt, pepper, and parmesan right before it finishes for extra umami. |
Variations from this recipe:
To make the Vegan Moussaka add two large aubergines thinly sliced to the casserole assembly, layering lentil/veg base first between layers of aubergines and more lentil/tomatoe sauce before topping the casserole with mashed potatoes, panko, and shredded cheese. You will want to start with a soupier tomato lentil base for the Moussaka, otherwise your aubergine will drink up all the sauces whilst in the casserole baking. My version opts out of the bechamel sauce, instead I opted for a creamier mashed potato crust and a soupier lentil and grilled veg filling with shredded cheese. [This recipe is crazy good on the Vegetarian version, i.e. using real cheese (parmesan and low fat mozzarella), between layers and on top of the potato crust.]
How to mash potatoes for Vegan cuisine:
Boil in water seasoned with Kosher salt, then mash and add almond or cashew milk topped with a splash vegetable broth. If you like butter in your mashed potatoes, Earth makes a great spread. Most dairy aisle features olive oil whipped butter. Coconut butter does carry a rounded coconutty flavor, that can be "challenging" if making a savory dish (reserve for sweets/pastries that call for some sugar to flavor or an Asianesque casserole instead). Soy blend spreads are extremely delicious, too -- but are not the best in large quantities for the cancer-prone patients.
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| The cheese still managed to wiggle it's way up to the surface of the pie. |
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| A nice piece cut out. The lentil base candied nicely turning the crust to pie filling ratio to 1:1.25. Not too saucy and perfect next to a fresh salad. |
