Vegan Shepherd’s Pie with Gravy

- 3 lb. potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 tbsp vegan margarine
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk maybe slightly more
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- Sea salt and white pepper to taste
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, throughout the rest of the recipe
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion finely chopped
- 4 medium carrots peeled & small dice
- 2 parsnips or other root vegetable, peeled & small dice
- 4 celery stalks small dice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 3 tbsp white rice flour
- 1/4 cup red wine or more broth
- 1 cup vegetable broth or more as needed
- 2 cups cooked & drained lentils or chickpeas
- Finish with vegan gravy separate recipe provided
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Preheat your oven to 425° F. Lightly oil a 3-quart casserole dish. Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 30 minutes until very tender.
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Meanwhile, prepare the vegetable filling… Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet on medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, parsnip, and celery. Season with salt & pepper. Cook on medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
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When the veggies are quite tender, add the garlic, thyme and Italian seasoning. Cook for a couple minutes, then stir in the rice flour. Stir to coat everything then add the red wine and stir in quickly. Add the stock and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the lentils (or chickpeas) and spoon the vegetable filling into casserole dish.
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When the potatoes are done cooking, drain and mash before adding anything else. Then add the margarine, milk, yeast and onion powder. Season with salt and WHITE pepper and mash well. Spread over the veggie filling and dust with paprika.
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Bake for about 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly. (Can be made ahead and baked later, but it will take about an hour to heat through.) Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving. Mixture will be very hot in the middle so be careful! It is best served with vegan gravy, which I provide separately.