This recipe belongs to Orla. She will tell you this is her family’s recipe for traditional Irish Shepard’s Pie. She always makes that distinction. Her recipe calls for one pound of ground lamb and one pound of ground beef. I used Beyond Meat’s Beefy Crumbles. Her recipe also calls for white potatoes and I used sweet potatoes because that is what we had in our pantry. Her recipe called for one cup of peas and I added an extra half cup because I LOVE peas. Her recipe called for red wine and, of course, I used red wine! And also enjoyed some while cooking this delicious dish.

I didn’t grow up with Shepard’s Pie and, truth be told, this is the first time I’ve made it. Some folks find that fact simply amazing. But, I grew up with pasta, gravy and meatballs. I think we can all agree that pasta, gravy and meatballs can also be classified as comfort food. In fact, one could say these dishes are very similar in that they contain a starch, a protein and a vegetable.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion finely diced
• 3 large carrots finely diced
• 1 1/2  cups of frozen peas
• 1 1/2  bags of Beyond Meat Beefy Crumbles
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of thyme
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon non-dairy butter (I used Earth Balance Soy free)
• 2 tablespoons all purpose gluten free flour (I used Pillsbury)
• 1 cup of red wine (I used Rex Goliath Merlot — great for cooking and as a base for Sangria)
• 1 cup of vegetable stock
• Enough mashed sweet potato to cover 9×13 dish (I used 4 large potatoes)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400
• Sauté carrots and onion in a sauté pan until they get soft
• Add the Beefy Crumbles and sauté for a few minutes
• Next, add the black pepper and thyme
• Cook Beefy Crumbles until browned
• Add the butter and the frozen peas, stir in until butter begins to melt
•  Sprinkle with flour
• Add tomato paste, wine and Worcestershire sauce
• Stir, let this reduce slightly then remove from the heat
• Next, grease a 9×13 pan or glass dish
• Pour the Beefy Crumble mixture into a 9×13 greased dish
• Spoon the mashed potato over the top
• Bake for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes get browned

What I would have done differently:

I would have added some non-dairy milk to the sweet potatoes and whipped them up a bit and then topped the Beefy Crumble mixture. I will give that a go the next time I make this dish and there will be a next time!

Enjoy!

Please make sure that all of your ingredients are gluten free. Just because ingredients are listed  does not insinuate that they are gluten free. Please make sure you choose the appropriate ingredients for your audience of tasters. Kroger has a wonderful list on their website (71 pages) of all the gluten free items in their stores.