Meatless Monday: Black-Eyed Bean Shepherd’s Pie

This is a great comfort dish without the heavy ingredients that is normally present in a cottage pie. This dish is loaded full of phytonutrients, fiber and protein. I normally use a steamed cauliflower mash but I had to use the Garlic Cauliflower Mash which really topped this dish off perfectly!               

Ingredients:
1 ½ cups of black eyed beans
1 Tbsp. of olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 sticks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
2 cup of pumpkin, cubed
3 cups of vegetable stock
2 teaspoon oregano (dried or 1 Tbsp. fresh)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
Fresh parsley, handful, chopped
14oz (400g) of tomato passata or canned chopped tomatoes
2 Tbsp. vegan worcestershire sauce or tamari
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 teaspoon sea salt and pepper to taste

Cauliflower Mash (pie top) :

Garlic Cauliflower Mash 

Topping (optional):
½ cup Natural Almond Meal
Light drizzle of olive oil

Directions:

1.) The night before, rinse the beans under cold water and soak overnight in cold water.

2.) Rinse the beans under fresh water and add them to a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt and cook for 1 hour (Adding a stick of kombu to cook can improve digestion). Rinse again once cooked and remove kombu. Optional: mash beans a little.

3.) Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).

4.) Slowly cook the oil, onion and garlic on medium-low heat  until soft.

5.) Add beans, celery, carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, stock, herbs, tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Simmer for 30minutes. Can add more water if needed.

6.) In a casserole dish, add all the bean tomato mix then top with the garlicy mash.

7.) Optional step: sprinkle with natural almond meal and a drizzle of olive oil.

8.) Bake for 40 mins or until slightly brown on the top.

9.) Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!

Substitutions:

Black-Eyed beans – brown lentils, red lentils, French lentils, cannellini beans
Olive oil – coconut oil
Onion – chives, leek, spring onion
Vegetables – you can use anything you have such as eggplant, sweet potato, kale, spinach, broccoli, mushroom and/or corn.
Cauliflower topping – zucchini, sweet potato, winter squash(butternut pumpkin), carrots, parsnip

Note: If you want to use canned beans then make sure the can does not contain a BPA lining.