A St. Patrick’s Day Classic, Reinvented: Plant-Based Shepherd’s Pie

Sláinte! While Gaelic might not be on the menu this St. Patrick’s Day, we’ve still got you covered. Bonus for Catholics out there — this plant-based Irish favorite won’t break Lent. So go ahead, rock your favorite green sweater and get festive with this shepherd’s pie from The OMD Plan — then check out your environmental savings for something extra to celebrate!

Jeff King, the head of Suzy’s MUSE School, says one of his favorite school lunches is shepherd’s pie, so it only seemed fitting to name this plant-based version after him! 

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

• 6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup rice milk
• 4 tablespoons (½ stick) plant-based butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into thinly sliced half-moons
• 3 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• ½ yellow onion, chopped
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cups cooked brown lentils
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Dash of paprika (optional)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with oil.

2. Place the potatoes in a medium pot, add cold water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender, 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, combine the milk, 2 tablespoons of the butter, and the garlic powder in a small pot and heat over low heat.

4. In a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons buttery spread over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, corn, peas, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, lentils and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

5. When the potatoes are done cooking, drain them and return to the pot. Allow the steam to dissipate, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the warm milk mixture and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Mash with a potato masher until smooth.

6. Spread the vegetable mixture evenly over the bottom of the baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes, using a spoon to spread evenly. Sprinkle the potatoes with the paprika, if desired.

7. Bake until the potatoes begin to brown, 25 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Per serving: 295 calories; 2g fat (.5g saturated fat); 60g carbohydrates; 11g ber; 12g protein; 0mg cholesterol; 880mg sodium

Image credit (top, with book) Jessica in the Kitchen

Every meal is an opportunity to make a difference for our wild living planet. We’ve done the math — here are the environmental savings by the numbers for this dish if you swap out 4 tablespoons butter and 1¼ pounds of beef: