Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Published on June 14, 2024

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This recipe comes from the Scott Pilgrim graphic novels. It's a great potluck dish. Read the notes for substitutions/upgrades.

Time: about 1 hour Servings: 9 or so

Ingredients

Gravy

• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 3/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dijon mustard

Pie

• 24 oz of Impossible brand ground beef
• 6 medium russet potatoes, chopped into small pieces
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced/garlic pressed
• 3/8 cup milk
• 3/4 stick of butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup red wine
• ground black pepper
• salt

Instructions

1. Boil the potatoes for 15-20 minutes; until tender. Drain, then add 1/4 cup milk and the butter to the potatoes. Mash them up and salt/pepper as you please.
2. Add all the gravy ingredients to a medium pot and bring to a boil. Constantly whisk over medium-high heat until the gravy thickens. Remove from heat.
3. Heat the olive oil in a big pan (or pot) on medium-high; add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and red wine. Cook until they are very soft, about 10-15 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
5. Add the meat and mix well. Wait until the meat browns to add the gravy mixture and 1/8 cup of milk. Again, mix well. Salt/pepper to taste.
6. Once satisfactorily mixed, glop the meat/veggie mixture into a 9x13 baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top in an even layer.
7. Place the dish into the oven for 5 minutes, then broil for 2 minutes (to crisp up the top).
8. Serve immediately!

Notes

• if you want to make this recipe vegan, replace the butter with margarine and the milk with soymilk
• you can omit the red wine if you wish (no sub needed). I recommend using a cabernet sauvignon or a merlot if you do include the wine
• if you want the meat goop to be saucier, add some more milk!
• keep an eye on the gravy, it can get chunky if you aren't whisking it enough
• you can put beef in this. like the one from the cow. there's no change to the recipe

Vegetarian Italian Wedding Soup

Published on June 9, 2024

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This is a vegetarian version, for no other reason than I like working with Impossible brand beef. Read the notes for substitutions/upgrades.

Time: about 1 hour Servings: 6 or so

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 1/2 lb Impossible brand ground beef
• 1/4 cup italian panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp pecorino romano
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced/garlic pressed
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• pinch of truffles

Soup

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced/garlic pressed
• 8 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 tbsp dried dill
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup acini di pepe
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, stems removed, cut in half
• 2 tbsp pecorino romano

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, combine meatball ingredients and mix well.
2. Form meatballs about the size of a penny/1 cent euro. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and place in the fridge.
3. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a soup pot (big pot). Add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook covered, until soft (about 10 minutes on medium).
4. Add the stock, dill, oregano, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low boil. Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
5. Drop the meatballs into the soup and continue to cook. Move onto the next step when the meatballs float to the top.
6. Add spinach and cook until the spinach looks soggy.
7. Add the pasta and the pecorino romano. Stir. Cook until pasta is tender (this should be quick).
8. Remove from heat and serve!

Notes

• you can replace the italian bread crumbs with plain bread crumbs
• I don't use fresh dill because I am lazy. For fresh dill, use 1/4 cup
• you can use any small pasta, but if it's larger than a pea, you need to adjust the order of steps to account for a longer pasta cook time
• some other pastas I use are ditalini, stelline, and anellini. Do NOT use orzo
• you may find that you would like more broth, especially since specific pasta types are leeches when stored in the fridge
• save the vegetable scraps and put in the freezer to use for a stock later
• if you're all huffy about the pecorino romano, chiudi il becco