This savory vegan shepherd's pie is filled with chickpeas, mushrooms, carrots, onions, and green peas, and it's topped with creamy mashed purple sweet potatoes. This gluten-free and colorful casserole is a family favorite recipe that everyone will love!
In a large pan over medium heat, saute the diced onion in 3-4 tbsp vegetable broth until soft. Add minced garlic, 1 tbsp Italian seasonings, ¼ tsp black pepper, ¼ cup tomato paste, 1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire, and 1 tbsp tamari to the pan, stir, and let it cook until fragrant.
While the onions are cooking, put the purple potatoes into a large pot with cool water. Bring it to a boil and let the potatoes cook for 20 minutes or until they're fork tender. Drain the water. Add ½ cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 tbsp vegan butter, 1 tsp garlic powder, salt and pepper (to taste) and then mash until creamy.
Add the quartered mushrooms, frozen vegetables, and ½ cup red wine to the pan with the onions and let it cook until the vegetables are tender and the wine has reduced. Stir in the cooked chickpeas.
Pour 1 cup lukewarm vegetable broth in a separate bowl and whisk in 2 tsp arrowroot powder until it has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the pan with the vegetables and stir to combine. Let it cook for a few minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Pour the vegetable mixture into a large casserole dish and spread it out. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the vegetable filling.
Sprinkle vegan shredded cheese over the mashed potatoes and bake for 30 minutes. To get more color on the mashed potatoes, broil the casserole for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Remove the casserole from the oven and let it sit for 5 minutes to set up before serving. Garnish with parsley.
Notes
Boil the potatoes while the vegetable filling is cooking so both are ready at the same time.
Use frozen vegetables to save you time prepping and chopping vegetables. Any frozen vegetable mix is fine.
Don't add the arrowroot powder directly to the pan, if you do it will clump up and be difficult to incorporate. It's important to whisk the arrowroot powder into a separate bowl with the lukewarm vegetable broth or water to help it dissolve.
The red wine and vegan shredded cheese are optional ingredients. They add extra flavor to the dish, but are not necessary if you don't want to use them.
Store leftover vegan shepherd's pie in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or you can freeze it for a future meal.