Shepard's Pie

My boyfriend loves Trader Joe's Shepard's pies because they are cheap, quick, easy, and yummy. Every time I go to Trader Joe's and ask him what he would like me to pick up, he says. "oo oo Shepard's pie?" with a cute little smile. They smell delicious, but the beef inside turns me off. So I thought, why not try and make one myself...the vegan way.

After cooking my Tofurky the night before and not even making a dent into it, I needed to make this pie. I normally don't like potatoes but these fake bacon ones (which I'm now calling Facon Taters) are to die for. Seriously good food. Instead of buying russet potatoes, I bought the cute little purple ones. They cook very quickly and are super creamy without any butter or milk. So let's get down to the nitty gritty: the pie.

Everyone makes their Tofurky glaze differently, but if you are going to make one anytime soon, I highly suggest coating it in molasses before putting on your glaze. It makes a world of a difference in flavor. I also cut slits every 2 inches to let the glaze seep in as it cooked. You can see the slits in the photo. The green herb is sage. I used orange juice, soy sauce, olive oil, and maple syrup for the glaze.

I made the Tofurky and mashed potatoes the night before the pie. So I just had to reheat some stuff and chop it up. If you're going all out and making the Tofurky and potatoes and pie in the same day, I would suggest also bringing your patience!

Shepard's Pie
Feeds two-three very hungry people 
Prep Time: 30 minutes 
Cook Time: 30 minutes


What You Need
1 C finely diced leftover Tofurky
1/4 C leftover stuffing (or whatever stuffing you have left inside)
1 1/2 C Finely chopped cooked veggies from around Tofurky I used:

9 baby carrots

9 pearl onions
5 potatoes
1 clove garlic
4 white mushrooms
1/2 red bell pepper
Sprinkle of salt and pepper

1 container Giblet Gravy (comes with Tofurky)
1/2 bag Daiya Cheese, mozzarella

2 cups Facon Taters (recipe follows)


1 standard foil pie pan

What You Do 


1) Melt gravy in saucepan over medium heat.
2) Heat up mashed potatoes over low (or if you just made them they should still be warm).
3) Assemble finely chopped veggies and Tofurky on bottom of pie pan.
4) Pour hot gravy over veggies, almost the entire container, but leave a few tablespoons out because it will overflow.
5) Top with warm mashed potatoes by putting large spoonfuls around the top, and then spreading them out with a fork. DO NOT put them all on top in the middle like frosting a cake. They will sink down!
6) Add your Daiya cheese.
7) Place pie pan onto cookie sheet into 375* oven for 30 minutes.
8) Eat a bowlful and enjoy your delicious hard work!

Ps: You can use whatever veggies you normally cook with your Tofurky in this pie. This is a very versatile recipe so that you can use what leftovers you have on hand. Got leftover stuffing from another recipe? Put a scoop of that in. Don't have regular mashed potatoes? Try your leftover sweet potatoes for a sweeter pie. Remember, cooking should be easy and fun. I used my leftovers and made this pie easy for me. Make it easy for you too!

Facon Taters
6 purple potatoes
1/2 C non dairy milk
3 T Earth Balance
1/2 package Fake Bacon (I used Smart Bacon by Lightlife), cooked and chopped finely

1) Cook potatoes in microwave, 2-4 minutes each depending on size.
2) Place in a medium sized pot and cream them with your smart stick.
3) Add in margarine and milk and cream until fully mixed.
4) Stir in bacon