Shepherd’s Mac
If you enjoy both shepherd’s pie and mac uncheese, chances are you’ll love this nontraditional union of the two in one delicious casserole.
Ingredients
Lentils
- 1
tablespoon
(15 ml) olive oil - 21/2
cups
(175 g) chopped mushrooms - 21/2
cups
(495 g) cooked lentils - 21/2
cups
(338 g) frozen mixed vegetables
steamed - 2
tablespoons
(30 ml) tamari
divided - 1/2
teaspoon
onion powder - 1/2
teaspoon
garlic powder - Salt and ground black pepper
to taste
Pasta
- 16
ounces
(454 g) radiatore
or other small pasta
Sauce
- 21/2
cups
(600 ml) water - 1
large russet potato
peeled and diced - 1
small carrot
chopped - 3/4
cup
(105 g) unsalted raw cashews - 1/2
of a small yellow onion
chopped - 2
garlic cloves
smashed - Salt
to taste - 1/2
cup
(30 g) nutritional yeast - 2
tablespoons
(28 g) vegan butter - 1
tablespoon
(15 ml) fresh lemon juice - 1/2
teaspoon
prepared yellow mustard - 1/4
teaspoon
ground turmeric - 1/4
teaspoon
smoked paprika - Ground black pepper
to taste
Topping
- Toasted panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- To make the lentils: In a skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the lentils, mixed vegetables, 1 tablespoon (15 mof the tamari, the onion powder, and garlic powder and season with salt and pepper. Stir well to mix. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend the flavors. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- To make the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well and set aside.
- To make the sauce: In the same pot over high heat, combine the water, potato, carrot, cashews, onion, and garlic and season with salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the vegetables are soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Carefully transfer the contents of the pot to a high-speed blender.
- Add the nutritional yeast, butter, lemon juice, remaining 1 tablespoon (15 mof tamari, mustard, turmeric, and paprika and season with the pepper. Blend until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides, as needed.
- Return the pasta to the pot. Pour the sauce over the pasta and gently stir to combine.
- Transfer the lentil mixture to a 9 × 13-inch (23 × 33 cbaking dish, spreading it evenly. Spread the pasta mixture on top.
-
To finish: Sprinkle the top with the toasted panko bread crumbs. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Recipe Notes
Vegan Mac & Cheese by Robin Robertson © 2019 Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.
