For some reason, when I think about Winter, I think about two things: I think about sledding down the hill during the 1996 blizzard when we lived on Clearview Street. And I think of Shephard’s Pie.
Shepard’s Pie is a hearty meal and it has always been one of my favorite meals. Ever since it’s gotten cold outside, I have been dying to make one vegetarian-style. Plus, I was given a free bag of pototoes and wanted to use them before they went bad.
What you will need:
-8 small potatoes
-1/2 cup of milk
-1/2 stick of margarine
-1 cup of black beans
-1 cup of frozen vegetables
-Seasoning: onion and garlic powder, pepper, season salt
-black bean seasoning: onion soup mix
Preparation: Boil water with a pinch of salt while you clean, peel and chop the potatoes. Also preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You can use canned black beans for this recipe, but I cooked mine in my crock pot the night before. If you decide to do the same, soak beans overnight and the next day, add new water and beans to crock pot. Add in your favorite seasonings, I used the ones above as well as a pack of onion soup mix. Cook until the beans are soft.
Once the potatoes are soft, drain off all the water. Add in the milk and margarine and mash. Season to your liking. Spray the bottom of the pan or tray you are using to prevent sticking. Then layer.
I put the mashed pototoes on the bottom.
Then the black beans.
Then the frozen vegetables. There is no need to cook those, they will cook in the oven, which again should be set for 350 degrees.
Then more mashed potatoes. It took approximately 35-45 minutes to fully bake.
Growing up, we ate this with beef gravy and it was the hardest thing not to make some.
Stay warm and have a good day!
