Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie

Scrambling to have dinner served in 15 minutes? Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie is quick, yummy, simple and costs about $1 a serving to make, feeding 4-6 people. There is no downside to this recipe! You can totally adapt it with ground beef if soy substitute freaks you out (it shouldn't) but it will make your cost rise as well as your cooking time.

Ingrediants:

1 Onion Diced

1 TBS minced Garlic

2 C Mixed Frozen Vegetables

1 Package Ground Soy 'Meat Substitute' (looks like ground beef)

2 Medium Potatoes

1/4 C Butter

Cheese Optional

Preheat oven to 350. Start a small pot of boiling water for your 2 potatoes. Chop potatoes in large chunks for quicker cooking in water. Place potatoes in water once boiling. Saute your onion & garlic until lightly browned. Add frozen vegetables and ground soy and saute until thawed (about 7 minutes) If you would like to add salt, pepper or dried herbs, do so at the end of sauteing. Spray baking dish (I used 12 x 9) with non stick spray. Spread vegetable mixture in dish. Drain water from cooked potatoes, add butter to potatoes and smash with a fork in pot. Add seasoning as desired. Spread smashed potatoes over vegetable mixture. Finally, place your choice of cheese, shredded or sliced, over top of dish. Bake at 350 til browned on top and warm through (about 5 minutes). Mmmm tasty! 

**$$ SAVING TIPS- I always have packs of ground soy crumbles in my freezer. The more you season it the better it will be and it is GOOD! When I find it on clearance I stock up. If you find them on clearance in the refrigerated section and the date of expiration is that day, buy them for your freezer. Morningstar Farms routinely goes on sale and when combined with my coupons, I got them for $1.75 per package versus the regular price of $4.29 per package. Also, I stock up on a GIANT bag of organic frozen mixed vegetables for $5.79 at Costco which lasts me a few months and is extremely versatile.

**VEGAN FRIENDLY- use dairy substitute butter and soy based cheese on top. I have actually been pleasantly surprised by some of the shredded soy cheeses and have tricked skeptics into thinking they were eating the real deal! I regularly find soy based cheese on Manager Special at Kroger for about $1 a package.