Mac & Cheese Shepherd’s Pie

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

For the Pie

• 3 tbsp veg oil
• 1x 400g pack of Meatless Farm Meat Free Mince
• 1 large white onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
• 1 celery stick, de stringed and finely diced
• 150g mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp tomato puree/tomato paste
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary, finely chopped
• 1 litre of vegan ‘beef’ stock or veg stock, heated
• ½  tbsp plain flour
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (to season)
• 1 tbsp gravy granules (not meat ones… obviously)
• Plenty of black pepper
• Sea salt

For the Mac & Cheese 

• 200g Macaroni, cooked
• 60g Vegan Butter
• 60g Plain Flour
• 800g Unsweetened Soy Milk
• 3 tsp Dijon mustard
• 200g grated vegan cheese (something that melts well)
• Sea Salt to taste

For the Crispy, Garlic Pitta

• 2 pitta
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• A massive glug of olive oil
• 50g Flat leaf parsley chopped

METHOD

1. Place a non-stick pan over a medium high heat with a good glug of veg oil, carefully add the mince to the pan in one block, leave to cook on one side until well browned, carefully flip the block of mince and colour on the second side. Using a wooden spoon start to break the mince up. Keep cooking until the mince strands are well coloured on all sides. This should take 10 -12 minutes. When the mince is cooked and nice and crispy, remove the pan from the heat and leave to one side.
2. Place a pan over a low/med heat, add 3 tbsp of veg oil, tip in the onion, celery, mushrooms, carrot, garlic, bay leaf and thyme/rosemary and season well with salt and pepper. Cook gently for ten minutes until the vegetables are soft. Then add the tomato paste and cook for 2 mins.
3. Add a drizzle more oil, then tip in the flour, stir well and cook for 2 mins then slowly start adding the warm stock a little at a time until fully incorporated into the flour. Cook for 10 mins stirring regularly.
4. Add the soy sauce and plenty of black pepper. If the gravy needs to be thicker you can add a few gravy granules or cornflour. Check the seasoning and then tip in the cooked Meatless Farm Mince. Mix well, check the seasoning again.
5. Tip the pie mix into a deep baking dish and leave to cool (ideally get it in the fridge for an hour so when it’s cool enough to do so).
6. Turn your oven on to Gas Mark 5/180C.
7. Place the vegan butter in a saucepan over medium heat until fully melted, then add the flour, mix well with a wooden spoon or whisk, keep cooking for 2 mins until the flour starts to smell biscuity.
8. Then slowly add the soya milk a drizzle at a time, mix well until fully incorporated, then add more milk.
9. Keep going until the milk has been fully absorbed. Cook the sauce out until thickened and the raw taste of flour has gone.
10. Make sure you scrape around the corners of the pan to ensure the sauce isn’t lumpy. Then throw in the grated cheese, Dijon mustard and return to the heat and mix until fully melted. Season with a little salt and pepper.
11. Layer the mac & cheese on top of the mince mixture.
12. Tear up the pitta breads, mix well with the garlic, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt.
13. Sprinkle the pitta bits on top of the mac & cheese, place the baking dish on a baking tray and stick in the oven for around 30 mins at 180.C/Gas Mark 5.