This vegan cowboy skillet shepherd’s pie recipe combines mashed potatoes, seitan, pinto beans, smoked paprika, maple syrup, jalapeño, garlic, tomatoes, and more. It balances them all into one savory, slightly sweet, and very hearty meal. It takes time to bake, but wow, it smells and tastes so, so good!
This recipe makes one 12″ cast iron skillet shepherd’s pie.
A few things…
- ・If you don’t own a 12″ heavy cast iron skillet, you can still make this vegan cowboy shepherd’s pie with seitan and pinto beans. Simply spoon filling into a 9″ X 13″ casserole dish (or a casserole dish that will give you the thickness you want), top it with the mashed potatoes, and bake. It will likely need the same amount of time to bake, but keep an eye on it and adjust accordingly.
- ・You may need a little more than 1/4 cup of vegan milk to make the mashed potatoes. Sometimes, it takes another tablespoon or two to get them “fluffy and light”.
- ・Adjust the level of heat by adding more or less of the seeds and inner membrane from the jalapeño. If you like it less spicy, completely remove and discard the inner membrane and seeds of the jalapeño before chopping it up.
- ・If you want to make this vegan cowboy shepherd’s pie recipe gluten free, omit the seitan and soy sauce. Instead, use 2 drained and rinsed 15.5 ounce can of pinto beans and gluten free tamari.
- ・Finally, I used red miso, because it has intense umami flavor. If you have a mellower miso on hand, like chickpea miso or white miso, you can use it. Just make sure to taste it, and add more soy sauce (if needed), because it may not be intense enough for the pie filling.
Please enjoy! And check out other UVK recipes, like Vegan Jackfruit Chickpea Curry Shepherd’s Pie, Seitan Wheat Berry Chili, Texas Caviar with Italian Dressing, Mushroom Lentil Pot Pie, or Vegan Tofu Pot Pie.
Cowboy Skillet Shepherd’s Pie with Seitan and Pinto Beans
2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed (OR ~4 cups peeled and chopped potatoes)
4 Tbsp vegan butter
1/4 cup vegan unsweetened plain milk (see notes above)
Salt
1 large yellow onion, chopped into small pieces (OR ~2 cups chopped yellow onion)
1 Tbsp olive oil
4-5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped (see notes above)
1 1/2-2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp onion powder
Black pepper, to taste
2 cups seitan, cut into bite-size chunks (OR to make gluten free, see note above)
14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
15 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp red miso
1 Tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce (OR if gluten free, use tamari)
1/4 cup maple syrup
15.5 ounce can of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
3 scallions, chopped
1. First, you’ll need to make the mashed potatoes for the vegan cowboy skillet shepherd’s pie. In a medium saucepan, add potatoes. Fill with water until potatoes are submerged, cover with a lid, and bring the pot to a boil. As soon as it starts boiling, lower the heat. Simmer until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain off the water and remove from the stove.
2. Add the vegan butter, vegan milk, and salt (to taste) to the pot of drained, boiled potatoes. Using a hand mixer, beat until fluffy and light. Little lumpy or thick? Add another Tbsp of milk. Mix, taste, and adjust salt, if needed. Set aside.
3. In a 12″ heavy cast iron skillet, add onion, olive oil and a dash of salt. Sauté over medium heat for 7 minutes or until the onions are golden. Add the garlic, jalapeño, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, oregano, onion powder and black pepper. Sauté another minute, then, stir in seitan. If the seitan is sticking a bit, add a little more oil. Sauté for another 5 minutes–moving the seitan around.
4. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, dijon mustard, miso, soy sauce and maple syrup to the skillet. Over medium-low heat, stir until the miso has fully disintegrated into the sauce. Then, add the pinto beans. Taste the cowboy skillet shepherd’s pie filling, and make adjustments, if needed (more soy sauce? More maple syrup?). Remove the skillet from the stove.
5. Preheat the oven to 375º F. While the oven heats up, spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the top of the skillet with the seitan and pinto bean pie filling. Once the mashed potatoes are in an even layer across the top, sprinkle it with a pinch of smoked paprika and use a fork to make a design in the top. Bake at 375º F for 40 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven. Top the vegan cowboy skillet shepherd’s pie with scallions. Serve.
