Vegetarian Shepherd's pie

Traditionally Shepherd’s pie is a meat pie with a crust of mashed potatoes. It is made either with lamb or beef. I have made it a little differently (keeping all my vegetarian friends in mind) as I substituted the lamb with soya granules to retain the authentic flavor. I also added a layer of macaroni to make the dish more wholesome. It’s a complete meal in itself! 

Ingredients
For the soya granules  layer
1 Tbsp butter 
1 mediun onion,finely chopped
1 carrot, thinly sliced
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp tomato puree
soya granules -100 gms

1 tsp dried thyme                                           
salt to taste


For the Mashed potatoes layer
200 gm potatoes , peeled and boiled and mashed
Butter -15 gm  
Milk 4 tbsp
cream -2 tbsp
salt and pepper to taste 

For the macaroni layer

3 Tbsp butter
3 tbsp plain flour 
3 cups  whole milk                                        
1 1/2  cups grated cheese
1 Tbsp  mustard
1 1/2 cups boiled macaronisalt and black pepper to taste
mozzarella cheese - to sprinkle on the top

Method
Preheat the oven to 180 C.
Soak granules in warm water for 10 minutes.Squeeze out the water and keep aside.
In a pan heat the butter.Add onions and saute for 1 minute.
Add the carrots and soya granules and stir for 2-3 minutes.
Now add the salt, thyme, tomato sauce and the tomato puree.
 saute for 8-10 minutes till all the liquid is absorbed. Keep it aside to cool.
Add the butter, milk and cream to the mashed potatoes.Mix well till it is a nice creamy consistency.Season well with salt and pepper.
To make the cheese sauce for the macaroni, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute before slowly adding the milk. Bring to the boil whisking constantly, until it thickens. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.. Stir in the macaroni, cheese and mustard, stirring until the cheese is completely melted. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Keep warm.


To assimilate the dish -
Layer the  bottom of an ovenproof dish with the soya mixture.
Spoon the mashed potatoes evenly over the soya granules.
Spread the macaroni and cheese on top of the mashed potatoes.
To finish sprinkle some mozzarella cheese on the top.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 25 - 30 min until the top is golden brown and sizzling.
Serve hot.