Winter Shepherd's Pie with Savory Baked Beans

HomeClinics & ProgramsELLICSR KitchenWinter Shepherd's Pie with Savory Baked Beans

Skill Level	Easy

Preparation Time	15 minutes	Total Time	60 minutes
Servings	8	Cost Per Serving	$1.88

3	Sweet potatoes
5	Shallots, sliced
3 cloves	Garlic, sliced
2	Medium carrots, medium dice
2	Medium parsnips, medium dice
1 1/2 cups	Cooked beans (use your favourite bean. Navy, kidney or romano beans are all great)
10	Cremini or button mushrooms, thick slices
2 cups	Spinach, roughly chopped
1 tbsp	Flour (any flour will work)
2 tbsp	Thyme, finely chopped
1/4 cup	Whie cheddar cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp	Olive oil
To taste	Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Quick Mushroom Stock

1/4 cup	Dried muchrooms (porcini or shittake are best)
1 tbsp	Tomato paste
1 tbsp	Harissa paste (optional)
3	Bay leaves
4 sprigs	Thyme
1/2 tsp	Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Season the sweet potatoes with a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in the oven to bake for about 45 minutes.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the shallots and cook through until soft, about 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, carrots and parsnips and cook through another 5 minutes.
In a small jar add your ingredients for the quick mushroom stock. Cover with about 1 1/2 cups of boiling water, stir and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Add your mushrooms to the skillet and continue to cook another 3 minutes. Dust over 1 tablespoon of flour and stir through.
Add your mushroom stock, straining out the solid pieces, and stir that through.
Add your beans, thyme and spinach and season with a pinch of salt and pepper and turn the heat down to medium low, let it simmer for about 25 minutes. Add more liquid if it completely dries out.
When your sweet potatoes are cooked through and soft, use a clean plate to squish them until they are about ½ inch thick. Carefully place them on top of the skillet. Scatter a few pieces of cheddar over top and place underneath the broiler for 5 minutes until golden brown.

PDF link to nutrition facts table for Winter Shepherd's Pie with Savory Baked Beans

Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta-carotene, an antioxidant that helps protect the eyes and prevent cataracts and macular degeneration (worsening eyesight due to aging).
Mushrooms are grown in Canada year-round and are harvested every day. Canadian mushroom farms produce over 200 million pounds of mushrooms each year! Mushrooms are rich in plant nutrients such as beta-glucans that may prevent breast and prostate tumours from growing.