Instant Pot Vegan Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Cauliflower

Shepherd's Pie and Mashed Cauliflower in one Instant Pot?  Yes, Ma'm.  Instant Pot comes with a trivet and this recipe employs its use to the hilt to accomplish the stacking approach.  The shepherd's pie is cooked right in the pot, trivet is positioned above it and the cauliflower is placed in a seven inch container to hold the cauliflower florets.

The recipe and idea of using the stacking method to cook both the pie and cauliflower was adapted from the book The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook by Megan Gilmore. I tweaked the original recipe by using tomato paste, miso paste, nutritional yeast and bay leaves to enhance the depth of flavor of the filling. I also added green peas to the vegetable medley at the end.

Instant Pot Vegan Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Cauliflower

Adapted from the book The Fresh & Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook by Megan Gilmore.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 carrots, cut in half inch pieces
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, roughly cut
• 1/2 cup lentils
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dry rosemary
• 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce or more to taste
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• 1 head cauliflower cut into small pieces
• 1 tbsp miso paste or more to taste
• 8 ounces frozen green peas

1. Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the cauliflower, miso paste and green peas in the Instant Pot and mix them. 

2. Place the trivet on top of the vegetables and put a seven inch oven safe bowl on top. Place the cauliflower florets and 1/2 cup water in the bowl. 

3.  Securely place the lid and be sure the steam release valve is in the Sealing position.

4  Select Manual/Pressure Cook to cook at high pressure for 5 minutes. 

5. When the cooking cycle is done, allow the pressure to naturally release for 10 minutes.   At the end of ten minutes, move the steam release valve to Venting position to allow the remaing pressure to escape.  

6. When all the pressure is released the floating valve will drop, and you can now open the lid. Using an oven mitt remove the trivet and the bowl out of the pot. 

7,  Remove the bay leaves from the vegetable filling and add the miso paste with stirring and adjust the other seasonings. Add the frozen green peas and stir.  

8. Mash the cauliflower with nondairy milk, salt and pepper in the bowl with a fork or transfer in a blender.

9. Serve the vegetable filling in a large bowl or individual bowls 

topped with mashed cauliflower.