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This meat-free cottage pie with leek and cauliflower topping is a comforting, family-friendly dish that’s perfect for a cozy dinner. The hearty filling is made with carrots, red onion, meaty mushrooms, and red pepper, which cook together in olive oil with garlic, tomato purée, and savory herbs like sage and thyme.
What really makes this dish stand out is the leek and cauliflower topping. The cauliflower gives the topping a creamy, “cheese” texture when blended with vegan butter, oat milk, and vegan cheese. The leeks bring a mild, sweet onion flavor that pairs beautifully with the cauliflower, adding extra flavor and texture.
This cottage pie is ideal for family meals or gatherings, offering a comforting, filling dish that everyone can enjoy. It’s also a great option for meal prepping or when you need a hearty, plant-based dinner to feed a crowd. With its savory filling and creamy topping, this vegan cottage pie makes a great dish for colder weather, serving as both a warming dinner and a healthy comfort food option.
Read more: Silky Butter Beans With Roasted Corn And Hazelnuts
Meat-free cottage pie with leek and cauliflower topping
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 carrots finely diced
- 1 red onion finely diced
- 1 red pepper finely chopped
- 350 g mushrooms finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tomato purée + 100ml water
- 1 tsp tamari substitute for soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp dried sage
- 1 tsp dried thyme
Leek and cauliflower cheese topping:
- 1 small head cauliflower divided into florets
- 1 leek diced
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 200 ml oat/ almond milk
- 100 g vegan grated cheese
- 1 heaped tbsp corn flour
Instructions
- Start by finely chopping all of the base ingredients and adding to a pan with olive oil, fry on a medium heat for around 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile get a pot of water onto boil, add the cauliflower florets and leeks and allow to bubble for around 5 minutes.
- In the main pan, after 5 minutes of frying add the tomato purée and water, dried herbs and tamari and leave to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Drain the water from the cauliflower and leeks, leaving them in the colander, then add the other ingredients to the pot, heat and stir to create the ‘cheese’ sauce, add the cauliflower and leek back in stir through.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C, pour the pan full of vegetables to a baking dish, then pour the cauliflower and leek cheese topping on top, bake in the oven for around 30 minutes.
- Serve with steamed greens and enjoy.
This recipe is republished with permission from British Leeks. You can find the original recipe here.
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