The ultimate British comfort food - a hearty vegan Cottage Pie topped with colcannon mash. A crowd-pleaser for all the family!
I promised you easy vegan comfort food, and you can't get much more comforting than this cosy Colcannon-topped Vegan Cottage Pie. We often have this as a Sunday lunch for all the family, served with green peas and tenderstem broccoli.
Why not make a batch and freeze in individual foil trays, so you have some standby suppers for weeknights when you don't have time to cook?
If you haven't heard of Colcannon, it is a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with either kale or cabbage, and onion. The brilliantly-named 'Rumbledethumps' is a similar Scottish equivalent, as is the English 'Bubble & Squeak'.
Perhaps its no surprise that the same ingredients make up such traditional dishes in all three countries - the ingredients are cheap, plentiful and easy to grow, taste great and go together really well. What better way to top a vegan shepherds pie?!
I'm not sure I've met anyone who doesn't like Cottage Pie, so this is a great crowd-pleaser to serve up to non-vegan friends and family, and the colcannon topping makes it just that bit more special.
I used a piping bag with a wide nozzle to make the top look super-pretty, but if you're in a hurry just spread the mash with a knife and use a fork to make a criss-cross or zig-zag pattern instead.
👩🏽🍳 Mash Variations
If you don't have the time or inclination to make the Colcannon Mash, you could instead try topping the pie with:
- Sun-dried tomato mash - just stir a few tablespoons of sun-dried tomato paste through the mash
- My creamy Butter Bean Mash recipe - for an extra protein-boost
- Cheesy Mustard Mash - stir a spoon of wholegrain mustard and a handful of vegan cheddar through the mash
- Pesto Mash - you guessed it - a tablespoon of pesto stirred through
- My microwave Cauliflower Mash recipe - so easy and creamily good!
...or come up with your own flavour combinations!
❄️ Freezing
This freezes really well - I use foil trays, either large trays for a family meal, or individual trays to serve one or two. You can then either defrost before cooking, or else cook from frozen for an hour, (cover with foil for the first 40 minutes so that the top doesn't get too dried out).
📝 What you need
You will need:
- Large saucepan
- Large lidded frying pan or casserole
- Colander / sieve for draining
- Ovenproof pie dish
- Potato masher
- Mini-chopper / blender (optional)
Shopping List:
- carrot
- sweet potato
- onion
- potatoes (600g)
- curly kale
- spring onions
- tin cannellini beans
- tin green or brown lentils
- tin chopped tomatoes
- vegetable stock powder (check it is vegan)
- gravy granules (check they are vegan)
- dairy-free milk
- dairy-free margarine
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🍽 If you liked that...
.... you might also enjoy these vegan recipes from The Veg Space:
Vegan Cottage Pie with Colcannon Mash
Ingredients
For the Pie Filling
- 1 large carrot
- 1 sweet potato
- 2 tablespoon rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 1 onion
- 400 g tin cannellini beans
- 400 g tin green or brown lentils
- 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon vegetable stock powder (check it is vegan)
- 2 tablespoon gravy granules (check they are vegan)
For the Colcannon Mash
- 600 g potatoes
- 60 g curly kale
- 3 spring onions
- 50 ml dairy-free milk (soya, oat or nut milk)
- 20 g dairy-free margarine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Meanwhile, peel the carrot and sweet potato and cut them into dice. Boil for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large lidded frying pan or casserole dish, then peel and chop the onion and add to the pan, frying over a gentle heat for 3-4 minutes until starting to soften.
- Drain and rinse the cannellini beans and lentils and add them to the pan with the onions, followed by the tomatoes, stock powder and gravy granules. Refill the empty tomato tin with water to about two-thirds full, then add this to the pan.
- When the carrot and sweet potato have just cooked through, remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the pie filling, (don't drain the water away just yet!). Stir and cover, and leave to simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if required. If the mixture gets too dry, just add more water - this should have the consistency of a thick gravy. (And if it seems too runny, just cook with the lid off for a few more minutes).
- Keep the saucepan of water simmering whilst you peel the potatoes for the mash, cut them into dice, then add them to the saucepan and boil for 10-15 minutes until soft.
- Meanwhile, chop the kale and spring onions as finely as possible, (I used a mini-chopper/food processor). When the potatoes are ready, drain them, return to the pan then add the kale, spring onions, milk and margarine and mash until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper if required.
- Tip the pie filling into a large ovenproof dish, then top with the mashed potato. I used a piping bag to create a pretty topping, but you can just spread it with a knife and use a fork to create a pattern if you prefer).
- Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the topping is just turning golden brown, and the filling is bubbling.
ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION
Nutrition
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Fran Hall says
Thanks Kate, delicious, healthy and I have frozen some extra for another day as you suggested. Love your blog!
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear - thanks Fran.
Elaine Lowin says
Another winner!! Great flavours in this dish, I added a teaspoon of Vegemite to the gravy as I didn't have gravy granules & then thickened with cornflour. Had leftovers so that's gone into the freezer for another day. The Veg Space is one of my most favourite go to places for gorgeous recipes - thank you!!
Kate Ford says
That's great to hear - thanks Elaine!
Rebecca says
I’m going to give this a go this week for a group I have coming over but wondering if you can make this a day in advance and leave in the fridge or if the topping would collapse into the bottom? I don’t have space in my freezer to make in advance and freeze or I would do so. If this goes well for the group I may make individual ones which I would have space to freeze!
Kate Ford says
Hi Rebecca, yes absolutely fine to make ahead and chill - the fridge will actually firm up the mash so there's no risk of it collapsing. Enjoy!
Jenny says
My biggest critics (three children) ate it all up. It was delicious and I am feeling self righteous about how much veg they just ate. Thanks Kate.
Shirley says
I've just made this with the wholegrain mustard & vegan cheddar topping. It was absolutely delicious!
Kate Ford says
Oh lovely, so glad you liked it! Kate
Sophie says
Delicious dinner!! Perfect taste combo!
Kate Ford says
Great to hear - glad you enjoyed it!