“Tartas Pastores”: Vegan Mexican Shepherd’s Pies with Smoky Sweet Potato Crust

This vegan “Tartas Pastores” gives a Mexican twist to the traditional Shepherd’s Pie recipe. An oil-free, plant-based filling of black beans and corn is topped with a smoky plant-based sweet potato crust for a comfort food dinner your family will love. 

Enjoy with 5-Minute Guacamole, Watermelon Salsa, Jicama Salad, and Mexican Chocolate Sauce for dessert.

What is Classic Shepherd’s Pie?

A classic recipe for Irish Shepherd’s pie has a simple filling of onion, carrot, celery, and peas. It usually has ground meat, but plant-based versions can use lentils, tempeh, or similar plant-based proteins. This filling is then topped with a garlic chive mashed potato mix. Although, you can lighten it up with an Herb Cauliflower Yukon Potato Mash.

How to Make a Vegan Mexican Shepherd’s Pie

To make a healthy, vegan twist on Shepherd’s Pie, I played with the traditional filling ingredients first. Instead of classic mirepoix, I got flavor from bell pepper, red onion, garlic, and smoky spices like ground sweet paprika and ground cumin. For the crust, I swapped out traditional potatoes for sweet potatoes, spiced with a bit of chipotle chili powder for a bit of heat.

Is Plant-Based Shepherd’s Pie Freezer-Friendly?

One of the best things about this recipe is that it is incredibly freezer-friendly. You can make a big batch (or even a double recipe) and then freeze the extra portions for future meals. Freeze it right in your baking dish to make it easy to reheat later. Simply thaw it in the fridge overnight, pop it in the oven for 30 minutes, and dive in. You can even freeze smaller portions for Cooking for One Meals.

Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips: 

No Oil:  Check out the calorie count on these.  I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, and that includes oil.  This oil-free version gives you all of the Mexican flavor, tons of satisfaction, and none of the extra fat.

Save on Spices: If you want to save cabinet space, you can substitute a store-bought Mexican or taco spice mix. Look for a salt-free or no-sodium blend. Use 2 1/2 teaspoons, in place of the paprika, cumin, and coriander.

Kid-Friendly Spice Control: Dried chipotle is made from smoking poblano peppers. It usually comes either in flakes or ground, and you can use either in this recipe. It has a spicy kick. If you want less spice substitute with chili powder or smoked paprika.

Deconstructed Version: You can turn these pies inside-out with a faster version. Instead of assembling the filling and crust, simply serve the Mexican Black Bean mixture over the Smoky Sweet Potatoes. For a bowl version, serve on top baby spinach and top with Tomatillo Guacamole.

“Tartas Pastores”: Vegan Mexican Shepherd’s Pies with Smoky Sweet Potato Crust

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“Tartas Pastores”: Vegan Mexican Shepherd’s Pies with Smoky Sweet Potato Crust

This vegan “Tartas Pastores” gives a Mexican twist to the traditional Shepherd’s Pie recipe. An oil-free, plant-based filling of black beans and corn is topped with a smoky plant-based sweet potato crust for a comfort food dinner your family will love. 

Course Dinner, Entree

Cuisine Mexican, Plant-Based, Southwest, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword beans, casserole, freezer-friendly, gluten-free, healthy, heart-healthy, Mexican, oil-free, plant-based, southwest, sweet potato, vegan, wfpb

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4

Calories 195kcal

Ingredients

• For the Smoky Sweet Potato Crust:
• 3 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cut into chunks
• ½ cup unsweetened plain almond milk
• ½ teaspoon ground chipotle chili
• Salt to taste
• For the Mexican Black Bean Corn Filling:
• 1 bell pepper diced
• 1 red onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 teaspoon ground sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ½ cup water
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup frozen corn kernels thawed

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.
• To make the Smoky Sweet Potato Crust:
• Place the sweet potatoes in a small pot. Cover with water. Place a lid on the pot, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the potatoes are tender.
• When the sweet potatoes are tender, drain them well, shaking off any excess water. Return the potatoes to the small pot. Add the ground chipotle and use a potato masher to mash. Add enough almond milk to reach a creamy constancy. You want something a little thicker than mashed potatoes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt. Set aside until ready to assemble pies.
• To make the Mexican Black Bean Corn Filling:
• While the sweet potatoes are boiling, make the filling for your Tartas Pastores. Heat a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and onion. Sauté until they start to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, cumin, and coriander. Sauté 1 minute, until aromatic. Add the tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes, just until the tomato paste darkens to a brick red color. Add the water. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the black beans and corn. Stir well to combine. Taste to adjust seasoning.
• To assemble and bake your Tartas Pastores:
• Evenly divide the Mexican Black Bean Corn Filling among 4 individual pie tins. Top each pie with ¼ of the Smoky Sweet Potato Crust topping. You don’t want to overfill your pies, so you may have extras of the filling and/or crust. Place the pie tins on a baking sheet. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes, until golden brown on top. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

Yield: 4 individual pans (or one 8-inch full-sized pan)

Nutrition Facts

Shopping and Gear List

• Artisan Spanish smoked paprika
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• Frontier Ground Bottle, Chipotle
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• The Spice Way – Mexican Seasoning Spice Blend
  • BUY NOW
• Simply Organic, Cumin, 2.31 oz
  • BUY NOW

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