Quick & Easy Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie ~ Meatless Monday

Our PBS station is having a marathon 'all things Irish' session, probably due to the upcoming St. Patrick's Day celebration.  Since I now have a craving for one of my favorite Irish dishes, Shepherd's Pie, I decided to give it a vegetarian spin...and a version that would be on the table pretty quick, too.  An easy lunch or dinner, perfect for two, is now served!  ~ Enjoy ~

Quick & Easy Vegetarian Shepard's Pie

serves 2

double recipe for 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup ready-to-eat crumbled 'beef' substitute (TVP)
• 1 cup frozen peas & carrots, cooked according to directions
• 1/4 cup condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp crushed dried basil
• salt/pepper, to taste
• 2 servings of instant mashed potatoes, cooked according to box directions
• 2 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
• paprika/basil for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the 'beef', peas/carrots, mushroom soup, onion powder, basil & salt/pepper until well mixed.  Divide the mixture into two individual casserole dishes that have been sprayed with Pam.  Divide the prepared mashed potatoes & spread evenly over the filled casseroles.  Finally, top them with the shredded cheese & garnish with a little paprika/basil.  Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and heated through.  (if you don't want to heat up the oven, just nuke it until the food is hot all the way through) (if you don't want individual servings, just layer it in a bigger casserole dish and bake just a bit longer, or until bubbly & hot)