Hearty veggies and flavoursome jackfruit in a brothy sauce topped with fluffy sweet mashed potatoes. Need I say more?
I only discovered jackfruit a few months ago, but it was love at first sight (or should I say, love at first taste?). I rather like its gummy, stringy consistency which reassembles pulled pork. On its own, jackfruit has very little taste however, it really does absorb the flavours when cooked. I’ve tried it in a variety of dishes, like curries, chillis, pizzas and soups. I’ve recently tried it in a cottage-style pie and it turned out so good, I decided to share my recipe with you guys.
High in fibre and vitamin B6, jackfruit is a great meat substitute that isn’t highly processed. It is a true gift from the gods, me thinks!
Vegan cottage pie with jackfruit
Ingredients
For the mash
- 500 g potatoes, I used Maris Piper
- 600 g sweet potatoes
- 50 g vegan buttery spread/margarine
- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs
For the filling
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 2 celery sticks, sliced
- 1 tbsp coriander seeds
- salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 200 g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tin jackfruit, drained
- 400 g chickpeas
- 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 120 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp paprika
- 50 ml red wine
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C | Gas mark 6.
- Peel and chop the potatoes (including sweet potatoes), place in a large pan of salted water, bring to the boil and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Once cooked, drain add the margarine and a pinch of salt, mash until smooth and set aside.
- Using a pestle and mortar, bash the coriander seeds until fine.
- Heat a splash of oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add in the chopped onions, carrots, garlic, celery and coriander seeds. Add a little salt and pepper and cook for about 10-15 minutes until softened.
- Add the jackfruit, chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, vegetable stock, paprika and 50ml red wine and allow to bubble away for further 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer to a baking dish and spread the mash over the top and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for around 15 minutes or until piping hot. If you want the breadcrumbs to be crispy and golden, place under the grill for 3-5 minutes.