Healthy Shepherds Pie

Ground beef, spices, and vegetables topped with a creamy cauliflower mash make this healthy shepherds pie one you won’t forget! It’s perfect for your low carb diet. It’s rich and the ultimate comfort food for a keto St Patricks Day celebration!

This is a dish I have only made a handful of times, commonly for St Patricks Day. When I make this recipe, I tend to tweak the ingredients every time. Once we starting eating keto I realized I would have to change this recipe to fit our low carb lifestyle and make it a Healthy Shepherds Pie version. The main thing I changed was using my cauliflower mash as the topper instead of the traditional mashed potatoes. I also use arrowroot powder or xanthan gum as my thickening agent, instead of traditional flour. My healthy shepherds pie is made with ground beef, spices, and beef stock. I also add fire-roasted diced tomatoes to give it a bit of acidity and to add more texture.

Why do we call it Shepherds Pie?

In researching healthy shepherds pie options for this blog post I came across some info that had me feeling like I’ve been lied to my whole life… Shepherds pie is NOT an Irish dish. It’s English. The traditional shepherd’s pie actually originated in England and is more commonly made with lamb. Here, in the USA, it should actually be called a ‘cottage pie’ because that’s what it’s called in England when ground beef is used. Isn’t that interesting? While I use beef too, you can use lamb to make it a traditional shepherds pie. I’ve also used leftover pot roast or even ground chuck as my meat option, and both have turned out super yummy.

Embracing my Irish heritage and making the best shepherds pie recipe

Growing up it was very apparent we had Irish heritage. My family talks about it like it’s a defining element of who we are. Which I believe it is. I was born with flaming red hair and very green eyes. My brother would always tease me that I was adopted because I am the only one, in my family of four, that has red hair. But if you look deeper into my family, us gingers are scattered about. Our family crest and an Irish blessing still hang in my parents home, obviously near the dining room. So many of our family ‘togetherness’ was wrapped around food. I was lucky to grow up in a home where eating dinner together, as a family at the table, was important and happened nightly.

Some of my husband’s ancestors came from Ireland too and it’s on my ‘bucket list’ to visit there very soon. Living in Oregon, I’ve heard the terrain is very similar with lush green fields… but we certainly don’t have any breathtaking castles to marvel at, so that’s something to keep hoping for!

What do you serve with Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s pie can be a heavier dish so I would recommend a light salad to go with it. Here are some favorites. that I found:

• Winter Fruit Salad
• Candied Pecan and Pear Salad
• Candied Almond and Mandarin Salad
• Pomegranate Orange Salad
• Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

I really hope you enjoy this healthy shepherds pie recipe. It will feed the masses and fill your belly with comfort and no guilt! If you’re looking for a great dessert to follow this healthy shepherds pie, don’t forget to try out my Keto Chocolate Cake with a gooey molten peanut butter center!

By the way, I know St Patrick’s day can be a holiday centered around beer… but with keto, it’s best to steer away from beer. If you’re a wine lover, you can pair this meal with a wine that is SUGAR-FREE and leaves no hang-over, icky feelings or headache the next day. It’s been called the “keto wine“ and it tastes GREAT, trust me, I’ve had my fair share of bottles now and I’ve done my research with the company…they know what’s up. My husband and I are pretty big wine-o’s and Dry Farm Wines has made it possible for us to still have a nice glass with our dinner. PLUS, they offered my followers a smokin deal! You can get an extra bottle for a penny with your first order!!

Enjoy!

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Healthy Shepherds Pie

Ground beef, spices, and vegetables topped with a creamy cauliflower mash make this healthy shepherds pie one you won't forget! It's rich and the ultimate comfort food for a keto lifestyle!

Servings 6 to 8 people

Author Stephanie Conn

Ingredients

• 1.5 lbs Ground beef (or ground chuck)
• 2 tbsp Oil
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp Ground paprika
• 1 small Onion - chopped
• 1/2 cup Red wine (or grape 100% juice)
• 2 cups Frozen veggie mix
• 2 cups Beef stock (or beef bone broth)
• 1 can (14.5 oz) Fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Arrowroot powder (or xanthan gum - use less if you use xanthan gum)

Topping

• Pre-made cauliflower mash - see the blog post for a link to the recipe

Instructions

1. Heat your pan over medium heat and add the oil.

2. Brown the ground beef. If there is too much excess fat, drain some out.

3. Once browned, add the minced garlic, chopped onion and frozen veggies. Mix together.

4. Sprinkle in your salt, paprika, pepper, and arrowroot powder (or xanthan gum) Mix together. 

5. Add one can of fire-roasted tomatoes. Mix together.

6. To add in the tomato paste (I put it a measuring cup and add a little beef broth. Whisk to create a slurry. I find this makes it easier to mix into the beef.) Mix together. 

7. Add in the Worcestershire sauce, red wine and the rest of your beef broth.

8. Bring the mixture to a boil and let it simmer to thicken. Do not let it simmer long enough that the liquid evaporates. 

9. Remove from heat and top with your pre-made cauliflower mash. Use a fork to create a design on top.

10. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. Everything is already cooked so you're just wanting to brown the topping. You can broil for a few minutes too.

11. Add more pepper on top, garnish, server warm and enjoy!