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overhead of shepherd's pie with sweet potato mash and cauliflower mash on a baking sheet.
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5 from 2 votes

Shepherd's Pie: Two Ways

This Shepherd's Pie recipe is the best hearty and healthy dinner. It's a flavorful ground beef base topped with sweet potato mash or cauliflower mash!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

Ground Beef Base

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 large onion finely diced
  • 1 cup mushroom finely chopped
  • 1 cup carrots diced
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 pound grass-fed ground beef
  • 1/2 cup organic beef or chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon gorund pepper more to taste

Sweet Potato Mash

  • 2 large sweet potatoes roasted until fork tender and skin removed
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt more to taste

Cauliflower Mash

  • 1 head cauliflower roughly chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk add more as needed
  • 2 tablespoons grass-fed butter more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt more to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon black ground pepper more to taste

Instructions

  • In a large cast-iron skillet, heat oil and garlic over medium-high heat just until fragrant, about one minute.
  • Add onions, mushrooms, carrots, and frozen peas. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent and the carrots start to soften.
  • Add ground beef and let cook over medium-high heat until brown and no pink remains. Stir often.
  • Add in beef or chicken stock, sea salt, and black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Take off heat and set aside.
  • Add roasted sweet potato to a medium mixing bowl or high-speed blender. If using a mixing bowl, mash the sweet potato well before adding in the rest of the ingredients. If using a high-speed blender, place all of the sweet potato mash ingredients in at the same time, and blend until smooth.
  • Steam cauliflower until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Place cauliflower and the rest of the cauliflower mash ingredients in a medium mixing bowl or high-speed blender. Mash or blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 °F.
  • Divide beef mixture between two similar sized cast iron skillets. Top one cast iron skillet with sweet potato mash and the other with the cauliflower mash.
  • Bake for 10 minutes and then broil on high for 5-8 minutes, or until the tops are golden.
  • Serve warm!

Notes

For the sweet potato mash: Roast sweet potato at 400°F on a lined baking tray for 45-50 minutes, or until fork tender. Once soft set aside to cool before making the sweet potato mash.
Use ghee in the cauliflower mash to make it paleo-friendly!
Photos updated August 2017.