Grocery shopping is something I used to do 2-3 times a week. Since the Coronavirus pandemic, however, I’m now shopping only once a week. As a result, I have to come up with creative ways to stretch the contents of my fridge. One way to use a lot of produce before it wilts is to make a shepherd’s pie. I tried my hand at a Whole30 version, and I’m very pleased with how it turned out.
Because finding everything you want at the grocery store can be challenging these days, feel free to make substitutions for the veggies I’ve used. You can also replace the ground beef with ground turkey or lamb if that’s what you have on hand. Additionally, if you do not have fresh herbs, a ½ or full teaspoon of dried thyme, marjoram, and/or rosemary will definitely work to add some herbaceous flavor to the mix.
Shepherd’s Pie Filling Ingredients
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium sweet potato, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
½ yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2-3 cups fresh spinach or other greens
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ghee
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons arrowroot flour
1 ½ cups beef broth
Cauliflower Mash Topping Ingredients
1 small head cauliflower, broken into florets
½ cup coconut milk, blended
½ cup chicken broth
½ teaspoon ghee
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Fill a medium saucepan or pot with water and turn to high heat. While the water comes to a boil, make the shepherd’s pie filling.
- Heat oven-safe skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add 1 teaspoon ghee. Add diced onions and carrots to the hot pan. Saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic to the pan and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add ground beef, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, the chopped rosemary and thyme. Cook 5-7 minutes, until the beef is cooked through and no longer pink.
- Drain the excess fat.
- Add 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder and mix for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the diced sweet potato and 1 ½ cups beef broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender and most of the liquid is evaporated, about 15 minutes.
- While the filling simmers, make the cauliflower mash. Put the cauliflower florets into the boiling water. Cook until fork tender, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
- Drain the water and return the florets to the saucepan or pot. Add the coconut milk and chicken broth. Blend with an immersion blender until thick and creamy (add more coconut milk or chicken broth to adjust thickness to your taste). Stir in ½ teaspoon ghee and kosher salt and pepper to taste.
- Return to the shepherd’s pie filling. Add 2-3 cups spinach and stir until wilted and well-incorporated.
- Spread the cauliflower mash over the filling and bake for 10-15 minutes to brown the top.*
- Remove from the oven, top with fresh parsley and serve!
*If you are going to serve the shepherd’s pie at a later time, you can now transfer the filling to a medium casserole dish and top with the cauliflower mash. Once cooled, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate. To re-heat, bake, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes at 350℉, or until hot and bubbly.