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Shepherd’s pie is a traditional Irish dish that’s typically anything but low-carb. Lucky for you, this recipe skips the Yukon gold and russet potatoes and opts instead for cauliflower mash.

With a simple fix, you get to enjoy this comfort-food favorite completely guilt-free.

A perfect weeknight meal, keto shepherd’s pie tastes great as leftovers too.

This shepherd’s pie recipe is:

  • Warm
  • Comforting
  • Delicious
  • Savory

The main ingredients are:

  • Ground beef
  • Cauliflower
  • Bone broth

Optional additional ingredients

  • Cheddar cheese
  • Beef broth
  • Sour cream

Health Benefits of Keto Shepherd’s Pie

Gluten-Free

Most shepherd’s pie recipes sneak in a small amount of all-purpose flour. You may not have even realized it, but if you’re gluten-sensitive, then consuming traditional shepherds pie may be detrimental to your health.

Of course, this keto version not only significantly cuts the carbs in this delicious comfort food dish, but you won’t find grains of any sort in this recipe.

Packed with Immune-Boosting Ingredients

Shepherd’s pie is the perfect meal for those cold Fall and Winter months. And as a bonus, this recipe is packed with immune-boosting foods that can help you stave off the common cold and flu.

In the spice department, you’ve got rosemary and thyme. Rosemary is a potent antioxidant, which helps your body combat oxidative stress that can weaken your immune system[*].

And thyme, which has been used for hundreds of years in Folk medicine, contains compounds that are anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and are generally immune-boosting[*][*].

And bone broth provides a rich source of the amino acid glycine, which supplies a host of health benefits including anti-inflammatory, heart-protective, anti-carcinogenic[*].

Keto Shepherd’s Pie

Ready to get cooking?

Begin by heating a large pot with two inches of water and add your cauliflower florets to a steamer basket. Cook over medium-high heat until the cauliflower is tender — about 8 to 10 minutes.

While the cauliflower is cooking, heat a large saute pan and add your oil or butter of choice. Next, add chopped onion, carrots, and celery and cook for three to five minutes.

Once the veggies are fragrant, you can add your ground meat, salt, pepper, rosemary, and thyme. Cook everything over medium heat until it’s browned.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and coat a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray or unsalted butter.

Add your bone broth, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato paste to the veggie/beef mixture and stir well to combine. Once well-combined, turn off the heat and let it cool a bit to thicken.

Meanwhile, drain your cauliflower and add the florets, heavy cream, cream cheese, and salt and pepper to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth.

Add your meat mixture to the bottom of the baking dish and pour the cauliflower “mashed potatoes” over the meat and smooth out to the edges.

Sprinkle some parmesan cheese over the “potato topping”, and bake for 25-30 minutes, until edges begin to brown and become crispy.

Cooking Tips:

You can mix up the vegetables you add to your shepherd’s pie as long as they’re low-carb. Green beans, kale, and broccoli all make excellent additions.

You can also replace the beef with any other ground meat. Traditional shepherds put calls for ground lamb, but ground turkey also works great.

Print

Keto Shepherd’s Pie

Shepherd’s pie fan? This low-carb, gluten-free comfort food is packed with chopped veggies, ground beef, mashed cauliflower, and delicious, savory spices.

  • Author: Corina Nielsen
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 cups 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
  • 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil or butter
  • 1 small onion (finely chopped)
  • 2 stalks of celery (finely chopped)
  • 1 carrot (finely chopped)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • ½ cup bone broth
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 ounces cream cheese
  • 2 ounces heavy cream
  • ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat a large pot with 2” of water and add cauliflower florets to a steamer basket.  Cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
  2. While the cauliflower is cooking, heat a large skillet and add avocado oil or butter.  Add onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 3-5 minutes until fragrant. Add ground meat, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, rosemary, and thyme.  Cook until browned.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees and coat a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick spray or butter.
  4. Add ½ cup broth, Worcestershire, and tomato paste to meat/veggie mixture.  Stir until well combined. Turn off heat and let cool slightly to thicken.
  5. When cauliflower is tender, turn the heat off and drain.  Add cooked florets, heavy cream, cream cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper to a high-speed blender or food processor and blend on high until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste.
  6. Add meat/veggie mixture to the bottom of the baking dish.  Pour cauliflower mash over the top of the meat and smooth out to the edges.  Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes until edges begin to brown.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 224
  • Fat: 13g
  • Carbohydrates: 8g (Net: 5g)
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 20g
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Corina Nielsen-Thomas, CN

Corina Nielsen-Thomas is a certified nutritionist, health coach, recipe developer, and food photographer. She specializes in whole food keto and paleo recipes and has worked for a wide array of health food companies. You can find her work at www.corinanielsen.com/livefit.

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Corina Nielsen-Thomas, CN

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