Made with ground beef or lamb and topped with creamy cauliflower mashed potatoes, this gluten-free and keto shepherd's pie recipe is a satisfying and flavorful dish that you will have a problem stopping eating; it's that good!
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Ingredients and substitutions
Ground meat - If you want a true shepherd’s pie, use ground lamb meat. But if you prefer beef (like me), use ground beef and make a cottage pie. The only difference is the meat!
Veggies - There are a variety of vegetables you can add to this comfort food dish. Apart from onions, garlic, carrots, and green peas, you can add some mushrooms, leeks, parsnips, rutabaga, and/or turnips. Just be mindful and don't overload it with veggies, as it can make this dish not-so-low in carbs.
Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, dry red wine, and chicken stock - You can substitute the wine with white wine vinegar if you don't want alcohol in your food (although the alcohol will evaporate during cooking). You can also use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
Seasoning - I didn't do anything special to this part of the recipe and used very common seasoning - salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and rosemary.
Parmesan cheese - Use Parmigiana Reggiano cheese for a better taste. Alternately, you can use cheddar cheese or a mix of parmesan and Gruyere cheese.
Oils for frying - I used olive oil to fry my meat and butter to fry my aromatics. You can use only olive oil if you like. However, I think the buttery flavor compliments this keto-friendly dish.
Creamy keto cauliflower mash - I used my recipe for this. The only difference I made here is by adding extra cheese and one egg yolk to the cooked and mashed cauliflower.
Step-by-step directions
Mashed cauliflower
Place the cauliflower in a stockpot, pour in cold water until completely covered, and add salt. Bring to the boil and cook until fork-tender.
When done, remove from the heat and drain well.
Using an immersion blender, purée until the consistency is smooth and creamy. You can also use a food processor or standing blender instead. Then put the mashed cauliflower inside a cheesecloth and gently squeeze to drain the excess water.
Meanwhile, add butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and nutmeg to the same stockpot. Heat over a medium heat until the cheese has melted, then remove from the heat. Add the drained cauliflower purée and egg yolk. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and mix well. Set aside.
Filling and finishing
Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).
Cook the meat on a non-stick skillet with some olive oil over a medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes without touching it to achieve a golden-brown crust. Then, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes again. Season with salt and pepper and break into small pieces using a spatula. Keep cooking for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fully cooked and liquids have evaporated. At the end, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Remove into a large bowl.
To the same skillet, add the butter and cook carrots, onions, and garlic until just softened. Then add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, chicken stock, rosemary, and thyme, then mix well. Cook, stirring occasionally until the liquids are reduced by half.
Add the cooked meat and frozen peas. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until bubbly and the peas are hot, but still bright green. Remove from the heat.
Add the meat and veggie mixture to the casserole dish (around 8”x11” or 20cm x 28cm) and spread evenly, pressing in. Spread the mashed cauliflower over the meat mixture and sprinkle ½ cup of parmesan cheese. Bake for 18-20 min or until the cheese has melted and golden brown.
Let the dish rest for 20 minutes before cutting in and serving garnished with freshly chopped chives.
Serving ideas
This dish can be eaten on its own because it has everything: the meat as a main dish and the mashed cauliflower as a side dish. However, it's possible to serve something extra along with this healthy comfort food. KETO DINNER ROLLS will be a great addition to our shepherd's pie with cauliflower, or you can have some fresh vegetables or a salad like this KETO BROCCOLI SALAD to complete the dish.
Carbs in keto low carb shepherd's pie
This meaty low carb dinner dish with a mashed cauliflower topping will fit your keto diet meal plan perfectly. It's very satisfying and one recipe will be enough to serve to 6-8 people. Each serving will have around 5g net carbs (if you split it in 8 servings).
FAQ
It will last in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes, you can freeze it right in the casserole dish for up to 2 months. Make sure that the dish has cooled down completely before freezing. Cover the top of the pie in direct contact with plastic wrap and then wrap the whole dish with foil. Uncover and thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating in the oven at 355F (180C) until hot and bubbly.
More low carb recipes
Healthy keto green bean casserole recipe
Loaded keto cauliflower casserole with broccoli and cheese
Recipe
Keto shepherd’s pie
Equipment
- Large (11-inch/28cm) non-stick skillet
- Casserole dish (around 8”x11” or 20cm x 28cm)
Ingredients
For mashed cauliflower
- 30 oz 800g frozen cauliflower florets
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon heavy cream
- ⅓ cup 35g parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Filling
- 2 lb 950g ground lamb or beef
- 1 medium 100g carrot finely diced
- 1 small 50g yellow onion finely diced
- 2 clove garlic minced
- ¼ cup 50ml dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ cup 120ml chicken stock
- ½ cup 75g frozen peas
- ½ cup 45g parmesan cheese grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Olive oil for frying
- Unsalted butter for frying
- Fresh chives for garnishing chopped
Instructions
Mashed cauliflower
- Place the cauliflower in a stockpot, pour in cold water until completely covered, and add salt. Bring to the boil and cook until fork-tender.
- When done, remove from the heat and drain well.
- Using an immersion blender, purée until the consistency is smooth and creamy. You can also use a food processor or standing blender instead. Then put the mashed cauliflower inside a cheesecloth and gently squeeze to drain the excess water.
- Meanwhile, add butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder and nutmeg to the same stockpot. Heat over a medium heat until the cheese has melted, then remove from the heat. Add the drained cauliflower purée and egg yolk. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and mix well. Set aside.
Filling and finishing
- Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).
- Heat some olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over a medium-high heat.
- When hot, place the meat onto the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes without touching it to achieve a golden-brown crust. Then, flip and cook for 3-4 minutes again. Season with salt and pepper and break into small pieces using a spatula. Keep cooking for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until fully cooked and liquids have evaporated. At the end, taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Remove into a large bowl.
- To the same skillet, add the butter. When melted, add the carrots, onions, and garlic and cook until just softened. Then add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the tomato purée, Worchester sauce, chicken stock, rosemary, and thyme, then mix well. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquids are reduced by half.
- Add the cooked meat and frozen peas. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until bubbly and the peas are hot, but still bright green. Remove from the heat.
- Add the meat and veggie mixture to the casserole dish (around 8”x11” or 20cm x 28cm) and spread evenly, pressing in. Spread the mashed cauliflower on top and sprinkle ½ cup of parmesan cheese. Bake for 18-20 min or until the cheese has melted and is golden brown.
- Let the dish rest for 20 minutes before cutting in and serving with freshly chopped chives.
Notes
This website, https://heretocook.com, offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site. This information is provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is a product of online calculators such as Cronometer.com and MyFitnesPal.com
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