Stews are lovely because while they simmer, I forget that I’m the one who made them. When it’s time to sit down and eat, I...
Read MorePaleo Comfort Food: Shepherd’s Pie
http://www.MelJoulwan.com/2010/12/28/paleo-comfort-food-cottage-flower-pie/
What could be more comforting on a cold winter evening than ground beef and gravy topped with mashed potatoes?
I’ll tell you what: flavorful ground beef topped with creamy mashed cauliflower!
Cottage pie is a traditionally British or Irish dish made from beef, and it’s a kissin’ cousin to shepherd’s pie, which is made with lamb. The term ‘cottage pie’ has been around since 1791, when potatoes were introduced as an edible food for the poor. Back then, cottage pie was topped not with mashed spuds, but with slices that mimicked the tiles on a rustic cottage roof, hence the name.
Meat topped with potatoes isn’t only found in the U.K. Natives of Quebec enjoy “pâté chinois;” the French eat “hachis Parmentier;” in the Middle East, it’s “Siniyet Batata,” and in the Dominican Republic, they add cheese and call it “pastelón de papa.”
Help yourself to a big serving of comfort and nutrition. I replaced the potatoes with cauliflower, eliminated the green peas, used coconut products instead of dairy, and replaced the Worcestershire – made with high-fructose corn syrup… boo! – with coconut aminos. This recipe can easily be doubled and frozen, and it’s pretty quick to make – perfect for a weeknight when you want to crawl into something warm and toasty.
Shepherd’s Pie
Serves 4-6 | Prep 30 min | Cook 30 min | Whole30 compliant
Ingredients:
Topping:
1 large bag frozen cauliflower florets, defrosted
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt & pepper to taste
1 tablespoon dried chives
paprika for garnish
Meat Filling:
1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 pounds ground lamb
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup beef or chicken broth
1 teaspoon coconut aminos or homemade substitute
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
3 egg whites
paprika, for garnish
Directions:
1
Make the Topping: Cook the cauliflower according to the package directions until it’s very soft, but not waterlogged. In a microwave-safe bowl or small saucepan, heat the garlic, coconut oil, coconut milk, salt, and pepper, about 1 minute. Meanwhile, purée the cauliflower in the bowl of a food processor, scraping down the sides. Add the coconut milk to the processor with the chives. Process about 10 seconds. Taste and adjust seasonings; then set aside.
2
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
3
Make the Filling: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes. Add coconut oil and allow it to melt. Add the onion and carrot, reduce heat to medium-low and cover; allow the vegetables to get soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.
4
Add the garlic to the pan and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. With your hands, crumble the ground lamb into the pan and break up large chunks with a wooden spoon. Sauté until it’s cooked through and brown, about 5-10 minutes. Taste, then season with salt and pepper.
5
Add the tomato paste, broth, coconut aminos, rosemary, and thyme to the pan. Stir to combine, then bring to a boil and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Set the pan aside and let it cool for 10-15 minutes. Beat the egg whites until frothy and blend into the meat mixture.
6
Assemble It: Spread the meat mixture evenly in a 12X6-inch (2.2 quart) baking dish. With a rubber scraper and a light hand, spread the mashed cauliflower on top of the meat. Gently drag the tines of a fork in a zigzag pattern across the surface to create a texture—the peaks and valleys turn a lovely golden brown in the oven. Sprinkle the top lightly with paprika.
7
Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove to a cooling rack for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Note: If you want to up the veggie ante and don’t mind making it even less traditional, chopped greens like spinach, kale, collards, or chard (frozen or fresh) would taste great mixed into the meat.
Still hungry? Try these
October
25
Posted by
Paleo Czech Meatballs
I really wanted a cute name for these meatballs. I tried for, like, 10 minutes to come up with a workable play on caraway seeds....
Read More
looks rad. since we're seriously snowed in here in NYC i think we'll make this tomorrow. One question: why the scrambled egg white addition? I got no problem with it, just wondering. thanks
The original recipe called for flour to thicken the meat. I replaced it with egg white to eliminate the grains but still provide some holding power to the meat. When the dish bakes, it firms up like a casserole so you can cut it into squares.
Oh Wow – I am TOTALLY adding this to my dinner plans for next week 🙂 I ordered a "half" of a GrassFed cow a while back, and we've gone through most of the steaks and roasts but have a TON of Ground Beff Left – this looks like the perfect recipe to use some of it up! Thanks for another great recipe!
YUM! YUM! YUM!!!
My husband and I made this last night, and it turned out great! I'm counting the minutes until I can eat some leftovers at lunch. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Hooray! I'm so glad y'all are excited about this recipe. And LizzieFriend, happy eating!
Cottage Pie is one of our staples – we also have a ton of ground beef from getting a side of beef. I've taken to using a puree of turnips and/or parsnips for the topping instead of cauliflower.
Chris, turnips sound really good! I'm going to try that next time. Thanks for posting the suggestions!
Hmm… Did this and it was very yummy (I was out of rosemary so I used a dried spice mix with ginger, bay leaves, tarragon, thyme (more thyme, yay), basil, rosemary, cloves, cumin).
But I did have some trouble with the purée. I used a full head of cauliflower since I don't know how much is in a bag of florets and it came out a bit grainy. I don't know if I should have just kept food processing it or added more coconut milk or what.
Also, couldn't one add the egg yolk to the topping? Seems it would make less waste / stuff in your fridge that you really ought to use sometime soon.
Thanks for the recipe!
Morten –> That spice mix sounds awesome. I want to try something similar with lamb… I bet it tastes great!
I've never used fresh cauliflower for the topping, but if you start with fresh, you should definitely steam the florets before pureeing them. A full head should be about right… and yes! I bet you could add the yolk to the topping, or just throw the whole egg in with the meat. I was worried about it tasting too "eggy," so I just used the white. If you try the whole egg, let me know how it goes!
……..IT ROCKED! My first mayo was a total fail but this made up for it bigtime! Had leftovers for lunch which were even better! I am sharing your site with everrrryyyonnnne :)Marinating som Ginger-Lime Shrimp as I type this.. YUM!
Melanie –> I'm glad you liked it… hooray! Don't give up on the mayo — it took me a few tries to get it right, and now it's perfect every time. Enjoy the shrimp!
Thanks! The shrimp were rad, too.. and def gonna try that cocoa-toasted cauliflower real soon 🙂
This was soooo good Melissa! Thanks for sharing!
I'm making this as I type with sweet potato topping instead of cauliflower. That blend of seasonings makes it one of the tastiest Paleo dishes I've tried. 😀
Thanks for sharing! <3
Mer –> That sounds like a really tasty mod! Nice going, kitchen wizard.
This looks great and will definitely try it this weekend. Any suggestion for an alternative to coconut aminos? (it's not available in Australia)
cpb –> You can replace the coconut aminos with worcestershire sauce if you can find some without any garbage (starch, sugar, soy, etc.) in it. If you can't find that, you could also try balsamic vinegar. Basically, you're looking for something that will add some richness and zing to the meat.
Today is day one of my first 30 day challange and we had this for dinner…IT WAS AWESOME!!! Thank you!
Jenni –> Congratulations on starting your Whole30. I'm glad this recipe helped you get off to a good start!
I made this last night for my family. It was a bit. One change I made though was to not scramble the egg white separately. I whisked it into the meat mixture and it created a creamy sauce. I will have to remember this trick when I need to thicken something where a recipe might call for cornstarch or flour.
Golden –> Pretty cool what an egg can do, right?! I’m curious to try it with other things that need to be thickened to see how it works. If you experiment, let us know!
I used a whole egg and the mixture was not runny as it was with egg white only. Just to report in.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi there,
I would love to reprint a couple of your recipes in a workbook for a new book called Primal Body Primal Mind. I couldn’t find your contact info on this blog so I’m hoping you read this and let me know if it’s ok.
Please let me know the best way to reach you and I can tell you more.
All the best,
Susie
I’m always glad to share my recipes… my email is mel at chancemccoy dot com. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Hi I just wanted to say how FANTASTIC this recipe is, even when you make a mistake with the recipe! We accidentally used pork mince, and only had 500g (1lb) of mince so bulked it up with 250g (1/2lb) mashed pumpkin and as you suggested chucked in a handful of spinach. It was seriously so delicous I cannot wait to make it again!! Now I’m going to hunt through your recipes to find another one 🙂
That sounds really tasty! Thanks for letting me know you liked it!
Had this deliciousness for dinner tonight, used the actual Well Fed recipe to be honest. Same? Not important. What IS important is that my kids were literally crawling on the table to reach over and steal fom their daddy. He, of course, had just stolen from them. I managed to put fussy pants (aka babycakes) down long enough to score my own sliver before looking up and seeing the pot EMPTY!
Um…. So yeah, good recipe here, LOLz
Made it with ground beef and a whole egg, not just the white. Worked great. Thinking this is the front runner for menu selection for Christmas Eve. Cuz I won’t have to worry about leftovers 😉
Love that this might be part of your Christmas celebration!
Yes, this recipe is very similar to the Well Fed version. I re-tested and re-wrote them all, so there might be some little differences, but this one started out pretty solid. Glad that you and your family enjoyed it!
I made this directly from Well Fed last night. I used more cauliflower because all I had was a 9×13 pan. It turned out rock-your-socks good. I’m doing a primal cooking demonstration next month and my “loves mashed potatoes” husband said: “Make this, babe. Even not-so-paleo people will love it.”
Thanks for a great recipe, Mel!
Hooray! I’m glad that you and yours are enjoying it. And yes, I think this is a great one to trick nonpaleo peeps 🙂
this evening i warmed some up for my boyfriend, who said, “I can’t believe this is paleo ‘shepherds pie.'” just a great “casserole” to make for comfort and as a favor to help out a friend.
Awesome! I love being able to ‘trick’ people with sneaky-delicious healthy good. Right on!
hey, i was wondering how many this serves? i am doing a paleo challenge with a few co-workers and it’s my turn to bring lunch!
Hey, Jess! The general rule of thumb is about 4 oz. of protein per person… this recipe uses 1 1/2 lbs. of meat = 24 oz. so it should serve about 6 average-sized people. My husband is 6’5″ so he eats about twice the amount of a normal person… so adjust accordingly for your co-workers.
You can easily make this with 2 lbs. of meat instead, if you need to — just increase the egg white to 2 and keep everything else the same.
hey-
just wanted to drop by and say that I tried this and it was fantastic! I completely forgot about the egg but the flavors were awesome anyway. this was the first recipe I tried of yours and I can’t wait to try more. thanks for making my life easier by posting recipes!
Hey, Jennifer! Glad you found my blog — hope you have lots of fine trying out recipes. Stay in touch!
This meal is “shut-yer-face!” DELICIOUS!!
I’m in love….
Teeny time saver suggestion though:
Once the meat is browned and ready to simmer with it’s extra ingredients, THEN start the cauli-topping. As I spent time boiling and mashing my substituted parsnips and I could have saved me ten minutes off the prep time if I’d done them while waiting on the meat…
Good reason for me to read through recipes before I dive in!
Thank you so much!
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Have a happy day!
HA! #1 rule of cooking: Read the whole recipe first. #2: Change it anyway you want so it works for you 😉
So glad you enjoyed it! Do you have my cookbook Well Fed? There are a bunch of variations in the cookbook that are INSANELY good.
Ha ha! Yes, I was way too excited to cook it and didn’t read it…
I just got your cookbook for my birthday, definitely gonna try out the variations in there!
Thank you Mel, the magic meal lady!
Um, yummmm. Two weeks into a whole30, pmsing, and needed something quick, filling and comforting. Followed the well fed recipe, but I added two teaspoons of anchovy paste and I used water instead of broth. Also added a pinch of cinnamon and corriander. The anchovy paste plus coconut aminos might as well be worcestershire sauce, fyi. Your recipes are just incredible. Haven’t been this inspired in the kitchen in years. I am using your weekly cool up method and am amazed by the meals we are.eating.
Congrats on two weeks of Whole30-ing! Sorry about the PMS… that does make food choices tricky. Good on you for turning to paleo comfort food. YAY! Thanks for letting me know Well Fed is making kitchen time fun. I’m really glad!
I like to cook for the week, so can I make this ahead and bake it in a couple of days? If not, I was thinking of just doing the meat and then the cauliflower mash when I got home from work
You have a few options that will work:
1. It tastes better on the second and third days, so you can bake it, cover with foil, and refrigerate for a day or two, then re-heat in the oven, covered with foil, for about 45 minutes when you’re ready to eat it.
2. Make the whole thing but don’t bake it, then bake when you’re ready to eat it.
3. You an also make all the components in advance, then assemble and bake when you’re ready to eat.
My recommendation is option #1.
Could I make it, bake it then freeze it for say a week? Has anyone done this? Looking for recipes to take to a week long Christmas celebration with my non paleo family!
One (secret) thing that this recipe is missing is “trotter mess.” This is a euphemism for pork gelatin that I picked up from a british cookbook I read a few years ago, before I went paleo. This is kind of a secret ingredient around my house that makes so many things taste good, but it really does wonders for things like shepherds pie. You can make it with pig’s feet [hence, trotter mess], but other parts of the pig that you might ordinarily discard (skin, bones, gristle) work well, as do neck bones and those parts forward of the neck as well. It takes a while and smells up the kitchen, but fortunately the end result keeps for a long time in the fridge, and you should only have to make it every few months or so, even if you use it regularly. Pigs are just loaded with gelatin, so if you take the parts and cover them with water, and boil for several hours, you will start to get that very gelatinous broth that we all know is so good for us. Then, if you strain the broth, and keep going, you will eventually get to the point that you have a very gooey mess, that comes up from the spatula like caramel. At this point, you can put it into a mason jar, and if you put enough salt in it, it will keep in the fridge for long time. It hardens up to the consistency of fudge, so you have to pry chunks of it out with a spoon, but it will melt into any sauce and adds a great, thickness, richness and mouthfeel that you really can’t get from anything else. (And no, that porkrindsdiet.com blogsite is not up yet. Look for it soon.) Thanks for all you do.
Hi, I’m trying to make this recipe and having trouble with the cauliflower. You’re just supposed to defrost the cauliflower, not cook it and then puree it? Is it supposed to be grainy or smooth? It’s so thick; I can’t get it to puree without adding more coconut milk. What am I doing wrong?
Thanks!
If your cauliflower isn’t soft enough after defrosting, you can cook it according to the package instructions, then proceed.
It should be pretty smooth when you puree it. Without being in the kitchen with you, I don’t know what’s going wrong — but you also can’t mess it up if you (a) cook the cauliflower and (b) add a little extra coconut milk, water, or broth to get the cauliflower smoother.
Thanks for your help. I didn’t end up getting the cauliflower smooth, but the texture was fine. Next time I’ll know what to do! My family definitely enjoyed the recipe. Thanks again!
What is the calorie count on the Cottage Pie if you use Lamb?
I love your recipes and I’m new to Paleo but I’m having a hard time tracking my calories. Thanks!
One of the greatest benefits of eating paleo is that it eliminates the need to count calories. None of my recipes include calorie counts — this recipe makes about 8 servings, so if you eat an eigth of it at a meal, you’ll get adequate calories and nutrition without going overboard.
I know this is a hard concept with which to get comfortable when you come from a calorie-counting background (I did, too.), but paleo is a great way to set yourself free from that habit.
You might like this video:
http://youtu.be/U36XJaETbh8
I took your Well Fed advice and did my veg chopping and pre-cooking on Sunday and the result was that it took less than 15 minutes to put dinner together every night after a long day at work. There are odds and ends of vegs and some leftover cooked chicken, so I am turning it all into Chicken Shepherd’s Pie for dinner tonight. Thanks for the Idea.
Right on! Glad that technique is working for you! I haven’t been able to do it recently because I’ve been cooking food for Well Fed 2 photography, and I miss Hot Plates so much. They’re so easy and so satisfying — looking forward to getting back to that. Love the idea of chicken shepherd’s pie — hope it was awesome!
How much garlic am I supposed to put in the cauliflower mash?
ooops! Sorry for the typo — 1-2 cloves!
I have wanted to make this recipe since I got my copy of Well Fed last year, but my daughter was resistant to mashed cauliflower (which is weird, because she eats non-mashed cauliflower!). Eventually she got over whatever it was, and I made this for dinner, as written. Not a single bite left for lunches! My husband, six-year-old daughter and I polished the whole thing off for dinner. To be fair, my husband ate most of it after a ten mile run, but still! Super, super meal, and I have since started making a double recipe so we can have leftovers. Thanks, as always!
I’m so glad you were able to give it a try and that it was a hit… yay! Double batch is definitely the way to go! 🙂
Dumb question – can you taste coconut at all?
Not a dumb question at all! I personally don’t think you can taste the coconut, but if you’re super sensitive to coconut taste or don’t like it… I’m not sure. If you’re in doubt, replace the coconut oil with clarified butter (ghee) and use chicken broth or water instead of coconut milk. The topping won’t be as creamy, but it will still taste really good.
Could I use soy Sauce instead of coconut aminos? If so, how much do u suggest? I could not find them at a grocery store!
Yes, you can use soy sauce, but it won’t be paleo, if you’re concerned about that kind of thing. It will, however, be delicious. You can also use worcestershire sauce instead of soy.
I can’t wait to try this! My non-paleo shepards pie is one of my favorite dishes. I do have a question, though: is it canned coconut milk or the kind in the carton? Thanks!
You always want to use canned coconut milk… the kind in the carton can have yucky added ingredients. For the canned kind, if you can find it without guar gum, that’s the best, but if not, no biggie; guar gum is the only added ingredient you want. Happy cooking!
I know comfort food isn’t usually eaten in July, but it’s seriously been rainy and overcast in Atlanta for two weeks solid, so this sounded perfect! I realized too late that I didn’t have enough cauliflower, so I cooked up a sweet potato and threw it in the processor with everything else. Actually turned out really good!
I didn’t add the eggs or the bacon (next time!) and I used bison as the base! YUM! So good. I also added broccoli.
Fantastic and delicious.
Hi, I just made Shepher’d Pie from Well Fed last night for the first time! My husband whom I have never been able to get to like pureed cauliflower loved this recipe! I’ve never tried it with coconut milk & oil before – I think that was the big difference…so creamy!
Two question about this recipe for you:
1.) Can you give me a suggestion about the amount of salt & pepper to use for both the mashed cauliflower and meat mixture? I think I over salted it 🙁 Used about 2 tsp of salt in meat mixture and 1-1 1/2 tsp in the cauliflower.
2.) What oven temp and time amount would you reccommend for reheating the leftover shepherd’s pie?
Thanks for your help!
Glad you liked it! I think the coconut milk goes a long way to making the mash work. YAY, coconut!
1. The general rule of thumb is 3/4 teaspoon salt per pound of meat. Since this also includes coconut aminos, you might want to try cutting back to 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt for the meat in this recipe. For the cauliflower, maybe 1/2 to 1 teaspoon.
2. For reheating, cover the pan with aluminum foil — or wrap a hunk of Shep Pie in foil — and heat at 350F until hot. If you keep it covered, it won’t dry out — and then if you want to re-crisp it, just uncover for 3-5 minutes at the end of reheating.
Hi Mel,
I just got your first cookbook and love it! Thanks for all the fun and awesome recipes that get me excited about cooking.
I want to try the Shepherd’s Pie, but my son can’t have eggs. Any ideas now that you and Dave have given up eggs too?
Thanks!
The egg white is to help hold the meat together. You can leave it out, and it will still taste great. If you have ground flax seed, you can mix 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons warm water. Let it sit 10 minutes until it’s thick, then add to the meat mixture in place of the egg.
Thanks for the idea! I wound up just splitting the dish into two casseroles, one with egg and one without. It was easy enough, and a good way to not have to make an entirely different meal. I’ve tried flax eggs before for meatballs to hold the meat together with little success…Anyway, my one year old LOVED this, and my 3 year old, my husband and myself ate our fair shares as well–very good and I will make it again. Thanks!
We LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe. But the prep time of 30 minutes listed above is way off. Even just adding up the times in the recipe, it’s at least 45 minutes of prep. Maybe with two people, it would take 30? This takes me an hour to prep plus the half hour of cooking time and ten minutes of cooling.
I made this yesterday for my boyfriend. One of his favorite dishes is Shepherd’s Pie so I made him the Paleo version here (which he is following). He loved it! I think I needed more cauliflower topping though because it was stretched out really thin on top. Thank you!
This is awesome with a bag of frozen sprouts chucked in too 😀 This is my favourite Paleo recipe of all time, I eat it nearly every day. Just trying to come up with some tweaks now to vary it a bit. Thanks Melissa xx
Right on! So glad you like it and are playing around with the ingredients. Kitchen wizardry!
When it says coconut milk, is this the can type or the carton refrigerated kind?
When I refer to coconut milk, I always mean the canned kind. The type found in the dairy aisle usually contains sugar and other added ingredients. You want canned that is coconut, water, and maybe guar gum. The Aroy-D brand is my favorite and that can be found in small carboard boxes, in addition to cans, but it’s super clean and awesome.
Made this tonight from my Well Fed cookbook and the flavors were delicious. I had trouble getting the meat to stick together though ??? It definitely was not a pie consistency.
I cooked 85% organic grassfeed ground beef, drained the fat right after step 4. I cooked the egg whites in a separate skillet then added to the mixture — was that my issue?
I honestly can’t figure it out, and would like to try again without this being the exact same consistency as when i put it in the oven. help please!
Heh. You made a pretty significant change to the recipe 🙂
The egg whites are mixed in to the meat RAW and when they cook in the oven, they hold the meat together. The recipe says, “Beat the egg whites until frothy and blend into the meat mixture.” Sorry you translated that into cooking the egg whites first. Try it again! I think you’ll be happy with the result.
Thanks Melissa!!! Haha. Illiteracy at its finest!! Excited to try it again.
This was fabulous! Just finishing my Whole30 next week and your recipes have been very helpful! This one even fooled my 4 toughest critics…my kids. My 10 year old who’s favorite food is mashed potatoes didn’t know that these weren’t! Thank so much!
Really glad you all like this one! And congratulations on Whole30-ing!
Mel,
As I’m waiting like a little kid on Christmas morning for the oven timer to beep, I wanted to let you know your recipes are amazing… I’m pretty sure 80% of how I seduced my boyfriend were your recipes and probably the reason he’s still with me… We just bought a house in Austin – any super tasty suggestions for when I don’t feel like cooking? Bummed you moved out of Austin (but now my boyfriend won’t be tempted to go searching for the real deal 😉
You’re so nice — thanks for letting me know you like the recipes! And glad to be of service in the romance department 😉
Are you looking for restaurant ideas? Here are a few posts about eating paleo in Austin:
http://meljoulwan.com/2012/03/01/paleo-eating-in-austin/
http://www.threedietsonedinner.com/2013/02/the-paleo-restaurant-guide-to-austin.html
http://www.threedietsonedinner.com/2013/02/the-paleo-restaurant-guide-to-austin.html
http://atxglutenfree.com/2013/03/paleo-restaurant-guide-to-austin-texas/
Enjoy!
Thanks so much Mel. I’ll have to start checking them off one by one! PS the sheppherd’s pie was a huge hit- I made it in an 8×8 dish, I had one serving and Matt ate the rest – it made my stomach hurt thinking about eating that much food! (He’s 6’5″ and eats for 4).
Thanks for the great recipe Mel. I made the version from Well Fed and it was very tasty! I used 1 lb each ground beef (lean) and lamb – my husband commented how “rich” tasting it was, and was shocked when I told him there were no potatoes used in the making. I didn’t use any egg whites as I have a hard time with eggs, but other than a bit of extra “gravy”, no complaints there. This is a make-again recipe!
Made this recipe from Well Fed tonight. It was a success. Mine didn’t set like a true casserole but was still good. Just wondering how I could get it to have a more gravy like consistency. Mine was really dry. Still a great meal and will make again!
I think your recipes are great! I have both your cookbooks and have enjoyed most of what I have prepared (not a fan of cumin, though).
However, I have one beef! You grossly underestimate the prep/cook time in many of your recipes. For instance, you list a 30 minute prep and 30 min cook time for this recipe. How does that add up?? If I add up all the time/steps prior to putting the casserole in the oven it equals 40 min give or take and the baking step is 30 min, itself, how does that equal a 30 min cook time? Even if I consider all the steps prior to baking as prep time it still is well over the 30 min time you list AND that does not include chopping the veggies and preparing the cauliflower! I may sound nit picky to some, but when I have a busy schedule and plan things accordingly I don’t expect a recipe that lists 1 hr total time to take me 1 1/2 – 2 hrs to prepare!
Prep and cook times are always an estimate. I do my bes. Based on how long it takes me, I usually add 20% for people who aren’t as fast in the kitchen as I am. My advice is to leave a little extra time when making a new recipe, then use the Notes space in the cookbook to indicate how long it takes you. Thanks for buying our cookbooks!
Oh, of course, I understand you can only estimate the prep and cook times and I am sure I am not as speedy as you are in the kitchen! The discrepancy I am referring to is the actual time estimates at the top of the recipe do not equal the times given in the body of the recipe.
Thanks for your response! 😉
Hey Melissa!! Just tried your recipe last night and WOWWW is all i have to say!! Thank you for this creation!!! I used more cauliflower, coconut milk, and garlic for my top layer as i wanted it to be thicker. It’s amazing how great the cauli tasted!! I also used ground pork instead of lamb or beef. The end result was absolutely delicious. My boyfriend I thoroughly enjoyed! Thanks again 🙂
After seeing this recipe featured I knew I had to try it.
Being British, loving cottage pie and a convert to cauliflower mash on starting the Whole30 this was heaven on a plate.
Couldn’t get hold of any coconut aminos, didn’t realise until I got back from the supermarket that I’d run out of stock and had used all my eggs for breakfast casserole! A few subs and extra seasoning worked a treat however and I have the ultimate comfort food.
chives aren’t listed in the ingredients but are listed in instructions.
Corrected now!
When I browned the lamb, it created a ton of liquid fat. Should I drain that next time before I add the broth, etc.? It was so liquidy, it would have taken a long time to summer off. Just getting it out of the oven now, fingers crossed!
PERFECT comfort food for this chilly weekend! I made a few tweaks but, as always, another winning recipe from you!
YAY! Hope it helped you feel warm and cozy.
I was looking through well fed for some inspiration the other day thinking this sounded good when my boyfriend came home and randomly told me he found ground lamb on sale and did I think we should get some. So I knew it was meant to be! Last night it was delicious, and I was very excited for leftovers today. It’s even better today!
Good timing, I think I saw this as a link from one of your current posts and it will be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day! And I happen to have all these ingredients already at home
Made this yesterday, but too tired from smashing cauliflower by hand to post. Delicious! So far I haven’t had a goof with any of your recipes. They all look and taste great.
If I were to freeze the Shepherds Pie after preparing it without baking it. How long do you think I should bake it from frozen? I am thinking somewhere around 50 minutes with foil over it for the first 35 minutes or so. What are your thoughts?
Hmmmm… I’ve never tried it straight out of the freezer and into the oven. I usually defrost it in the fridge first. Definitely cover it with foil, and I think you’d want the temp at 400F. It might take longer than 35 minutes to defrost and bake. Here are instructions for baking a frozen lasagna (essentially the same as the Shep Pie, in terms of density and baking time). https://www.reference.com/food/instructions-cooking-frozen-lasagna-80defea22fcc3331 “Cook frozen lasagna in an oven preheated to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until it is heated throughout. Bake it covered for most of the cooking time, removing the cover at the end to allow the top to become golden and bubbly.”
What! Someone is making a sauce with corn syrup in it and claiming it is Worcestershire sauce? I am scandalised. Real Worcestershire sauce is made with molasses and aged for 18 months. Sadly though it does contain malt vinegar so still not paleo. OK rant over and congratulations on making a shepherds pie recipe which a Brit like me who grew up on the stuff actually agrees is authentic!
YAY! I’m glad this recipe passes muster 🙂