Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie {Whole30}

This Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie is classic, cozy comfort food for cold winter days!  It’s Whole30 compliant, dairy free, keto friendly and kid approved.  A flavorful, hearty ground meat and veggie mixture is topped with creamy mashed cauliflower and baked until golden brown and bubbling.  

I’m so excited to finally share a low carb version of classic Shepherd’s Pie!

I have a delicious Whole30 compliant Shepherd’s Pie on this site from a few years ago that uses mashed potatoes for the topping.  Obviously, with the potatoes, it’s far from low carb!

I’ve since discovered my loooove for cauliflower and all it’s possibilities.  From bacon and roasted garlic mashed “potatoes” to breakfast fried rice, it’s awesome at recreating the textures we love while keeping the carb count low.

For this Shepherd’s Pie, I also have a few options to make it even lower in carbs by swapping out a couple of the filling ingredients as well as the potatoes.

What You Need to Make Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie

I separated the ingredients into what you need for the topping and filling.  Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare the Shepherd’s Pie:

Topping:

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets, or about 24 oz frozen florets 
• garlic
• ghee
• full fat coconut milk
• nutritional yeast (for flavor, optional)
• sea salt and black pepper

Filling:

• ghee, for cooking
• grass fed ground lamb, or beef
• Sea salt and black pepper 
• carrots
• onion
• garlic
• beef or chicken bone broth
• tomato paste
• fresh minced thyme
• fresh minced rosemary
• frozen green peas OR chopped green beans (for fewer carbs)

How To Make Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie

Make the cauliflower puree first.  Steam the cauliflower and garlic until soft (you can do this in the microwave as well).  Place the softened cauliflower and garlic in the bowl of a food processor or blender and add the remaining ingredients.  Blend or process until nice and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed for a creamy puree. Once smooth, set aside.

Preheat your oven to 375° F. Heat a deep oven proof skillet to medium high and add the ghee.  Crumble in the lamb and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Brown the lamb, breaking up lumps as it cooks.  Use a slotted spoon to remove it from the skillet to a plate and set aside.

Adjust heat to medium and add the carrots to skillet, stir to coat and cook about 2 minutes, then add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic herbs and sprinkle veggies with sea salt and pepper, stir and cook another two minutes.

Add the broth and tomato paste to the skillet, stir to combine, then return beef to skillet and add in the peas, stir and simmer for 2 minutes or so to thicken the sauce and blend flavors. 

Spread all the mashed cauliflower over the beef mixture and use a spoon or spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle with parsley, then place skillet on a large baking sheet (to catch any bubbling sauce) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and top begins to turn golden brown.

Remove from oven, allow to sit about 10 minutes before serving hot.  Enjoy!

Tips for Making Cauliflower Puree in a Blender or Food Processor

To get the cauliflower puree nice and smooth, I recommend using either a food processor or large high speed blender, like a Vitamix.

The liquid ingredients (coconut milk and ghee) will help the cauliflower blend easily, but you will still need to stop the blender or processor to stir and scrape down the sides periodically.

If your blender gets “stuck”, try adding just a tablespoon or more of water to get things moving.  Just make sure not to add too much extra liquid to keep the topping thick and creamy.

Lower-Carb Options for the Veggies

If you want to keep the filling very low in carbs, you can substitute in shredded Brussels sprouts for the carrots, and chopped green beans for the peas.  You can also reduce the tomato paste to just 1 tablespoon to lower the sugar.

Or, keep the carrots and use the green beans instead of peas.  You can also add in broccoli instead of peas and peppers instead of carrots.  The options are endless and ou can really use whatever veggies you want.

I hope you’re ready for a delicious low carb version of a classic favorite meal for the colder months!  Grab your favorite skillet and your blender because it’s time to cook – let’s go!

Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie {Whole30}

Paleo and Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie {Whole30}

This Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie is classic, cozy comfort food for cold winter days!  It’s Whole30 compliant, dairy free, keto friendly and kid approved.  A flavorful, hearty ground meat and veggie mixture is topped with creamy mashed cauliflower and baked until golden brown and bubbling.  

Author: Michele Rosen

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Cooling Time: 10 mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: keto, low carb, Paleo, Whole30

Keyword: beef, cauliflower, keto, lamb, low carb, paleo, whole30

Servings: 8 servings

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4.77 from 13 votes

Ingredients

Topping:

• 1 large head cauliflower cut into florets, or about 24 oz frozen florets
• 3 cloves garlic smashed
• 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk or cream
• 3 Tbsp ghee melted
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast optional
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Filling:

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 1/2 lbs grass fed ground lamb or beef
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 3 large carrots diced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• Sea salt and lack pepper for veggies
• 3/4 cup beef or chicken bone broth
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp fresh minced thyme
• 2 tsp fresh minced rosemary
• 1 cup frozen green peas OR chopped green beans, for lower carb

Instructions

1. Make the cauliflower puree first. Steam the cauliflower and garlic until soft (you can do this in the microwave as well). Place the softened cauliflower and garlic in the bowl of a food processor or blender and add the remaining ingredients. Blend or process until nice and smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides as needed for a creamy puree. Once smooth, set aside.

2. Preheat your oven to 375° F. Heat a deep oven proof skillet to medium high and add the ghee. Crumble in the lamb and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper. Brown the lamb, breaking up lumps as it cooks. Use a slotted spoon to remove it from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
3. Adjust heat to medium and add the carrots to skillet, stir to coat and cook about 2 minutes, then add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic herbs and sprinkle veggies with sea salt and pepper, stir and cook another two minutes.
4. Add the broth and tomato paste to the skillet, stir to combine, then return beef to skillet and add in the peas, stir and simmer for 2 minutes or so to thicken the sauce and blend flavors.
5. Spread all the mashed cauliflower over the beef mixture and use a spoon or spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle with parsley, then place skillet on a large baking sheet (to catch any bubbling sauce) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and top begins to turn golden brown.
6. Remove from oven, allow to sit about 10 minutes before serving hot. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*Nutritional was calculated using carrots and peas.  Substituting in green beans and Brussels sprouts and reducing the tomato paste will lower the carb count.

Nutrition

Calories: 398kcal

Carbohydrates: 12g

Protein: 19g

Fat: 31g

Saturated Fat: 16g

Cholesterol: 81mg

Sodium: 422mg

Potassium: 659mg

Fiber: 4g

Sugar: 5g

Vitamin A: 4021IU

Vitamin C: 46mg

Calcium: 53mg

Iron: 3mg

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Want More Low Carb + Whole30 Recipes?  Try One of These!

Lemon Chicken Piccata 

Creamy Tuscan Chicken

Chicken Pot Pie Soup with Low Carb Biscuits

French Onion Chicken 

Spinach Artichoke Salmon

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