Healthy Shepherd’s Pie

This healthy shepherd’s pie is a lighter take on the classic dish. Made with a few small tweaks, this lighter shepherd’s pie is just as delicious and easy! Ground beef and vegetables simmered in a tasty gravy and then topped with a potato-cauliflower mash, this is the perfect dinner for your family.

 

A while back, I sent out an email survey asking for what type of recipes you were looking for, and one of the responses was for a twist on shepherd’s pie.

While I love a big plate of the comforting classic, I decided to try to lighten it up a little with a few tweaks (which means I can definitely eat more of it in one sitting without feeling too stuffed, haha).

If you want a healthier version of your favorite classic recipe, make sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter for surveys or just send me an email!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s veggie-packed! The mashed potatoes has cauliflower mixed in while the filling is full of mushrooms, peas, carrots, and onions.
• It’s relatively easy to make! While it might seem like it’s a lot of effort to make shepherd’s pie from scratch, it’s quite straightforward to make.
• Leftovers keep really well! I pack up most of it for lunches for the week.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• potatoes — I use russet potatoes for the mashed topping. Yukon gold potatoes are a great option as well.
• cauliflower — I love cauliflower mash and adding it to the potatoes will help keep the topping lighter but still creamy and indulgent.
• milk — I use milk for the mash, but you can also use heavy cream.
• butter — I use unsalted butter.
• parmesan — I love adding parmesan to the mashed potatoes/cauliflower.
• garlic powder, onion powder, salt — seasoning for the mashed topping and filling!
• oil — to cook the filling with.
• onion — I use a small yellow onion, but feel free to use your onion of choice.
• mushrooms — one of my favorite ways to stretch out ground beef is by adding minced mushrooms to it. Once cooked, the texture is very similar, so you can use one pound of ground beef instead of two for this recipe.
• carrots — I peel and finely dice a carrot but if you have frozen carrots, feel free to use that instead!
• beef — I use lean ground beef. If you use fattier ground beef, you might have to drain some of the fat out after you brown the meat.
• beef broth — you can use low sodium or regular beef broth. I used regular for this healthy shepherd’s pie.
• tomato paste — I love the tanginess the tomato paste adds to the filling.
• Worcestershire sauce — this adds a wonderful umami flavor to the filling.
• rosemary — I use fresh rosemary, but you can use thyme, sage, or another herb of your choice.
• frozen peas — I use frozen peas, but you can also use frozen corn (or both!)

How to Make a Lighter Shepherd’s Pie

• Heat the oven to 400F.
• Bring a (covered) pot of salted water with the potatoes to a boil. Once it has reached a boil, slightly uncover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add the cauliflower florets into the pot of water and continue to simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

• Drain the potatoes and cauliflower, then add the milk, butter, parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
• Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Stir to ensure everything is well combined.

• Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. (This is the skillet I’m using) Add the diced onions and ½ teaspoon of salt and saute for 2 minutes.
• Add the finely minced mushrooms along with ½ teaspoon salt.

• Saute for 7 to 8 minutes.
• Add the carrots to the skillet and saute for another 2 minutes.

• Add the ground beef along with ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon onion powder. Brown the beef for 5 minutes.

• Add the beef broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and rosemary to the skillet. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes on medium-low heat.

• Add the frozen peas and stir to combine. Using the back of a spoon or spatula, smooth out the top of the filing so it is flat.
• Spoon the mashed topping over the top.

• Use the back of a spoon or spatula to spread the mashed topping flat to the edges of the skillet.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until slightly golden. If desired, you can use the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes to brown the top some more.
• Allow the shepherd’s pie to rest for 5 to 10 minutes so it can firm up before serving.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
• Freezer: allow to cool before transferring into an airtight container before storing them in the freezer for up to 3 months. If you want to freeze the entire batch, I recommend baking the shepherd’s pie in an aluminum tray.

More Easy Dinners to Try

• Baked Chicken Cutlets
• Baked Chicken Quarters
• Oven Baked Bone In Pork Chops
• Cottage Cheese Pasta Bake

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