Healthy Classic Shepherd’s Pie

Make The classic shepherd’s pie recipe is layered with minced meat and veggies on the bottom in a savoury, rich sauce and topped with light and fluffy mashed potatoes that form a delicious crust.

We’ll keep this recipe close to the traditional Irish version, but I’ll also give you some tips and variations to make this recipe low-carb, keto, and vegan-friendly.

WHAT IS SHEPHERD’S PIE?

Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional English dish made with lamb, mutton, and mashed potatoes. The dish is typically baked in a deep dish and served hot.

Shepherd’s pie is believed to have originated in the 18th century, and the name is thought to come from the fact that the dish was often made with leftover lamb from a Sunday roast.

Today, shepherd’s pie is a portion of popular comfort food, and there are many variations of the dish, including versions made with beef, chicken, or vegetables.

How To Make Shepherd’s pie:

Peel and quarter two pounds of russet potatoes, about three potatoes.

If your potatoes are larger, you can cut them into chunks rather than quarters, and they’ll cook a little faster.

I’m using russet potatoes as it’s more classic, but you could use sweet potatoes for a rich orange topping or even cauliflower for a low-carb mashed cauliflower topping.

Add the potato chunks to a pot and fill it with cold water until they’re just covered. Turn the heat to high and bring the water to a boil.

Then, set a timer and cook the potatoes for about 13 to 15 minutes.

While the potatoes are cooking, add half a cup of milk to a small pot, and you could also use non-dairy milk, along with half a cup of butter or ghee.

Then, warm this up until it’s melted. When the potatoes are done, they’ll be soft when pierced with a fork.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and then return them to the pot to save getting another bowl dirty.

If you serve these as a simple mashed potatoes side dish, returning them to the hot pot keeps the potatoes warm.

Add the melted butter, milk, salt, and pepper to the mashed potatoes, and use a handheld masher to mash them up until they’re nice and fluffy.

You can always have more milk if they’re too stiff to get a fluffier consistency.

Once you’re done mashing, set these aside, and we’ll get started on the meat and veggie filling.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Then, peel and finally dice two carrots.

And I’m using my favorite Y Peeler. To create a small dice on the carrots, trim the ends, slice each carrot in half, and then into thin strips lengthwise. 

Then, all you have to do is cut across for the perfect small dice.

If your carrots are long, you can cut them in half first and then half lengthwise to make them easier to cut into strips.

Next, we’ll dice up two stalks of celery. I think many shepherd’s pie recipes only call for one stalk of celery, but you know, the more veggies, the better.

Trim the ends off the celery, and slice them into strips lengthwise.

The last veggie we’ll dice up is a yellow onion.

Add two tablespoons of olive oil to a pan on medium heat and add the diced onion.

Then, mince two garlic cloves and saute that together with the onion for a minute or so.

Add the diced carrots, celery, and one and a half pounds of ground lamb to the pan.

Ground lamb is traditionally used in shepherd’s pie, though often in the US. You’ll find ground beef used instead.

If you do that, it’s called a cottage pie, not a shepherd’s pie.

If you don’t eat a lot of lambs, I say give the original version a try. I think you’ll love it.

If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you could also swap a mix of mushrooms and lentils for the meat.

So, cook the lamb and veggies for about eight to 10 minutes or until the meat is browned, making sure to break it up with your spatula.

Some fat may accumulate in the bottom of the pan, and you’ll want to drain that off. So I add a lid, take it over to the sink, and pour it off.

Next, you’ll add one cup of chicken broth, one and a half tablespoons of tomato paste, which helps to thicken up our sauce and add flavour without the need for any flour, and one tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

If you’re gluten-free, you need to be extra careful about which brand of Worcestershire sauce you buy.

Quickly chop up some fresh rosemary and thyme and add that to the pan, along with salt and pepper.

You could also use dried spices in a pinch, though I prefer fresh in this recipe.

Stir and simmer these ingredients together for about five minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Our last ingredient is one cup of frozen peas.

So add that to the pan, stir it, turn off your stove, and then flatten the meat mixture down with the back of your spatula.

Dollop the mashed potatoes on the meat mixture and use a spoon or spatula to spread it flat to the edges.

You do wanna go all the way to the edges with the mashed potatoes to form a seal across the top and prevent the sauce from boiling up.

If you’d like, you could also use the back of your spoon or a fork to create a texture in the topping.

Bake the shepherd’s pie for 25 to 30 minutes. It should be slightly golden on top though you could always turn on the top broiler for a minute or two.

Taking it out of the oven will smell amazing, and the mashed potato topping will have formed this beautiful crust. favorite

Before serving, add a little sprinkle of fresh parsley, and then I’ll scoop a generous portion on each plate.

This savoury comfort food recipe is perfect for the colder months and always seems to get gobbled up fast, so I’m confident you’ll love it, too.

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