You may be missing comfort food while eating low carb or keto, but this low carb shepherd's pie will hit the spot! It can also be dairy free too!
Another low carb meal that kids will love (and get plenty of veggies in too!) is keto nachos! It's very healthy, but fun enough for movie night!
Ingredients Needed
- Cauliflower
- Butter
- Milk
- Ground Beef
- Green Bell Peppers
- Asparagus
- Celery
- Spices
- Cheese
Head down to the recipe card for quantities!
Instructions
Start by preparing the cauliflower. Chop it into florets, then boil until easily pierced with a fork.
Blend the cauliflower together with butter and milk, then set aside.
Next cook the ground beef and season it. Set it aside.
Saute and season the veggies. Now we're ready to layer everything together!
In a baking dish, place the meat on the bottom. The second layer is the veggies, and the top layer is the cauliflower. Sprinkle the cheese on top.
Place it in the oven at 350F until heated through and the cheese has melted. Optionally, broil briefly to crisp the cheese on top!
Substitutions
This can easily be made dairy free if needed!
- Ghee-use ghee in place of the butter if dairy bothers you!
- Almond milk-use this in place of the milk as a dairy replacement.
- Turkey-you can use turkey instead of beef for a leaner meat.
FAQ's
How to Serve
I love to serve this with bread or salad! Toast up some keto bread with butter, or top a salad with your favorite keto dressing!
Can Shepherd's Pie be Frozen?
I don't think mashed cauliflower ever lends itself to be frozen well. It will thaw watery and just look unappealing, even tough the taste will be just the same.
Storage and Reheating
For starters, you can make this recipe up to 3 days in advance!
For any leftovers, store them in an airtight container. Store it in the fridge up to 3 days.
To reheat, I suggest using the oven and not the microwave for both taste and quality. Place leftovers in an oven safe container inside the oven on 350F degrees until heated to the desired temperature.
Top Tip
Don't skip out on blending the cauliflower by trying to use a potato masher!
You need the blender for the perfect consistency, you just won't get it with a potato masher.
Equipment
You don't need many tools here, but here's what you do need:
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Pan for boiling
- Immersion Blender
- Casserole Dish (or cast iron pan)
- Measuring Spoons
I cooked the veggies and baked the casserole all in one pan! I used my Lodge Cast Iron, which I absolutely love.
More Keto Recipes to Try
Let me know in the comments any other keto recipes you'd like to see!
Traditionally it is high in carbs since it's made with mashed potatoes. This recipe however, uses cauliflower in their place, significantly lowering the carb count!
While currently they are used interchangeable, traditionally they are different. Traditionally, shepherd's pie is made with ground lamb and cottage pie is made with beef. However they're usually swapped or called the same thing.
Low Carb Shepherd's Pie
Equipment
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Skillet
- Oven Safe Dish
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- butter ghee if Whole30/Paleo
- Milk almond milk if Whole30/Paleo
- 1 lb ground beef
- 2 teaspoon salt split
- ½ teaspoon pepper split
- ½ teaspoon chili pepper split
- 1 teaspoon onion powder split
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder split
- 1 bunch asaparagus chopped
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350F degrees.
- Heat a large pot of water to boil. Rough chop the cauliflower, and boil until easily pierced with a fork.
- Drain the cauliflower, and using an immersion blender, blend the cauliflower, butter, and milk until creamy. Salt to taste. Set aside.
- Cook the ground beef over medium heat. Add half of the spices. Set aside.
- Chop the veggies. Cook in the beef fat (if needed, add butter to the pan). Mix in the remaining spices.
- In an 8x8 casserole dish or 8-9 inch skillet, place the veggies, then beef, then cauliflower, and lastly cheese if using.
- Bake until everything is evenly heated and cheese is melted.
- Optional: Broil for 1-2 minute to crisp the cheese.
Nutritional Facts
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Nicole says
This looks amazing! I definitely want to try this. Me and my husband used to do a lot of keto and it’s crazy how different you feel energy wise. I love that you also attach the nutritional information I’ve rarely seen that and that’s so nice to see. You can tell that you definitely do your research and due diligence! Love it!!
Rachel Rivera says
Thank you so much I really appreciate that! So true, you definitely get lots of energy doing keto! It's typically healthy and clean to so I love that.
Amie says
I love making this regularly since it’s Shepherd’s Pie I can finally eat with my potato allergy!
Rachel Rivera says
Yes it's such a good alternative to potatoes!