Paleo shepherd's pie with sweet potato topping
Savoury beef with mushrooms, carrots and green beans in a rich tomato and thyme gravy, under a smooth orange blanket of sweet potato mash made creamy with coconut milk. Baked until the ridges catch, it holds together on the spoon and freezes beautifully.
- Time
- 95 min (25 prep + 70 cook)
- Servings
- 6
- Per serving
- 495 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
Ingredients
Mash
- 2 1/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled, in chunks
- 1/4 cup coconut milk, canned, full-fat
- 1 tbsp ghee
- 1 tsp salt
Filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 medium carrots, diced small
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
- 1 3/4 lb ground beef (93% lean)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 cup bone broth, beef
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp arrowroot, stirred into the cold broth
- 7 oz green beans, cut into 1 cm (1/2-inch) pieces
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Steps
- Boil the sweet potatoes in salted water for 12–15 minutes, until very tender. Drain well, return to the hot pot for a minute to steam dry, then mash with the coconut milk, ghee and salt until smooth.
- Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400°F. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat and cook the onion, carrots, celery and mushrooms for 8 minutes, until the mushrooms have given up their water.
- Push the vegetables aside, raise the heat, add the beef, salt and pepper and cook, breaking it up, 6–8 minutes, until browned and 160°F.
- Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, thyme and rosemary and cook for 1 minute.
- Pour in the broth with the coconut aminos and arrowroot, add the green beans and simmer for 5–6 minutes, until thick and glossy.
- Spread the filling in a 23 x 33 cm (9 x 13-inch) baking dish, spoon the mash over it and rough up the top with a fork. Bake 25 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and browned on the ridges.
- Rest for 10 minutes and scatter with parsley. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months, whole or in portions.
Good to know
Can I make it with lamb?
Yes, ground lamb is the traditional meat for a shepherd's pie. It is richer, at about 47 instead of 57. Pour off any fat after browning.
Can I make it ahead?
Assemble it, cool it and refrigerate it for up to 2 days. Bake from cold for 35–40 minutes, until hot in the centre.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 108
- Protein
- (31%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (34%)
- 4 g
- Carbohydrates
- (35%)
- 10 g
- of which sugar
- 4 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 225 mg
More meals
Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 2967 kcal goes into the pot and 3178 g of ingredients comes out as about 2743 g of food: 108 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.