Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping
Nothing screams comfort food like a piping hot casserole dish filled with a savory beef and veggie filling and a smooth, creamy sweet potato topping. It’s time for Shepherd’s pie.
While this might not be the traditional version, the filling has all of those yummy Shepherd’s pie ingredients and flavors with a bright and colorful topping that provides a bit of sweetness to the dish. I think you’ll love it.
A few tricks and tips for making Shepherd’s pie:
- If you’re looking to switch things up, try it with regular potatoes (I like Yukon or baby reds) instead of cauliflower.
- You can even go for a lower carb version and use cauliflower (or a mix of half cauliflower, half potatoes) for the topping.
- Try chicken, turkey or lamb for the filling instead of beef.
- If you have fresh carrots and a bag of peas (rather than a combo bag of frozen peas and carrots), that works too! Simply peel and dice the carrots and saute them with the onion. Then add the frozen peas as directed in the recipe.
- To add more veggies to the meal, serve the Shepherd’s pie with a green salad and vinaigrette dressing.
- This dish is perfect for making ahead and reheating for leftovers throughout the week. Scoop the leftovers into glass storage containers and refrigerate them up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave 1-3 minutes.
- This can also be made in advance and tossed in the freezer. It’ll last up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or in the oven.
- If you’re looking to up your greens intake (and not in the mood for a salad), add a few handfuls of spinach or kale when you’re sauteing the beef. You can use fresh or frozen greens.
As you can see, there are lots of options for whipping up this healthy Shepherd’s pie! Enjoy, friends!
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Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping
- Prep Time: 15-20 mins
- Cook Time: 30-35 mins
- Total Time: 45-55 mins
- Yield: Serves 6 1x
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove-Top, Baking
- Cuisine: Irish/English
Description
A simple Shepherd’s pie with a smooth sweet potato topping.
Ingredients
Scale
Sweet Potato Topping:
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- ½ cup low fat milk
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1-pound lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
- 3–4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 2 tablespoons no salt added tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½–2 cups unsalted beef or chicken stock
- 12-ounce bag frozen peas and carrots
- Dash Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the sweet potatoes and cook until fork tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and place back into the pot.
- Add the milk, olive oil and salt to the sweet potatoes and use a potato masher or hand mixer to mash or beat until smooth. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In a Dutch oven or oven-safe stove-top casserole dish, heat the olive oil to medium. Add the onion and sauté 4-5 minutes or until soft. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes, breaking up the beef into pieces using a wooden spoon as it cooks. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, thyme, salt and black pepper and sauté 30-60 seconds or until garlic is fragrant.
- Stir in the flour. Increase the heat to medium-high and slowly whisk in the stock and bring to a simmer until thickened, about 2-3 minutes, adding more stock if the mixture becomes too thick. Stir in the bag of frozen peas and carrots. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce (if using).
- Spoon the sweet potato mixture on top of the filling and use a large spoon to spread the mixture into an even layer. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the filling is bubbly.
- Let slightly cool, then serve.
Notes
Substitution Tip: Swap the sweet potato for regular white potatoes or cauliflower.
Make it a Meal: Serve with a green salad with vinaigrette dressing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 363
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 426mg
- Fat: 15g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 50mg
Keywords: shepherd’s pie, comfort food, entree, dinner, sweet potato