Paleo Shepherd’s Pie
Paleo Shepherd’s Pie
Paleo shepherd’s pie made with a yummy sweet potato crust. It’s comforting and is gluten free and dairy free.
I love cooking & baking and it forces me to attempt so many dishes. One of those dishes was something that I always turned my nose up at when I was a kid, Shepherd’s Pie.
I was a picky eater and I still am. I’m one of those people who forbid my food from touching other food on a plate.
For example, at Thanksgiving my cranberry sauce cannot touch the turkey, instead, the turkey must be dipped into the cranberry sauce.
I would love a set of dishes with those t.v. dinner grooves in them that prevent each food group from touching.
Eating paleo shepherd’s pie is a huge leap for me. So many textures intermingle, it’s overwhelming.
Gluten Free Shepherd’s Pie
I decided to be brave and make a paleo-friendly shepherd’s pie with a secret ingredient.
Regularly Shepherd’s Pie contains Worcestershire sauce.
Worcestershire sauce isn’t gluten free.
Worcestershire sauce provides that depth of flavor that is needed so I replaced it with barbecue sauce.
Note – most barbecue sauces contain Worcestershire sauce so you need to pick one with as many “clean” ingredients as you can find and devoid of gluten. Read more about gluten free condiments.
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
I used sweet potatoes to make the topping for this delicious Shepherd’s pie but you can use regular potatoes or mashed cauliflower to make it keto.
The sweet potato gave it a comforting taste. Mashed sweet potatoes taste so good!
Dairy Free Shepherd’s Pie
This gluten free Shepherd’s Pie is dairy free. If you don’t need to avoid dairy, I highly recommend adding some butter to the mashed sweet potato for added flavor.
Paleo Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients
- sweet potato
- raw ground beef
- a carrot
- onion
- celery
- a garlic clove
- beef broth
- barbecue sauce, (replaces Worcestershire sauce)
- Generous amounts of sea salt & ground pepper
How to Make Paleo Shepherd’s Pie
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the sweet potato in a pot of salted water. Turn to a boil and cook until tender. *You can easily put a fork through the sweet potato.
Drain and mash the sweet potato. I always use a hand blender to make my mashed sweet potatoes silky smooth. Make sure to add some salt to the mashed sweet potato for added flavor.
While the sweet potato is cooking make the filling.
On medium heat, in a frying pan, sauté carrots, onions, and celery. Cook until the onions are translucent.
Add the ground beef and garlic, and sprinkle generous amounts of salt and pepper.
Cook until the beef is cooked.
Add the broth and barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 10 minutes.
Place everything in a 6 x 8 oven-proof dish.
Putting it all together.
Drop spoonfuls of the sweet potato over the beef mixture. Then spread it all over. *I used a fork to create an artistic swirl in the topping.
Bake for 30 minutes. Broil on high for 5 minutes.
Serve warm.
Are Potatoes Paleo?
Yes! At first, they were not… then people in the Paleo community started to question why coconut flour pancakes are “Paleo” but a potato isn’t?
Even Whole30 made an announcement that it was okay to eat a potato! If you prefer your Paleo Shepherd’s Pie to have a white potato topping go right ahead 🙂
I suggest you use russet potatoes and after boiling them until soft, use a potato masher NOT a hand blender to mash them. Potatoes can get gluey if they are over-mixed.
Can you freeze Shepherd’s Pie?
Yes, you can freeze shepherd’s pie either uncooked or cooked. Freeze the Shepherd’s Pie in an airtight container. Remember to cook it longer if you are cooking it from frozen.
Reheating Shepherd’s Pie
You can easily reheat Shepherd’s Pie in a variety of ways. If you are reheating a large portion you can place it in your oven at 400 F and bake it for 20 minutes or until warmed throughout. Place aluminum foil over the top if it looks like it is getting burnt.
You can reheat it in your toaster oven or air fryer at 400 F for about 15 minutes or until warmed through.
You can reheat Shepherd’s Pie in your microwave. Simply microwave a piece for about 2-3 minutes.
More Paleo Dinner Recipes
Here are all of my gluten free dinner recipes. Below are a few easy weeknight ones.
- Honey Lemon Chicken
- Paleo Meatloaf
- Low Carb Coconut Battered Shrimp
- Chorizo Pulled Pork
- Beef Bulgogi
- Almond Flour Pizza Crust
- Keto Sushi
- Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
Paleo Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Paleo Shepherd's Pie
Paleo shepherd's pie made with a yummy sweet potato crust. It's comforting and is gluten free and dairy free.
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled & diced
- 1 pound ground beef, raw
- 1 cup carrot, finely chopped , (about 1 carrot)
- 1 cup onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup celery, finely diced
- 1 clove garlic, finely diced
- 1/2 cup beef broth
- 1 tsp barbecue sauce, replaces Worcestershire sauce
- sea salt
- ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Topping
- Place the sweet potato in a pot of salted water. Turn to a boil and cook until tender. *You can easily put a fork through the sweet potato.
- Drain and mash the sweet potato.
Filling
- While the sweet potato is cooking, make the filling. On medium heat, in a frying pan, sauté carrots, onions, and celery. Cook until the onions are translucent.
- Add the ground beef, and garlic and sprinkle generous amounts of salt and pepper.
- Cook until the beef is cooked.
- Add the broth and barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 10 minutes.
- Place everything in a 6 x8 oven proof dish.
Putting it all together
- Drop spoonfuls of the sweet potato over the beef mixture. Then spread it all over. *I used a fork to create an artistic swirl in the topping.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Broil on high for 5 minutes.
- Serve warm.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
4 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 282
Carol Lovett is the founder of Ditch the Wheat and a Globe and Mail bestselling author of the cookbook, Ditch the Wheat. She has been eating gluten free since 2010. She loves all things food, natural living, and spiritual. She’s also a reiki master and crystal healer.
