Shepherd’s Pie is one of my all-time favorite meals. I love all the veggies mixed together, the warmth and the comfort that it makes me feel. In fact, this is the exact meal I ask for on my birthday from my mom each year (along with key lime pie). I wanted to share it with you because I hope you enjoy it just as much as I do!
This meal has a lot more ingredients than I usually have in my recipes, but it is totally worth it! It makes a large enough batch that it lasts the two of us about three meals or you can share it with your loved ones at a gathering. The secret in this recipe is WHITE SWEET POTATOES. If you have never had these, you need to try them. They can be hard to find in some areas, but they are totally worth stocking up on a lot when you do find them. It gives this Sheppard’s Pie a sweetness that you can’t put your finger on, but also the heartiness that leaves you full the rest of the night.
While most Shepherds Pie has a lot of dairy in it, my recipe is completely dairy-free! It is 100% Whole30 compatible and Paleo-friendly. If you don’t follow either one of those, that is ok! I promise this recipe is delicious and you will want to make it over and over.
Tips for Shepherd’s Pie:
- I use ground chicken, but as always you can use any ground meat you like best or have on hand.
- I love cooking it in a large cast-iron pan, but you can always make smaller portions in individual pans.
- If you can’t find white sweet potatoes, regular sweet potatoes or russet potatoes will work just fine.
Shepher’s Pie
Ingredients
Filling
- 1 lb. Ground chicken
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large carrots chopped
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms chopped
- 1 white onion diced
- 1 cup peas
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp garlic
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1 tsp Rosemary
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Mashed Potatoes
- 3 medium white sweet potatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Heat your cast iron pan to medium heat. Add olive oil (or your favorite oil) and ground chicken. Brown the chicken until it is mostly cooked through.
- To the same pan, add all the veggies under "Filling"- be sure all veggies are chopped to the same size so they cook at the same time.
- In the meantime, boil a pot of water. Peel and roughly chop your sweet potatoes. Add potatoes to the boiling water and salt liberally.
- When veggies are fork tender, add the tomato paste, chicken broth and rest of the seasonings under "Filling". Simmer until the chicken broth is mostly absorbed and sauce is thick. If it does not thicken, add a small amount more of the tomato paste.
- When your sweet potatoes are tender, drain and put in a mixing bowl with the rest of the "Mashed Potato" ingredients. Mix until smooth. *Note- I do this in my Kitchen Aid mixer, but a hand mixer or potato masher will work*
- When mashed potatoes are smooth, spread on top of the filling. Put the pan in the oven on 400 degrees uncovered for 20 minutes.
- If the top is not browned, turn your oven on broil for another 5 minutes or until the potatoes are lightly browned on top.
