This Whole30 Shepherd’s Pie is an easy and satisfying dinner!
A savory ground beef (or lamb) filling is topped with cream mashed potatoes, then baked until hot and bubbling.
Plus it’s gluten-free and dairy-free.
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Why this recipe works
Shepherd’s pie is classic comfort food by way of Ireland/the UK.
Ground lamb is browned with vegetables like onions, carrots and sometimes peas, then topped with mashed potatoes and baked.
Ground beef is often used instead of lamb, which technically would make it a cottage pie, not a shepherd’s pie.
But often the filling is thickened with flour and the mashed potatoes are made with butter, cream and sometimes cheese.
And since a lot of us can’t tolerate those ingredients, I wanted to make a version that was gluten-free, dairy-free and Whole30 friendly.
So out goes the flour. Instead we’ll use arrowroot flour/starch, a thickener similar to cornstarch (but corn is not allowed during a Whole30).
Instead of cream, we’ll actually use the starchy cooking water from boiling the potatoes. This creates incredibly light, fluffy mashed potatoes.
And instead of butter, we’ll use ghee, which is butter where the dairy solids have been removed.
But since ghee isn’t technically considered completely dairy-free, you can also use palm shortening or any dairy-free butter substitute you like.
You might hesitate to use palm shortening because of either the “palm” or the “shortening” part. Please know that there are brands making palm shortening in much more environmentally ways than other palm products, and palm shortening is much healthier than regular vegetable shortening. You can learn more about palm shortening in this video.
Finally, Worcestershire sauce is often added to the lamb/beef filling. But it often contains sugar (another Whole30 no-no), so this recipe uses coconut aminos, which provides the same umami depth and savoriness.
And instead of transferring everything to a separate baking dish, you’ll bake the pie in the same skillet the meat is cooked in. One less pan to clean!
What you need
Ingredients:
- 1½ pounds yellow potatoes
- 3 tablespoons ghee, divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
- ½ cup chopped onion
- one pound lean ground beef or ground lamb
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoons coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot flour/starch
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ cup frozen peas and carrots (not thawed)
- fine sea salt
- black pepper
Equipment:
- a 10″ cast iron skillet (or other medium, oven-safe skillet)
- a medium saucepan (3-4 quarts)
- measuring spoons
- measuring cups
- a vegetable peeler
- a cutting board
- a chef’s knife
- a heat-proof spatula or wooden spoon
- a whisk
- a medium mixing bowl
- a colander
- a measuring glass
- a serving spoon
How to make Whole30 Shepherd’s Pie (with step-by-step photos)
Step 1
Heat the oven to 400°.
Step 2
Peel the potatoes. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut in half crosswise.
Add the peeled and quartered potatoes to a saucepan and cover with water (there should be about an inch of water between the potatoes and water’s surface).
Place over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to bring it down to a simmer. Simmer the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until a knife easily slides through.
Step 3
Drain the potatoes, reserving a half cup of the cooking water.
Step 4
Return the potatoes to the saucepan and mash until chunky.
Then add the water, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and 1 tablespoon ghee. Keep mashing or whip with a wooden spoon or spatula until blended and fairly smooth. Set aside.
Step 5
Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee to the skillet and place over medium heat.
Step 6
Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.
Step 7
Add the ground beef or lamb and break it up as it cooks, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes.
Step 8
While the meat cooks, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the beef broth, coconut aminos and arrowroot. Set aside.
Step 9
Once the meat is browned, add the thyme, rosemary, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and about ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the ½ cup of frozen peas and carrots and stir everything together. Cook until the peas and carrots are warmed through, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 10
Give the broth mixture another whisk then pour it into the skillet and stir everything together.
Step 11
Turn the heat up to medium high to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
Step 12
Spread the potatoes on the meat mixture.
Distribute 2 tablespoons of ghee in little dabs over the potatoes.
Step 13
Bake until the pie is hot and bubbly around the edges, about 30 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes, then dig in!
FAQ
– Per the recipe, you can use either lean ground beef (technically making it a cottage pie) or ground lamb.
– You can also use ground turkey instead of beef or lamb.
– You can use ½ cup chopped shallots instead of an onion.
– You can use one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme instead of dried.
– You can use ½ tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary instead of dried.
– You can use chicken broth instead of beef broth.
– You can use tapioca flour/starch instead of arrowroot.
– You can use either all frozen peas or all frozen carrots.
Yes, the pie can be made up to 5 days in advance. Let it cool before storing in the fridge.
Heat in a 350 degree oven until hot, about 20-30 minutes.
If you know you’re going to make it advance, you might want to transfer the meat mixture to an 8×8″ baking dish, top it with the potatoes and bake it like that. Then, once it’s baked and cooled, you can store directly in the fridge. (Or, if you’re okay putting the cooled cast iron skillet in your fridge, that’s fine.)
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes. Transfer the cooled pie a freezer-safe container, cover tightly with plastic wrap and seal the container.
You can freeze the pie for up to 3 months.
Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Heat in a 350 degree oven until hot, about 20-30 minutes.
Other recipes you might like:
- Mashed Potatoes (Paleo, Whole30, dairy-free)
- Chicken and Biscuit Pot Pie (Paleo, gluten-free)
- Taco Casserole (Paleo, Whole30, gluten-free)
- Gluten-Free Swedish Meatballs (Paleo, Whole30)
Whole30 Shepherd’s Pie (gluten-free, dairy-free)
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds yellow potatoes peeled and quartered
- 3 tablespoons ghee (or palm shortening for dairy-free) divided
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more as necessary divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
- 1 pound ground lamb or lean ground beef
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos
- 1 teaspoon arrowroot flour/starch
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ cup frozen peas and carrots not thawed
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°.
- Add the peeled and quartered potatoes to a saucepan and cover with water (there should be about an inch of water between the potatoes and water's surface). Place over high heat and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to bring it down to a simmer. Simmer the potatoes for 15 minutes, or until a knife easily slides through.
- Drain the potatoes, reserving a half cup of the cooking water.
- Return the potatoes to the saucepan and mash until chunky. Then add the water, 1 tablespoon ghee, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Keep mashing or whip with a wooden spoon or spatula until blended and fairly smooth. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, while the potatoes are cooking, add 1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee to a medium, 10" heat-proof skillet and place over medium heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the onion and a pinch of salt and sauté, stirring occasionally until soft, about 10 minutes.
- Add the ground beef or lamb and break it up as it cooks, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes.
- While the onion and meat cook, in a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the beef broth, coconut aminos and arrowroot. Set aside.
- Once the meat is browned, add the thyme, rosemary, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add the ½ cup of frozen peas and carrots and stir everything together. Cook until the peas and carrots are warmed through, about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Give the broth mixture another whisk then pour it into the skillet and stir everything together.
- Turn the heat up to medium high to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and let it cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Spread the potatoes on the meat mixture. Distribute 2 tablespoons of ghee in little dabs over the potatoes.
- Bake until the pie is hot and bubbly around the edges, about 30 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes, then dig in!
Notes
- Per the recipe, you can use either lean ground beef (technically making it a cottage pie) or ground lamb.
– You can also use ground turkey instead of beef or lamb.
– You can use ½ cup chopped shallots instead of an onion.
– You can use one tablespoon fresh chopped thyme instead of dried.
– You can use ½ tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary instead of dried.
– You can use chicken broth instead of beef broth.
– You can use tapioca flour/starch instead of arrowroot.
– You can use either all frozen peas or all frozen carrots.
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