While traditional shepherds pie can be a bit heavy on the carbs, this almost 'paleo' version using cauliflower mash instead of potatoes is much lighter.
But the best news is it's still super comforting and one of those dishes the whole family will love!
enough for: 4
takes: 60 minutes
1 head cauliflower
1kg (2lb) minced (ground) beef or lamb
1 jar tomato passata or puree (3 cups)
6 tablespoons butter
salad leaves, to serve
1. Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and bring a medium pot of water to the boil.
2. Chop cauliflower into large bite sized chunks. Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until cauli is really soft.
3. Drain and mix in half the butter. Then whizz using a stick blender or your food processor until smooth and creamy. You could mash with a fork but you'll end up with a chunkier result.
4. While the cauli is cooking, heat a large frying pan on a high heat. Add beef and a little oil and cook, stirring until the beef is well browned. Add tomato passata and the remaining butter and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
5. Transfer the beef mixture to an oven proof dish (mine was 22cmx28cm / 8inx11in but it doesn't need to be exact).
6. Top with the cauli mash, I didn't go all the way to the edges so it looked prettier and allowed my mash layer to be thicker.
7. Bake for 30 minutes or until everything is hot and bubbling.
8. Serve with salad leaves on the side.
Variations
vegetarian - replace beef with the same weight cooked french style green lentils.
dairy-free/paleo - replace butter with olive oil or coconut oil.
vegan - combine the vegetarian and dairy-free options.
do ahead - you could make the pie up until step 5. Then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze. Then to serve cook straight from the fridge (defrost first if frozen).
individual 'pies' - makes about 4-5 servings if you use individual dishes. They'll need to be about 2 cups capacity each.
carb lovers / more substantial - use potato mash instead of or as well as the cauli. Or maybe serve on a bed of potato mash for those who need it. Also good with hot buttered pasta or crusty bread and butter.
more veg - soften an onion, carrot, celery and some mushrooms before browning the beef. Add extra chopped raw veg to the salad leaves like carrot, snow peas and/or red bell peppers (capsicum).
short on time - cook beef and cauli separately as per recipe then just serve beef on a bed of cauli mash (skip the oven part).
Waste Avoidance Strategy
cauliflower – will keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for weeks. To keep for longer, chop into florettes and pop in the freezer. If you have time, grating the cauli before freezing will make life easier so you can just defrost and serve.
minced (ground) beef or lamb - freeze it.
passata or puree - keep it in the pantry.
butter – will keep in the fridge for weeks.
salad leaves – are highly perishable. My first path would be to use them for another meal (salad for breakfast!) but if that isn’t possible you can pop them in the freezer. They will wilt down but can then be used anywhere you’d use wilted greens. At least this way they wont go slimey.
Prepare Ahead
Absolutely. Just keep the salad separately. Will keep for 1-2 weeks in the fridge and can be frozen. To serve just reheat in the oven (200C / 400F) for 10-15 minutes.