Whole30 Shepherd's Pie

So Andrew is CONSTANTLY asking me to make him shepherd's pie. I used to make it all the time but there was a bit of an overdosing situation that happened 2 years ago and since then it's been something I make more when he begs.

With that said, this was my effort to give Andrew comfort food while we were doing Whole30. What we got was one of my favorite recipes. 

Even if you're not doing Whole30, this is the perfect, healthy comfort food and makes for great, reheatable leftovers. Enjoy!

Whole30 Shepherd’s Pie

Whole30-compliant mashed potatoes:

3 Large potatoes/ 4 small ones
3 tablespoons ghee, divided
2-3 heap tablespoons coconut milk (make sure it Whole30 compliant)

Whole30-compliant garlic cauliflower mash:
1 head of cauliflower, chopped

2 cloves garlic, whole

Shepherd's Pie filling:1½ teaspoons sea salt, divided
2 tablespoons black pepper, divided
1 pound ground beef
1 small onion, finely chopped
1.5 cup of carrots, diced
1.5 cup of celery, diced

1 cup of green beans, chopped2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon of compliant tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken broth or bone broth
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1.5 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1.5 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary

MASHED POTATOES: Place the potatoes in a large stockpot and fill with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain well, place in a bowl and add 2 TBS of ghee and coconut milk and mash until smooth. Season generously with salt and pepper and set aside.

GARLIC CAULIFLOWER MASH: Place cauliflower and garlic in pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain well, place in a Cuisinart or blender and add 2 TBS of ghee, salt and pepper, puree and set aside.

SHEPHERD'S PIE FILLING: 

1. Clean and dice veggies.

2. In a skillet, brown the beef until almost all of the pink is gone, about 5-7 minutes. Drain and set aside. 

3. In the same skillet, add 1 TBS of ghee and wait until melted. Add in carrots, green beans, onion, and celery. After about 5 minutes, add mushrooms. Cover and cook on medium heat until they become tender, 8 more minutes.

4. Next, stir in the tomato paste and garlic and sauté for another 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, herbs, and more salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add back in the ground beef and mix until incorporated.

5. Transfer to an over safe dish or a deep pie plate. Pour the meat mixture in and top with the potato/cauliflower mixture, distributing evenly across the top. You can either bake it now (450 degrees for 30 minutes) or keep it in the fridge for a couple of days and bake it later. 

VARIATIONS: I'm sure you could try it with parsnips or sweet potatoes. If you are a vegetarian, double the veggies, use vegetable broth, and leave out the meat. It should still taste really good, though you may want to bulk up on spices to account for the missing meat juices.