Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie
A keto take on a British classic
I can’t remember the first time I ate shepherd’s pie – perhaps it was in India where it’s made with mutton or perhaps in its natural habitat, the UK – but what I do remember is the taste and the feeling. There’s something innately comforting in that lamb mince enrobed in perfectly mashed potatoes, like a warm, carby hug. Which, of course, makes it entirely unsuited to keto. I needed that hug. I needed a low carb shepherd’s pie.
Enter our keto best friend – cauliflower. When swapped for potatoes and treated right (like everything else), a cauliflower mash can – dare I say it – be even better than spuds. This Keto shepherd’s pie or low carb cottage pie is a one pot recipe that is hearty and perfect any day of the week. The classic version is made from lamb, but I used beef (water buffalo) and replaced the traditional carrots and peas for spinach and mushrooms. And, of course, that stunning cauli-mash to sit on top of my mince.
Make this low-carb shepherd’s pie your own
On this episode of the show, I had a bunch of people come over to taste the pie and the response was outstanding; everyone loved it and didn’t mind the missing potato. Mind you, these aren’t folks on keto but just regular people eating a keto version of the pie.
Now this dish is slightly higher on protein and lower in fat (in comparison) but I would advise a nice tablespoon of butter or olive oil poured over it to add a good 14 grams of fat to your serving. I find that far more effective than pouring in the fat during the cooking process. Also, since I don’t have an option to get beef/lamb mince with a higher fat ratio, I’m stuck with lean meat, which also keeps the fat content lower in the dish. If you can find say 70-30 beef mince with 30% being the fat content it will have higher fat macros as compared to the 95-5 beef mince I use, and a juicier keto shepherd’s pie
Still not convinced about cauliflower? Allow us to change your mind with this cauliflower mac and cheese or a cauliflower chorizo pulao. It’s deeeelicious.
Nutrition Info (Per serving)
- Calories: 311
- Net Carbs: 7g
- Carbs: 10g
- Fat: 16g
- Protein: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
This recipe makes 5 servings. Get this recipe on myfitnesspal.
Keto Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 500 grams Cauliflower
- 2 Tbsp Butter Try this one
- 2 Egg Yolks
- 50 grams Parmesan cheese
- Salt to Taste
- 500 grams Beef Mince
- 100 grams White Mushrooms
- 100 grams Spinach
- 10 grams garlic
- 50 grams Onion
- 1/2 Tbsp Dried Thyme I recommend this one
- 1/2 Tbsp Rosemary Dust Learn how to make it
- 50 ml Tomato Puree Try this one
- 1 Tsp Worcestershire sauce I use this
- 1 Tbsp olive oil I use this
- 1 Beef Stock Cube I recommend this one
Instructions
- Microwave/steam/boil the cauliflower till tender
- Add butter and blend in a food processor tills smooth
- Add the eggs and cheese and season
- Blend till smooth
- Use on the pie
- Melt some butter and olive oil in a pan
- Add and fry the onions till golden brown
- Add garlic and fry
- Add in the beef and continue cooking
- Add in a beef stock cube, worcestershire sauce, tomato puree, rosemary and thyme
- Add in the spinach and mushrooms, season to taste
- Add water and cook for about 10 minutes
- Add to baking tray, cover with cauliflower mash, sprinkle with parmesean and bake for 15 minutes at 200C (390 F) in an oven
- Serve
Just cooked this one a couple of days ago! It was delicious. I found your videos a few weeks ago, so far i have made the lemon pepper chicken, this cottage pie and the fathead pizza. All of them are winners and so easy to make! HORNS UP!
hey Sahil, any alternative for stock cube? do we get this in India?
Yes you can use chicken/beef stock or you can even just use water and salt and pepper. You do get stock cubes in India.
I just tried this. So yummy! I used more of each vegetable to up the vitamins. Thanks!
I made this today for tomorrow’s supper Im excited
I made this tonight for dinner. It was deeelucious. it took 25 minutes in the oven before it browned a little bit, but it worked. Thanks, Sahil. Love your videos and recipes.
Hey Sahil, do you think that if I nix the ketchup, I’d drop the net carbs?
Hey I’m sorry I didn’t follow this. Mix the ketchup? You mean the puree I added? Yes if you skip the tomato puree you’ll drop about 1 net carb per serving probably.
I made 12 portions for a dinner party of 9 people and because everyone wanted seconds, it wasn’t quite enough ?
Because of my non keto relatives who hate cauliflower, I made it with swede mash on top. Used the suggested weight of cauliflower and boiled till soft and then pretty much followed your recipe with adding butter, Parmesan and egg yolks with a stick blender. It was out of this world!!!! If you don’t mind higher carbs on occasion, I really recommend swede (rutabaga) instead of cauliflower ?
Glad to hear that!! Sadly we don’t get swede in India but maybe on a trip abroad somewhere I can taste it 🙂
Although non keto, if you are going to try swede, which has quite a sweet taste, try mashing it with turnip and carrots then adding plenty of butter and black pepper. Another way is to roast with other root vegetables. Christmas veggies in the North of England
Sounds yum!
Hi Sahil, I made the Shepherds pie and quite enjoyed it. Adding the egg to the cauliflower really gave it a nice texture. I’ve also enjoyed the keema recipe, such a very delectable combination of flavors, and will definitely make it again.
I had a question concerning the use of turnips. Are they Keto—friendly? I’ve seen various sites stating that they are somewhat low carb, but they don’t seem to share the same popularity as cauliflower. Have you cooked with them? Are they available to you in your part of the world? Thank you much.
Hi NSP, yes turnips can work on Keto but I don’t get them in India so haven’t had the chance to cook with them.
Wow, just made this for dinner and it was fantastic, best cottage pie ever????
Excellent recipe. I made it for Valentine’s evening and my wife and I loved it. Keep up the great work Sahil! You have fans all over the world. ?
glad to hear that.
Do you think this could be frozen? As it’s just me I all about the batch cooking
Yes it can be.
Making this tonight for me. Regular version with Turkey for everyone else. Lol made a double batch so food for lunches and dinner next couple of days. Adding roasted Brussels Sprouts for the side dish.
Made this tonight. I was quite skeptical and was very surprised. Yes you can taste the cauliflower but it is not that strong. My daughter ate it and only complained about the mushrooms. We will try it again with lamb mince but this is one of those keto recipes that you can enjoy. Shepherd’s pie is with lamb and cottage pie with beef.
I mentioned the difference between cottage and shepherd’s pie and this was in the intro. Apologies
It’s all good!
I made your shepherd’s pie for dinner last night. It was very good! There were no leftovers between three people. Delicious with lamb if you have it available! This may be my new favorite recipe of yours after keto chicken 65. Thank you all the way from the USA!
thank you!!!
My husband and I are in the US. I riff on your recipe by using lamb… and fudging the amounts of the other ingredients’ measurements. We’ve had this in regular rotation. Yum!
Sounds delicious!