SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (2024)

SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (1)

Written by Sherry Lipp Published on in SCD Main Dishes, SCD Recipe

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This is not the first Shepherd’s Pie recipe I’ve shared, but sometimes it’s fun to change things up a bit. This “jazzed up” version has a couple ingredients not usually found in Shepherd’s Pie – bacon and peppers. I also changed up the fresh herbs.

Using fresh herbs and slow cooking make all the difference in a hearty recipe like this. It takes some time, but it’s perfect for a cold fall day and it’s definitely worth the wait.

Shepherd’s Pie with Sauteed Green Beans

Full disclosure, I use prepared tomato paste, which is not listed as SCD legal. However, since Breaking the Vicious Cycle was written, a lot of things have changed in the food industry, particularly the demand for truth in food labeling and the desire for food with no additives. There are plenty of organic tomato pastes on the market that are just tomatoes. I’ve seen them in glass jars and tubes. However, if you don’t feel comfortable using prepared tomato paste, reduce the stock by one cup and add a cup of tomato juice.

SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (3)

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Jazzed Up Shepherd’s Pie

Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1.5lbsgrass-fed ground beef
  • 4slicesuncured baconchopped
  • 2tbspolive oil
  • 2 cupschicken stock
  • 1/3cup tomato pastesee notes for substitution
  • 1/2cuponionchopped
  • 1cupgreen, red, yellow pepperschopped
  • 2largecarrotschopped
  • 2stalkscelerychopped
  • 2tsp minced garlic
  • 1tspsea salt
  • 1tspfresh ground pepper
  • 1bundlefresh thyme
  • 1bundlefresh rosemary
  • 1bundlefresh sage

Topping Ingredients

  • 1largehead of cauliflower(or two packages) – chopped
  • 2tbspgheemelted – or sub butter or coconut oil
  • 1/4cupchicken stock
  • 1tsp minced garlic
  • 1tspsea salt
  • 1tspfresh ground pepper
  • 1/2cupsharp cheddar cheesegrated – optional

Instructions

Filling Preparation

  1. Add bacon to large pot – (I used my enameled cast iron dutch oven)

  2. Cook bacon until crispy and remove to plate with paper towel

  3. Remove all but about 1 tbsp of the bacon fat

  4. Add ground beef to pot

  5. Cook over medium heat until meat is browned

  6. Remove meat from pan and set aside

  7. Add olive oil

  8. Add carrots, celery, peppers and onion

  9. Cook for 8 – 10 minutes until vegetables are softened

  10. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes

  11. Add tomato paste (or tomato juice) and combine with vegetables

  12. Add ground beef, bacon, salt, pepper, and chicken stock

  13. Stir to combine

  14. Toss in fresh herb bundles

  15. Partially cover pot and reduce heat to simmer (will vary depending on what kind of pot you are using)

  16. Simmer for one hour – keep an eye on the liquid, if it reduces too much add a little more stock or water. Consistency should be stew-like

  17. Remove from heat

  18. Remove fresh herb bundles

  19. Add to baking dish – you can use two smaller dishes or a large dish

    SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (4)

Topping Preparation

  1. Boil chopped cauliflower for 8 – 10 minutes until soft, but not falling apart

    SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (5)

  2. Drain in colander and allow to cool

  3. Place cauliflower in clean dish towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can (it’s okay to crush the cauliflower in this step) – you might have to do this in batches

  4. Place cauliflower in large mixing bowl

  5. Add ghee, garlic, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup chicken stock

  6. Combine well with electric mixer – this will probably not make it mashed potato consistency yet

  7. I used a hand blender to get the cauliflower the consistency of mashed potatoes. This worked perfectly. If you don’t have a hand blender (immersion blender) you can try a regular blender – you may have to add a little more liquid to get it to blend, just don’t do too much or you will water them back down

  8. Stir in cheese if using

Final Assembly

  1. Spread cauliflower over meat mixture

    SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (6)

  2. At this point you can cover the dish(es) and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them

  3. If serving right away and everything is still pretty hot, add a little cheese (optional) to the top and put it under the broiler – on the middle rack and cook until cauliflower browns and cheese is melted

  4. If heating up later – heat oven to 350 degrees

  5. Bake for 30 – 40 minutes until hot

  6. Broil as instructed above

Recipe Notes

Notes on using tomato juice instead of tomato pate:

  • Reduce stock to 1 cup if using tomato juice instead of tomato paste
  • Substitute 1 cup tomato juice for the tomato paste
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SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (7)

Sherry is a writer/blogger specializing in entertainment and food writing. She has been following a gluten, grain, and sugar-free diet for over 15 years and is the author of Don't Skip Dessert: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free & Sugar-Free Sweet Treats. She also enjoys writing about movies and television. You can find her entertainment articles at cinemalowdown.com.

SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (8)

Latest posts by Sherry Lipp (see all)

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SCD Recipe: Jazzed Up Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping | Happy Gut For Life (2024)

FAQs

What is cauliflower shepherd's pie nutrition? ›

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
356Calories
23gFat
18gCarbs
20gProtein

Why is cauliflower better for you than potatoes? ›

Nutritionally, cauliflower is lighter in calories and carbs than potatoes and is more nutrient-dense. That's why it's popular among the low carb and weight loss communities.

Why is cauliflower crust so high in carbs? ›

A single slice could have anywhere from 2 to 29 grams. That's a huge range, especially because cauliflower isn't carb-heavy (a cup has 5 grams). Why the difference? Crusts may include rice or brown rice flour, sugar, tapioca starch, and corn starch, which supply carbs.

What is the nutritional value of shepherd's pie? ›

Nutritional analysis (per serving):

922 calories. 34g protein. 72g fat. 931mg sodium.

What is the nutritional value of mashed cauliflower? ›

Mashed Cauliflower Nutrition (per cup of mash): Calories: 57, Fat: 0g, Carbohydrates: 11g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 4g. Recipe Notes: One head of cauliflower makes roughly 2 cups of mash, which only serves about 2 in my household.

Is Shepherd's pie good for you? ›

This ultimate comfort food can be quite unhealthy, with lots of butter in the mash and pushing up your saturated fat intake. Here are a few ideas to make this classic a little healthier and just as tasty.

Is cauliflower better for you than chicken? ›

Unlike chicken wings, cauliflower is free of cholesterol and low in fat and saturated fat. It's also packed with fiber and antioxidants, making it a powerful food for heart health!

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