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A slice of ground beef shepherd's pie on a plate.
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5 from 2 votes

Ground Beef Shepherd's Pie Recipe

A cozy, family-friendly dinner made with hearty vegetables and fluffy mashed potatoes. Simple to make dairy-free and gluten-free for a healthier, comforting classic!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 (to 8) servings
Author: Dominique

Ingredients

Mashed potato topping ingredients:

  • 3 lbs gold potatoes cut into 1 inch slices
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 Tablespoons butter ( can use dairy-free butter)
  • 1/3 cup milk (or non-dairy milk)

Shepherd's pie filling ingredients:

  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 3 large carrots sliced
  • 1 shallot diced ( or 1/3 of an onion)4
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
  • 2 Tablespoons flour ( can use tapioca flour for Gluten-free option)
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses (look at notes for alternative)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 cup strained tomatoes or marinara
  • 1 cup chicken broth (or bone broth or beef broth)

Instructions

  • Boil the sliced potatoes in water for 20-25 minutes, until knife tender. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9 in x 13 in dish.
  • While the potatoes boil, start the shepherd's pie filling. Put 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, the sliced carrots, diced onion and minced garlic into a large pan and heat over medium heat. Sauté for 4-5 minutes. Add the ground beef to the pot and mix breaking it up into smaller pieces. Top the beef with 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, and ½ teaspoon dried rosemary. Mix and cook until the meat is browned, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the peas to the pan and mix, lower heat to low. Add 2 Tablespoons flour to the meat and mix well. Then add the 2 Tablespoons tomato paste, 2 Tablespoons blackstrap molasses, and ½ teaspoon chili powder to the meat and mix. Add 1 cup of strained tomatoes( or marinara), mix, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken broth and simmer until the sauce reduces to a gravy, about 5 minutes.
  • Pour the shepherd's pie filling into a 9 in x 13 in dish.
  • Drain the boiled potatoes and put them into a large bowl and top with 1/3 cup milk, 3 Tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Mash everything together until smooth. Scoop the mashed potatoes on top of the shepherd's pie filling in the pan, evenly distributing it and then smooth it out with a spatula.
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Notes

    • Instead of shallot, you can use regular onion. I would use about 1/3 of a regular onion.
    • Instead of shallot and garlic, you can use onion powder and garlic powder. 1 teaspoon of each should work great.
    • Instead of ground beef, you can use ground turkey.
    • Instead of blackstrap molasses, you can use 1 Tablespoon honey and 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. You could also use 1 Tablespoon of honey and 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar or coconut aminos.
    • Instead of strained tomatoes, you can use marinara sauce.
    • To make this dish gluten-free, you can use tapioca flour or gluten-free flour.
    • To make this dish dairy-free, you can use dairy-free butter and a non-dairy milk.

Nutrition

Calories: 533kcal | Carbohydrates: 59g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1158mg | Potassium: 1644mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 5706IU | Vitamin C: 62mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 5mg