Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping – a Whole30 Friendly recipe!

A hearty and satisfying meal for the entire family to enjoy. Like the Paleo Granola, it takes me (Stacie) back to the beginning when I first started creating recipes. In fact, I also featured this in one of my cooking classes which happened to be a class favorite recipe.

This Shepherd’s Pie is Freezer friendly, too.

This dish freezes nicely, so you can go ahead and double the recipe and freeze half for a future meal. Having a freezer full of already prepared meals makes for easy weeknight dinners. My freezer is stocked with several servings of Shepherd’s Pie and I even took it a step further by portioning out each serving into individual containers. I placed a couple of servings in the fridge for the days to come and the rest of the containers into the freezer for future meals. Who doesn’t love leftovers?! 

Feel free to substitute regular potatoes for the sweet potatoes if you wish.

I’m a sweet potato lover, but if you’d prefer a regular mashed potato topping or it’s what you have on hand – no need to make a special trip to the grocery store, feel free to make that simple substitution. A cauliflower-parsnip mash topping is also quite delicious and makes a great low carb alternative. If you’re doubling the recipe you can top one of the pies with a sweet potato mash and one with a cauliflower mash – the best of both worlds!

Serve it with a fresh mixed green salad or steamed green beans and you have yourself a balanced meal.

Because this recipe includes an adequate amount of proteins, carbohydrates, fats and fiber it makes for a nicely balanced meal. And we all like a big hearty meal every once in a while so I think you’ll be pretty satisfied with the portion size of this dish.

Ingredient shout out: Sweet potatoes – a nutrient dense carb.

• High in Vitamin B6 which reduces homocysteine in the blood reducing risk of heart disease.
• Excellent source of Vitamin C which enhances immunity, produces collagen for healthy skin & bones and promotes healthy digestion.
• A good source of Vitamin D which is important for energy and mood as well as bone and skin health.
• The rich orange color indicates that sweet potatoes are high in carotenoids like beta carotene, a precursor to Vitamin A which promotes eye health and enhances immunity.
• Rich in anti-aging antioxidants (carotenoids).

On the Whole 30 or not – this recipe is one you’ll love.

Note: this recipe was updated on August 27th, 2017 with minor adjustments made. I found that the egg white/flax gel is not necessary which means one less ingredient! 

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Let's Get Cookin'

Shepherd’s Pie with Sweet Potato Topping

A hearty and satisfying meal for the entire family to enjoy. This dish freezes well, so you can go ahead and double the recipe and freeze half for a future meal. Having a freezer full of already prepared meals makes for easy weeknight dinners. Feel free to substitute regular potatoes for the sweet potatoes if you wish.

• Author: The Real Food Dietitians
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Total Time: 40 mins
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Main Entree - Paleo - Whole 30

Print Recipe

★★★★★ 4.8 from 25 reviews

Ingredients

Pie Filling:

• 1 lb. grass-fed ground beef, lamb or bison
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 small green pepper, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 cup mushrooms, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper
• 3 oz. tomato paste (about 6 Tbsp.) (such as Muir Glen)
• 1/4 cup water

Sweet Potato Topping:

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (~5 cups cubed)
• 1 Tbsp. coconut oil or ghee
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375℉.
2. In a skillet on medium heat add the ground beef, chopped carrots, onions, peppers, mushrooms and minced garlic.
3. Cook on medium heat until carrots are soft, about 12-15 minutes. Begin making the topping while the meat filling cooks.
4. Once the carrots are soft, stir in tomato paste, water, seasonings, salt and pepper.
5. For the topping: Steam or bake (at 375℉.) the sweet potatoes until fork tender. Then add all of the topping ingredients to a food processor (or blender) and process until smooth. NOTE: If using white potatoes, we recommend mashing them by hand rather than blending to prevent them from getting pasty.
6. Final step: transfer the meat filling to a casserole dish (9 x 9 inch dish will work) or 10 inch cast iron skillet and top the meat filling with the sweet potato mash. Dash with sea salt and chili powder.
7. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.

Notes

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
• Calories: 394
• Sugar: 17 g
• Sodium: 350 mg
• Fat: 16 g
• Carbohydrates: 40 g
• Fiber: 8 g
• Protein: 26 g

Give this Whole 30 friendly recipe a try and let us know what you think!  Also, would love to hear if you have completed a Whole 30?

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About Stacie Hassing

Stacie is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian from rural southern Minnesota where she and her husband reside on 5 acres with their two pups, Walter & Lucy. She’s a creator of simple and wholesome recipes, a lover of nature, a crossfitter, a seasonal runner, and she’s on a mission to inspire as many as she can live a healthier and happier life from the inside out.