Low-Carb Shepard's Pie on a plate with cauliflower topping, beef, carrots, and peas

I’ve been wanting to make a shepard’s pie for a long time. The truth is, I’m not sure I’ve ever even had it, but delicious ground meat with veggies and topped with cozy mashed potatoes sounds like the perfect comfort dinner!

With the holiday season here, I decided to go with a low-carb version of this traditional dish to balance out all the heavy eating and topped mine with my Creamy Mashed Cauliflower.

I was so very pleasantly surprised how delicious this dish was. The filling has so much flavor and the creamy cauliflower on top just gave it that total comfort food feel we often crave in the colder months!

Ground beef in a skillet with peas and carrots

While traditional Shepard’s Pie is made with other meat like lamb, I kept it easy by using just lean ground beef, plus it’s easier to find in the grocery store. I avoided adding flour or other thickeners in the beef mixture to keep this more low carb and also didn’t find thickeners to be even necessary!

To start, you will saute some beef and onions until cooked along with some carrots and frozen peas. I also add in a few splashes of red wine and Worcestershire sauce. These two ingredients give the filling so much flavor!

Low-Carb Shepard's Pie on a plate with cauliflower topping, beef, carrots, and peas

For the topping, the cauliflower mash is the perfect low-carb alternative to potato topping. While it may not give you that thick layer on top, trust that this is just as delicious and also very filling! If you have a favorite recipe, feel free to use that instead. Or, you can also buy pre-made cauliflower mash from the store in the frozen section, however, I find a lot of these to be more watery. For my recipe, I added a bit of cream cheese to the mixture. It helped to stabilize the mashed cauliflower.

I see this as a complete meal since you’ve got the beef, veggies, and the mashed cauliflower topping. If you want to serve other things with it, you can make a salad or some low-carb biscuits!

Low-Carb Shepard's Pie on a plate with caulifllower topping, beef, carrots, and peas

Low-Carb Shepard's Pie on a plate with cauliflower topping, beef, carrots, and peas
Yield: 4 servings

Low-Carb Shepard's Pie

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Low-Carb Shepard's Pie - Rich and flavorful ground beef with onions, peas, and carrots topped with easy homemade cauliflower mash topping!

Ingredients

Cauliflower topping:

Beef filling:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, finely diced
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 cup sliced baby carrots
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

  1. Prepare mashed cauliflower recipe. Stir in the cream cheese until melted and smooth. Set aside when done.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. While preparing the mashed cauliflower, prepare the beef mixture. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add the beef, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Break up the beef with a spatula as it cooks. Stir in the carrots. Cook until the beef begins to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Stir in the peas, wine, and Worcestershire sauce. Add salt to taste.
  3. Transfer the beef mixture to a baking dish or pie dish. Top with the prepared cauliflower mash and spread into an even layer. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes. If desired, switch oven to broil to brown the topping for a couple of minutes. Serve!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1/4th

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 441Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 336mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 36g

Low-Carb Shepard's Pie on a plate with cauliflower topping, beef, carrots, and peas