Keto Shepherd's Pie

On one hand, I have a mile long list of ideas for dishes that I want to make keto versions of.

Also? I’ve got serious “Food ADHD” - as soon as I have an idea, I want to act on it! Different recipes all the time, etc.

My husband is loving the food - even though he’s not low carbing himself - but has some objections to the amount of dishes he has to wash, as a result.

So, in the midst of hashing out a ton of different holiday keto recipes last month, I decided to make keto version of my classic shepherd’s pie recipe.

This low carb shepherd’s pie recipe is something I could make once, and live off for a while, so he was all for it - fewer dishes to do!

Before going on a low carb diet, I made the *BEST* traditional shepherd’s pie - or cottage pie, depending on what meat(s) I was using.

I attribute the “best” to two things: The use of root vegetables, and the addition of summer savory.

Sure, everything is great, from the texture of the potatoes, to the seasoning of the meat... but those two areas are what really made my version of the classic comfort food really stand out.

... That “healthy shepherd's pie” also had more than a full day’s worth of carbs in a single serving, so... what is a healthy comfort food to many, is not exactly keto friendly!

Low-Carb Shepherd’s Pie

Before getting into the hows and whys behind keto-ifying this cozy comfort food, let’s get into the spoilers: the nutrition!

This cauliflower shepherd’s pie is not only great for those on a low-carb diet / keto diet, it’s a great way to get the whole family to share a meal - and get some extra veggies in!

Swapping out the higher carb count parts of one of my favorite casserole recipes results in a recipe that TASTES like the real thing, but with only 7 grams of total carbs / 5 net carbs per serving.

Even for those with a more hearty appetite (I’m still in the “keto killed my appetite” stage!), the carbs per serving is still really low, even if you double the serving size!

I’m a big fan of keto recipes that the entire family will eat - and that I don’t have to make 2 separate meal plans to accommodate the non-keto people!

It’s also a great meal prep option in general - 1 batch makes a fair amount of servings, so the two of us have meals for separate days.

Also, there’s so much vegetable content, that we don’t even have to make side dishes for those meals!

The Low-Carb Makeover

When it came to making a keto shepherd’s pie, there were a few minor things to tweak in creating a low carb version - the amount of root vegetables, the gravy - and one major issue: the potatoes.

I wanted to keep it as close as possible to my original recipe, without doing anything weird, like swapping out the higher carb vegetables for like... broccoli.

No shade on those who do such things, I just didn’t want to go in that direction. I wanted accuracy, just with low-carb ingredients!

So, here’s what I did:

Low Carb Vegetables

This was actually fairly simple... I kept a carrot, added mushrooms, ditched the parsnips (way too high carb for the payout), and kept the turnip.

I didn’t use the turnip in the same way, though....

Low Carb Gravy

Rather than using flour (originally) or corn starch (after I developed a gluten allergy), I used a small amount of xanthan gum to thicken the stock in the meat/veggie/gravy mixture.

When used with good technique - more on that in a bit - xanthan gum is a fantastic ingredient to work with, with a powerful thickening ability.

Keto “Potatoes”

Here was the big issue!

A cheesy cauliflower mash can more or less scratch the itch when you’re wanting mashed potatoes, but it’s not SUPER accurate.

... and for this dish, I really wanted the mashed topping to taste and feel like I was actually eating mashed potatoes.

So - after some creative brainstorming - I approached this from a few directions:

- I took the turnip out of the vegetable mixture, and added it to the mash.

While an all-turnip mash would have been a little higher carb than I wanted (it’s low in carbs, but has more than cauliflower), using a bit of it in the mashed cauliflower topping would be fine.

In theory, the turnip would cancel out a bit of the cauliflower flavour, while bringing a bit of that earthy potato-type flavour to the creamy mashed cauliflower .

Basically, I’d be using both flavours to sort of cancel out certain aspects of the flavour of each other, aiming for a more potato-like middle ground!

Just as potatoes are better with a bunch of butter, heavy cream, sour cream, etc.... the keto replacement also tastes better when loaded with cream cheese and butter!

The only difference is what exactly those fats are being added to!

- I cooked the cauliflower to within an inch of its life.

Seriously, 15 minutes in the microwave, covered. This made the cauliflower florets SUPER soft and mashable, allowing for an incredibly creamy final mash.

I added an egg. This was to thicken the final texture, and it worked beautifully.

In the end, this combination of ingredients and techniques yielded a creamy cauliflower mash topping that tasted VERY convincingly like potatoes.

Not in a “I’m going to convince myself that this cauliflower tastes exactly like potatoes, just as every food blogger everywhere states” kind of way.

I’m talking in a way that was absolutely acceptable to my autistic, Irish Canadian, potato-obsessed taste buds.

SO good!

Tips for This Easy Keto Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

I like to get the turnips peeled and cut, put in a pot, and boiling before starting the cauliflower.

If the cauliflower goes into the microwave just after the turnips start boiling, both items end up ready at almost the same time.

Frozen cauliflower may be more convenient, but fresh cauliflower works better in this instance.

If you don’t have summer savory, you can substitute sage.

Feel free to add seasonings to the “potato” mix - or the meat mixture.

Garlic Powder and Onion Powder are great basics - just watch the carb count!

When using xanthan gum, there is a VERY simple trick to preventing clumps: Mix it together with the seasonings, before adding it.

This spaces out the xanthan gum particles, preventing them from immediately binding to each other.

You can vary which meat you use.

Technically, this dish is "shepherd's pie" only when ground lamb is used for the ground meat, and a "keto cottage pie" when beef and/or pork is used.

So, use all lamb, a combo of lamb and pork, a combo of lamb and beef, a combo of pork and beef, or even - as we did this time - use ground chicken instead!

Ground turkey also works well.

Note: When I’m making a lean ground beef mixture, I’ll use beef broth, and sometimes I’ll add a bit of Worcestershire Sauce and/or tomato paste... but not always.

Want more veggies? Feel free to add some chopped green beans to the meat mixture, or layer them between the meat and the cauliflower mash.

How to Make Keto Shepherd's Pie

The full recipe follows in the recipe card at the end of this post, here is the pictorial overview with some additional tips and info:

Cauliflower Top Layer:

Peel and chop the turnips, place in a pot of boiling water. Boil over medium heat (or medium-high heat, just keep an eye on it) until easily mashable.

In the meantime, cut the cauliflower into florets, place in a large microwave safe dish, along with ⅓ cup water.

Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave on high for 12-15 minutes. It should be VERY soft and easy to mash.

(Note: You can use a potato masher or immersion blender (in small batches) if you prefer, I just like my cauli mash *SMOOTH* for this!)

Season with salt and pepper, to taste, then add the egg to the blender and blitz until well combined. Set aside.

Base Layer:

Note: I cook my meat sauce in a large nonstick pan, the transfer it to a baking dish.

If you want to bake this in a cast iron skillet - or other oven-proof skillet - you can just make the base layer right in it, before layering the potatoes on top.

In a large skillet / or nonstick frying pan, cook ground meat in olive oil (you can use avocado oil, vegetable oil, lard, or bacon grease if you prefer) until soft, breaking up the chunks with a wooden spoon or spatula as you go.

Add carrot, chopped onion, mushrooms, and garlic, continue cooking until veggies are tender, and liquid has mostly cooked off.

In a small bowl, mix together the ground black pepper, rosemary, salt, summer savory, and xanthan gum. The goal is to get the xanthan gum well distributed, to avoid clumping.

Whisk spice mixture into the chicken broth, then add to the pot of meat & veggie mixture. Stir until well combined and broth mixture starts to thicken.

Remove from heat, spread meat mixture evenly in a 9 x 13" baking dish, casserole dish, or large oven-safe skillet.

Assembly:

Evenly spread cauliflower mixture on top of the meat mixture, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. (Or cheddar cheese, if you prefer!).

Bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes, or until heated through and Parmesan is golden brown.

Serve hot!

Leftovers

Leftovers can be cooled to almost room temperature before being transferred to an airtight container (or covered with plastic) and stored in the fridge for 3-5 days.

More Keto Dinner Recipes

Looking for more keto recipes for the whole family? Here are a few more suggestions!

Cream Cheese Stuffed Everything Bagel Chicken
Creamy Mustard Chicken
Keto Fried Chicken
Low Carb Italian Wedding Soup
Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken
Keto Chicken Parmesan
Pierogi Pizza
Low Carb Stromboli Meatloaf
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Keto Spaghetti & Meatballs
Low Carb Swedish Meatballs
Keto Orange Chicken
Low Carb Cabbage Rolls
Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Soup
Tuna Noodle Casserole

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