Paleo Shepherd's Pie
I’m coming at ya this week with another recipe that is in my arsenal of success for feeding my family with nourishing foods. Granted, this doesn’t allow for any leftovers (which I usually prefer) but it makes for an awesome dinner that has roasted vegetables and creamy cauliflower mash.
You can always make substitutions with vegetables you prefer, or with mashed potato instead of cauliflower which would be a good option to fill everyone up a little bit more. If my Kendall Bear is home, it has to be mashed potatoes, because she is obsessed!
What you'll need
- 1T bacon fat
- 1lb green beans, trimmed
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1lb ground beef
- 1 small head cauliflower, trimmed into florets
- 1C roasted carrots (or canned. See notes for how to make them delcious).
- 1/4C full-fat coconut milk (or milk of choice)
- 2T butter
- Spices: salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, and oregano
How to do it...
- Start by preheating your oven to 375°F
- Heat the bacon fat on medium-high heat in a saute pan.
- Do the sizzle test on the oil to make sure it’s hot enough. Sprinkle some water frm your fingers into the oil and see if it sizzes and pops at you. This is the perfect tempearture to add your green beans.
- Add those beans and season GENEROUSLY with salt, garlic, and rosemary and a touch of pepper.
- I let my green beans sit on that sizzling heat for 3-4 minutes until I see some color on them. Then I give them a toss and reduce the heat to medium. Let them cook through at that temp. Sometimes it helps to cover them with a lid to get this done.
- While those cook, add the onion and beef to another pan on medium-high heat. The naturally-released fat from the beef will be enough to soften and caramelize those onions.
- Drain the beef if there is excess oil. Layer it on the bottom of a pie dish.
- In a stockpot filled 3/4 of the way with water, bring the water to a boil and add the cauliflower florets. Boil these for 8-10 minutes until fork tender.
- Drain the florets and dump them in a food processor. Add the milk and butter to it with 1t salt, 1t garlic, and 1t rosemary.
- Layer it up! Beef and onion on the bottom, green beans and carrots to follow, and the cauli mash on top, smoothed out. Drizzle the top with olive oil.
- Place in the oven for 20 minutes to warm through and serve it up!
Expert Tips
- Crush rosemary in the palm of your hand to release those juices in the dried herbs.
- For canned carrots, drain them and rinse thoroughly. Add to some HOT bacon fat in a pan (use the pan from the beef without washing it for extra flavor) and sear the outsides.
- Add the milk bit by bit until you have the right, creamy consistency for your mash.