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I made this nightshade free Shepherd’s Pie to take to a group of women I meet with once a month. Each month a different person brings dinner and this was my contribution. I have a nightshade sensitivity to white potatoes so I used cauliflower mash instead of potatoes. You could also use celery root as an interesting twist instead of cauliflower or potatoes. Unless you follow the people who write recipes for the autoimmune paleo diet it’s difficult to find general recipes that would work for the autoimmune paleo diet.
After dinner was served 15 people sat around the room chowing down and no one suspected they were eating a nightshade free shepherd’s pie topped with cauliflower instead of potatoes until I told them. Since the number of women who attend somewhat varies I only made one 13×9 casserole and it wasn’t enough. I should have made 2. Since I was rushed by time I failed to grab any photos but I wanted to share this recipe because it went over so well with my friends. The photo above was found on flicker. (The blog looks prettier when there are images for everything.) Next time I make this Shepherd’s pie I’ll be sure to take photographs.
If you’re like me you’ve probably been burned by a few cauliflower recipes so I’m always leery of them too. You can use white potatoes (not autoimmune paleo) in place of the cauliflower or combine potatoes and cauliflower, or potatoes and celery root, to increase the vegetable content. That’s the great thing about cooking, you can alter it to your taste. White and orange sweet potatoes aren’t in the nightshade family so if you have a sensitivity you could use those too.
Where did Shepherd’s Pie Come From?
Writing this article I was prompted to do a little research. I’ve always thought that Shepherd’s Pie originated in Ireland but I was wrong. It originated in Scotland and Northern England. Shepherd’s Pie didn’t receive it’s name until 1870. Mincing machines weren’t invented until 1870 and prior to that it was likely made from leftover chunks of lamb or mutton. If a pie is made with lamb or mutton it is called Shepherd’s Pie; if it is made with beef or another meat then it is referred to as Cottage Pie. Potatoes weren’t accepted in the UK until the end of the 1700’s so prior to that the pie was topped with a pastry crust.
- 2 lbs grass fed ground beef
- 6 carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 stalk celery quartered and diced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp arrowroot powder
- 2 tsp paleo worcestershire sauce
- 1/3 cup red wine (can substitute broth for wine)
- 1.5 – 2 cup water
- 2 heads cauliflower chopped
- 6 TBSP Nutiva shortening (butter, ghee, or fat of your choice)
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- pepper to taste (omit for AIP)
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Chop and steam 2 heads of cauliflower.
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When the cauliflower is fork tender put it into a food processor and puree. If you end up with a chunk that won’t puree scoop it out.
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Add the shortening, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup of water and puree. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.
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While the cauliflower is steaming: Turn the oven on to 350F. In a large saute pan begin browning the beef with the onion and salt. (Ingredients listed above cauliflower are those used for the beef filling.)
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When the beef is cooked add the carrots, celery, bay leaf, Worcestershire, and garlic. Stir for a minute or two until the garlic becomes fragrant.
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(If you’re making this recipe Whole 30 simply skip to the next step and omit the wine.) Add the red wine to deglaze the pan, scrape up any brown bits from the bottom, and allow the wine to almost completely evaporate.
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Dissolve the arrowroot powder in COLD water. If you want your sauce thicker add less water and add more water if you want it thinner. My advice is to start thicker (1.5 cups) because it’s easier to add water to thin it out than it is to wait for water to evaporate. Turn the meat sauce to low while you puree the cauliflower.
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Place the meat sauce into a 13×9 pan and pierce a few carrots with a fork to see how tender they are. If they are pretty firm the casserole will need more time in the oven than if they are fairly soft. (It depends on how long you let the sauce simmer on the stove.) Top the sauce with cauliflower mash and cover the casserole with foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the carrots are fork tender. Even if the carrots are cooked to your liking when you assemble the casserole 20 minutes in the oven will help marry the flavors of the two layers.
Originally posted on December 28, 2016 @ 22:30
Tasted Great! We substituted one pound of beef for 1/2 a pound of mushrooms and it worked really well. Thank you for sharing!
I love it! Thank you for giving it a try and coming back to leave your review. I’m glad to hear that you liked it. Just curious. What can I change to make you give it 5 stars? Thanks for your input!
Be Well,
Jen
Instructions were a bit confusing with where to put the arrowroot mix but it turned out delicious! My husband also didn’t notice he was not eating potatoes until I told him!
I’ve updated the recipe but I will be making it again in the very near future. Thanks for the heads up! I appreciate it. 😀
Gina,
Thanks for reaching out! You don’t have to remove the meat from the pan before adding the carrots, celery, and garlic. Simply add them to the meat. I also added the
worcestershire into the steps.
I put this recipe together a few years ago so I’m scratching my head and wondering how I got 3 cups of water and omitted the worcestershire from the steps. Before the “3” I used a “~” which means approximately. Maybe it was a very bad typo? I wonder how long I let it simmer on the stove before I popped it into the oven too…
Anyway, I’ve updated the recipe and adjusted the water and arrowroot quantities. Start with 1.5 cups of water and adjust the thickness as needed if you want it thinner. I bumped the arrowroot from 4 tsp to 6 tsp (2 Tbsp). It will thin out a bit in the oven. I need to re-make this recipe for sure but for now I think this is much closer to what I intended.
https://jensprimalhealth.com/recipes/aip-shepherds-pie-2/
Thanks again for reaching out! Feedback from my readers only helps me improve what I’m doing.
Thank you,
Jen
Your directions are both poorly written and hard to follow!
The directions are a little confusing. Like where do you use the 3 cups of water? And do you take the meat out before adding the carrots/celery/garlic? Or add it to the meat? And then take all that out before deglazing the pan? When do you add the worcheshire? It’s just not clear. i would appreciate clarification.