This Gluten-Free Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food: hearty, flavorful, savory, and a well balanced dish that happens to be gluten-free. So, whether you’re following a special diet or just up for a delicious meal, you’re in for a treat!

Shepherd’s Pie is a comforting dish that is traditionally made with ground lamb and mashed potatoes. This is one of those recipes that has taken on many different forms over the years, and how you make it probably depends on where you live. For example, the Americanized version often uses ground beef instead of lamb and some Shepherd’s Pie recipes have more of a tomato-based sauce while others are made with a gravy, and some are dry.

Our nutritious Shepherd’s Pie recipe is a healthy twist on classic comfort food. It’s warm, cozy and satisfying, perfect for this time of year! It’s loaded with delicious flavor, includes plenty of tender vegetable goodness, and is topped with the creamiest mashed potatoes.

Why you’ll love it

• Cooked in one pan: This recipe is such a breeze to make and the meat and vegetables are all cooked in the same skillet, making cleanup hassle free!
• Feeds a crowd: This is a great family dinner recipe. Kids and adults adore this meal! It makes 6 to 8 hearty servings, and since it includes plenty of protein, vegetables and carbs, it’s a completely balanced meal all in one pan.
• Great leftovers: This keeps well for several days and leftovers are delicious. You can even freeze portions for later!
• Perfect for a wide variety of diets: It’s naturally gluten free, dairy free, paleo, and whole 30.

Tips for making a gluten free shepherd’s pie:

• Don’t skip browning the meat: Brown the meat in the skillet, so that it is safe to eat and takes on a wonderful flavor.
• Use bone broth: We recommend bone broth instead of using regular beef broth or chicken broth. According to Healthline, bone broth is rich in minerals, and contains many other healthy nutrients, including vitamins, amino acids, and essential fatty acids.
• Thicken the meat mixture: If you’d like, you can thicken the meat mixture with an arrowroot slurry, but I don’t think you need to.

Shepherd’s pie vs Cottage pie

Shepherd’s pie originated in the 1700s in Ireland. It was created during a time when money was in short supply, and no food was to be wasted. With this dish, you could make use of the meat you had available, leftover potatoes and add in any veggies you wanted, and this became what we know as shepherd’s pie or cottage pie.

The terms shepherd’s pie and cottage pie are often used interchangeably to describe a casserole with cooked ground meat layered with vegetables in a flavorful sauce, and topped with mashed potatoes (and sometimes cheese). The only difference between shepherd’s pie and cottage pie is the meat. Shepherd’s pie is made with lamb or mutton, and cottage pie is made with beef.

Ingredient spotlight 

Making a shepherd’s pie from scratch can look complicated, but it’s easier than you think and uses some great pantry staples. Here’s a note on the ingredients needed to make it:

• Russet potatoes: The top layer is made with fluffy mashed potatoes.
• Olive oil & milk: Mixed with the mashed potatoes for flavor, richness and creaminess. You can use unsweetened almond milk, whole milk, or another milk of your choice depending upon dietary preference.
• Lamb: Ground lamb is the traditional meat used in shepherd’s pie, but you may use a mix of lamb and ground beef, all ground beef or even another ground meat, like turkey or bison.
• Vegetables: A blend of onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and peas adds texture, heartiness, flavor and boost of nutrition to this dish.
• Herbs & seasonings: This recipe is flavored with fresh rosemary, fresh or dried thyme, salt and pepper.
• Tomato paste: Adds some acidity and flavor, which is a nice balance to the savory meat and potatoes.
• Garlic: For wonderful sweet, buttery taste.
• Beef bone broth: Gives the meat extra flavor and a saucy consistency.

Nutrition benefits of a gluten free shepherds pie

Not only is the gluten free shepherd’s pie incredibly tasty, it’s filled with nutrients! This particular recipe is dairy and gluten free for common food sensitivities, lower inflammation. It also works as a Whole30 Shepherd’s Pie.

It’s packed with vegetables, which add flavor and make this meal wholesome and healthy. There’s ample protein from the ground meat, and that’s balanced with the carbohydrate portion in the potatoes, so you’ll stay fueled for hours.

This recipe for shepherd’s pie is a perfectly balanced meal with protein, vegetables, and carbs in an easy casserole!

Other dinner recipes you’ll love

• Bison Meatballs
• Roasted Tomato Lamb Ragu
• One Pot Sweet Potato Bacon Chili
• Gluten Free Tomato Soup

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Gluten Free Shepherd’s Pie

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: American

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Description

This Gluten-Free Shepherd’s Pie is the ultimate comfort food: hearty, flavorful, savory, and a well balanced dish that happens to be gluten-free. This recipe is a perfectly balanced meal with protein, vegetables, and carbs in an easy casserole!

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Mashed potato topping:

• 1 1/2 – 2 lbs russet potatoes (quartered)
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or butter)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk or whole milk

Shepherd's Pie Filling

• 2 lbs lamb (or a mix of lamb and beef)
• 2 teaspoon sea salt (divided)
• 1 onion (diced)
• 2 carrots (diced)
• 3 celery stalks (diced)
• 8 oz crimini mushrooms (sliced)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2–3 garlic
• 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 cups peas
• 2 cup beef bone broth

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Instructions

Mashed Potato Topping:

1. Add cold water to a large pot, filling 3/4 of the way, with 1 tablespoon sea salt. Add the potatoes to the cold water turn on heat over medium high. Once it's reached a boil, put on a lid and reduced to a simmer cook for 20-30 minutes depending on size, until the potatoes are fork tender.
2. Remove the potatoes from the water and put them in a medium bowl. Add olive oil and almond milk then mash the potatoes with a fork until light and fluffy. Salt to taste.

Shepherd's Pie Filling:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large cast pan or an oven safe pan over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pan breaking up into small pieces then brown the meat without flipping, about 3-5 minutes.
3. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt to the meat and stir, continuing to cook until the meat is no longer pink, about 3-4 minutes. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon, place it in a small bowl and set aside. Leave a few tablespoons of grease in the pan, discard any extra if necessary.
4. To the pan, add the onion, celery and carrots cook until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
5. Then add the mushrooms. Cook to soften, about 4-5 minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste, garlic, thyme, rosemary, black pepper and 1 teaspoon of salt to the vegetables mixture and mix to combine. Cook until the tomato paste has turned a dark red, only 1-2 minutes.
7. Add the peas and bone broth to the pan, then use a spatula to scrape any bits off the bottom off the pan. Return the cooked meat to pan and stir to combine.
8. Scoop the potatoes on top of the meat filling, and use a spatula to evenly spread the potatoes out to the edges. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil and put it on the middle rack of the heated oven.
9. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes to heat through and lightly brown the potatoes.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before scooping out portions. Serve individual portions in bowls or plates along with a side salad, if desired, and enjoy!

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Nutrition

• Calories: 513.5
• Sugar: 5
• Sodium: 1048
• Fat: 29.9
• Carbohydrates: 27.1
• Fiber: 4.7
• Protein: 33.4

Keywords: dairy free shepherd's pie, Gluten Free Shepherd’s Pie