This easy Shepherd’s Pie (Gluten- and Dairy-Free, Low-FODMAP) is savory, filling comfort food, with a little of everything! Easy to prepare in less than an hour and take to a potluck or just enjoy at home. Protein, vegetables, and a smooth, mashed-potato topping. Except for cooking the potatoes, it's a one-pot meal.
Of course it's important to clarify that a Shepherd's Pie got its name from being made from lamb; a beef-based pie is called a cottage pie. But we called this Shepherd's Pie when I was growing up and almost never saw lamb for sale!
A Low FODMAP Shepherd's Pie
This is the fourth in a series of dinners that I have prepared for my daughter-in-law after her lactation consultant advised an elimination diet. (You can find out what we have been eating and more on elimination diets here.)
To make the recipe low-FODMAP, we removed the onions and garlic from the original recipe and replaced them with asafetida. Read more about asafetida - it's pretty amazing!
I assure you that neither you nor your eaters will notice anything missing! This pie is really just a tasty layer of mashed potatoes on a flavorful meat-vegetable mixture. I have written this recipe so that it's easy to use onions if you are eating them, and leave them out if not.
Ingredient Tips
Though I have a "typical" set of vegetables I mix into my Shepherd’s pie, this could be a clean-out-the refrigerator type of meal. Carrots and celery seem a must. Onions are not in this recipe except as an alternative, but would be a traditional ingredient in such a rustic pie.
Benefits of the onion family
It's worth mentioning a couple of good things about the tasty onion for those who can eat them. Not only do they give a dish a great deal of flavor, but they also give texture to and thicken a sauce.
Plus, onions have antifungal properties, which is good for people who have issues with yeast.
Yukon golds have become my favorite potato - they cook up well without being too starchy and have that wonderful, warm color -- and they don't disappoint in this topping.
Peas are delicious here, too -- in fact, it's one of my favorite ways to eat peas! Otherwise, be creative! For example, I threw in the yellow squash because I didn’t have green beans and because -- why not add yellow to the color mix?
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #amealinmind on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Thank you so much!!
Beth
Other recipes you may enjoy
Thai Massaman Curry with Beef and Potatoes
Creamy Mac and Cheese Chicken Soup; Gluten-Free
Southwestern Roasted Sweet Potatoes; Paleo
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Shepherd's Pie Gluten and Dairy-Free
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2-3 carrots chopped fine, almost minced
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- ½ cup yellow squash chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced (omit for low FODMAP)
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped fine (omit for low FODMAP)
- ½ teaspoon Asafetida
- ¼ t nutmeg
- 1 lb ground beef preferably grass-fed
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Arrowroot Bob's Red Mill or tapioca flour
- 1 can tomato paste 6 oz
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 8 ounces of frozen peas thawed
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon of marjoram or other herb of choice
For mashed potato topping
- 6 medium Yukon gold potatoes if not eating nightshades, use sweet potatoes, boiled until tender and peeled
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil or ghee, if tolerated
- ¾ cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley minced
- ½ teaspoon pepper or as desired
Instructions
For the filling:
- Melt coconut oil over medium-low heat in large skillet or dutch oven or cast iron skillet.
- Saute carrots gently for 8 minutes. Add celery and saute for 2 more minutes. Add squash and stir for one more minute.
- Add the asafetida and nutmeg and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the ground beef and cook until all pink color is gone.
- Add the salt and the arrowroot flour and stir until completely mixed. Add the tomato paste and mix in evenly. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Check the seasoning.
- If the mixture is not already in an ovenproof skillet or baking dish, transfer it to one. Spread the beef mixture evenly in the dish.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
For the potato topping:
- Place the potatoes in a saucepan so that they are covered with water. Boil until tender when pierced with a fork.
- Partly (or completely, if you prefer) peel the potatoes. Mash them with the coconut oil (or ghee), then stir in the coconut milk and continue to mash until smooth. Stir in the salt, pepper and the fresh parsley. Spread the topping evenly over the meat mixture.
- Place the baking dish into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes. Edges will be bubbly and starting to brown and the tomato paste in the filling will tint the topping orange. If you wish the top to be slightly browned, turn on the broiler for 5 minutes more.
- Allow the shepherd’s pie to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Angela Greven
This looks so good, I love that you use Balsamic Vinegar or ACV a hit of acid makes everything better! Totally going to whip some up , thank you!
Beth
Angela, so glad you plan to give this dish a try! And I appreciate the comment about using the vinegar, which I know you recommend on your great blog. Let me know how it turns out.
Carrie Tentori
This was delicious and definitely easy!
Beth
Hello Carrie, comfort food, which I think this is, should be easy, so I'm glad you found it to be! Thanks so much for the comment.
Matthew Duffield
This is definitely my favorite so far. I can literally eat it all day every day. Soo good!!
Beth
Matthew, that feedback means a lot to me! It's not easy to find a dish that still tastes good every day. This one has such a great mix of flavors, I'm so happy for your comment.
steverino
this is not a shepherd's pie, its a cottage pie. shepherd = lamb
Beth
Yes, you are absolutely correct - yet it was what we called it growing up, basically my family's recipe. Possibly it had been a recipe using lamb at one time but was adapted to beef? I'll include a note to that effect. thanks!
Jenny D
I served this for Christmas Eve dinner, doubling the recipe for my family of eight. What a hit! I prepped the base the day before, so the day of, I let it sit at room temperature for twenty minutes, then warmed in the oven for fifteen minutes. After that, I finished the potato topping and baking as usual. Most of my guests had seconds.
Beth
Jenny, I'm so happy to hear that this recipe was a hit, since it always is at my house. I'm always glad to hear of success with advance-prep, and thanks for sharing what you did and how it turned out. And thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed comment!