Satisfy your cravings for comfort food with this nutritious and delicious Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Cauliflower Crust. Packed with veggies and simmered in a flavourful sauce, this low-carb meal is topped with a creamy cauliflower mash instead of potatoes. Easy to make and packed with wholesome goodness, this dish is perfect for a cozy night in.
Warm and comforting, this low-carb Shepherd's Pie with mashed cauliflower crust simmers in a rich sauce and gets topped with low-carb creamy mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes.
Mashed cauliflower has a delicate flavour and the same silky texture as mashed potatoes, but a much lower carb count!
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Why you'll love this low-carb shepherd's pie
This low-carb shepherd's pie recipe is easy, it's full of veggies, and it's a good recipe for meal prep! While a full pan will serve 10 people, I often divide it into smaller baking pans and freeze half before baking.
I make this recipe several times in the fall and winter. With St. Patrick's Day in mind, I decided it was time to share this Irish comfort food recipe with you.
Besides my recipe for easy Homemade Shepherd's Pie, (a traditional shepherd's pie recipe) and Mini Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Mushrooms, I have another other Irish recipe on this site. Creamy Roasted Garlic Irish Potato Soup is a thick, creamy traditional potato soup, flavoured with onions, leeks and roasted garlic.
🛒 Ingredients
Ready to make your family happy with this Shepherd's Pie with cauliflower mash? Here's what you'll need.
- aromatics: an onion and a couple of garlic cloves
- ground meat: your choice of chicken, turkey or lamb
- flour: a couple of tablespoons (gluten-free, if necessary) to thicken
- vegetables: a couple of carrots, celery, frozen peas and corn
- chicken broth: homemade or store-bought
- tomato paste: don't leave this out. It adds so much flavour.
- herbs: I use a bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Rosemary is also good in this recipe.
- sour cream
- butter
- cheese: cheddar or Parmesan. Parmigiano Reggiano has the best flavour.
Which is healthier, mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower?
There's nothing wrong with mashed potatoes. They're rich in potassium and B Vitamins. Potatoes have had a bad rap because of their high glycemic index. If you're trying to avoid spikes in your blood sugar that can lead to weight gain, you may have chosen to avoid potatoes.
Cauliflower has less than half the calories of potatoes and is more nutrient dense, making it a good alternative to mashed potatoes.
You can read more about mashed cauliflower as an alternative to mashed potatoes in my recipe for Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower with Bacon and Cheese.
🔪 Step-by-step guide to make Shepherd's pie with mashed cauliflower crust.
- The first step is to prepare the mashed cauliflower crust. Steam or boil the cauliflower until tender, then drain it, pat it dry with a clean towel or paper towel, and set aside.
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet, sauté onions, garlic, celery and carrots until beginning to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Next, add the ground meat to the pot and cook, stirring until browned. Sprinkle with flour.
- Stir in the broth, tomato paste, parsley, bay leaf, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Let simmer while you prepare the cauliflower crust. Transfer the cooked cauliflower florets to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add sour cream, butter and half the grated cheese and process until smooth and creamy.
- Add the frozen peas and corn to the meat filling.
- Remove the bay leaf, then spread the meat mixture in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish (or two smaller dishes). Top with mashed cauliflower. An offset spatula works well for this task. Sprinkle with more grated cheese.
- Bake at 400°F. for 20 - 25 minutes or until the cauliflower topping is golden and the filling is bubbly.
- If you like a darker topping, pop the dish under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes. Serve warm.
🔁 Possible Variations
Make a dairy-free Shepherd's Pie: Substitute vegan butter and dairy-free cream cheese and omit the grated cheese on top.
Use your choice of ground lamb, chicken or turkey.
Switch out the vegetables: Leave out the corn if you have a sensitivity to it. You can also add green beans as an alternative.
Bake individual shepherd's pies in small casserole dishes or mini cocotte dishes as an alternative to a full-size pie. (affiliate link)
🥶 Storage and freezing instructions
Store leftover shepherd's pie covered in the fridge for up to three days, or wrap tightly in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months.
If you'd like, you can freeze this Shepherd's Pie unbaked, then thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake it as directed in the recipe.
🍽 What to serve with Shepherd's Pie
Serve this cozy meal with a fresh green salad. For St. Patrick's Day, follow a green theme by including this very green Kiwi Cucumber Salad with Walnuts and Fresh Mint!
Or try these healthy salads, too.
Honey-Dijon Broccoli Salad with Cranberries
Blackberry Kiwi Salad with Oranges
Kale and Cara Cara Orange Salad
When you make this easy Shepherd's Pie with cauliflower mash recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below. I love hearing when you've made one of my recipes! Subscribe to receive my weekly newsletter and have new recipes delivered straight to your inbox.
📖 Recipe
Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Cauliflower Crust
Ingredients
Mashed Cauliflower Topping
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup cheddar or Parmigiano Reggiano shredded
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Shepherd's Pie Filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 ¼ lbs ground chicken, or lamb or turkey
- 2 tablespoons flour, or gluten-free flour blend
- ¾- 1 cup chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons parsley, fresh, chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the mashed cauliflower crust. Steam or boil the cauliflower until tender, then drain it. Pat the florets dry with a paper towel or clean cloth and set them aside. This step helps to prevent a soggy crust.
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet, sauté onions, garlic, celery and carrots until beginning to soften, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Next, add the ground meat to the pot and cook, stirring until browned. Sprinkle with flour to thicken slightly.
- Stir in the broth, tomato paste, parsley, bay leaf and sea salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 10 minutes or so while you prepare the cauliflower crust.
- Transfer the cooked cauliflower florets to a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add sour cream, butter and half the grated cheese and process until smooth and creamy.
- Add the frozen peas and corn to the meat filling. Give it a good stir to combine. Remove the bay leaf.
- Spread the meat mixture in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (or two smaller dishes). Top with mashed cauliflower. An offset spatula works well for this task. Sprinkle with remaining grated cheese.
- Bake at 400°F. for 20 - 25 minutes or until the cauliflower topping is golden and the filling is bubbly. If you like a darker topping, pop the dish under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes. Serve warm.
Jessica
Delicious dish!! The topping tastes like real mashed potatoes! I’ll definitely make this again.
Elaine
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, Jessica! I know--hard to believe it's cauliflower, isn't it!
Chris
What is the serving size in cups?
Elaine
Hi Chris, I make this recipe in a 9 x 13-inch pan. Depending on your family's appetite, this recipe makes about 8 to 10 servings.
Lyn
Great recipe! Love all the veggies. I’ve been sharing this with my friends.
Flavour & Savour
Glad to hear! Thanks for your kind words and for the 5 stars!
Diana
I just want to let you know that this Shepherd's Pie has become part of our regular meal rotation. Everyone likes it and I like that it has lots of veggies in it. Thanks for a great recipe.
Flavour & Savour
You're welcome!
Robin
This was great. I made with ground beef and used beef broth and a dash of worstershire and no peas (didn't have any). My husband didn't even realize it was cauliflower, which he usually balks at. He loved it! It's a keeper.
Elaine
Thanks Robin! Happy to hear you liked it. That cauliflower crust is MAGIC!