Shepard's Pie

 I had no idea of what to make for dinner the other night and I was trying to brainstorm in my mind through what I could remember that I had in my freezer and fridge. I knew I had some ground pork, ground beef, and some cauliflower and all kinds of vegetables. I thought about making stir fry because that seems to always be my quick and easy go-to meal when I don't have anything planned. INSTEAD, the awesome idea popped into my head to make Shepard's pie. I LOVE Shepard's pie but I have not eaten it for a while being that one of the ingredients that makes it so great is mashed potatoes. I know how to make my own kind of grain free "mashed potatoes" by using cauliflower! With that in mind, I just had to try to make my own version of Shepard's pie. I was definitely taking a risk of dinner going completely down the drain, but sure enough, it came out so delicious and one of my family's favorite meals so far :)


I make this recipe all the time and just use the vegetables I have. Instead of zucchini, last night I used carrots, green beans, and celery. Turned out great :) Also I used a leaner ground pork and so I ended up just using no droppings from the meat, added the coconut milk, and used coconut flour to thicken the sauce. There are many ways recipes can be done! Don't be afraid to try your own way and use what you have :)

"Shepard's Pie"

1-1.5 lbs of ground pork

1 tsp of fennel seed

1/4-1 tsp cayenne (depends on your taste buds)

5 cloves of garlic

2 carrots, diced

1 small yellow zucchini, diced

1/2 yellow onion, diced

1 cup of canned coconut milk, cream removed off the top

1/2-1 cup of almond flour (depends on the amount of liquid left in the pan)

1 head of cauliflower

1 Tbs of EVOO

 two, 1/4 tsp of sea salt (total of 1/2 tspn)

1 tsp black pepper

about 2 Tbs of nutritional yeast for garnish (optional)

dried parsley for garnish (optional)

(additional salt to taste)

For the Pie:

1. Cook the ground pork in a large frying pan.

2. Before it has fully browned, add carrots, 2 minced garlic cloves and onion.

3. After mixing and the meat looks about done, add the yellow squash along with the fennel seed and cayenne. 

4. When the zucchini has softened, scoop out the pork and veggie mixture and place on a plate on the side, leaving drippings in the pan. 

5. Add the almond flour to the grease in the pan and stir together until all the lumps are smooth.

6. Add your coconut milk and mix until the gravy turns fully off-white.

7. Add in 1/4 tsp of sea salt, 1 tsp black pepper, and additional cayenne if you like it more spicy.

8. Let the gravy cook on med high heat to thicken a little. 

9. Add the meat and veggies back into the gravy and mix thoroughly. This is when I do my taste test to add either more salt, or more cayenne :)

For the "Potatoes":

1. Add cauliflower florets to a pot of boiling water.

2. Place lid on top and boil until the florets are tender (a fork can easily pierce it)

3. Use a straining spoon to collect the cooked cauliflower and transfer all of it to a food processor.

4. Add EVOO, the last 1/4 tsp of sea salt (add more to taste) and add the last 3 cloves of garlic (this can also be added to taste)

5. Turn the processor on until the "potatoes" are nice and smooth.

For the Finish:

1. Scoop or pour the meat mixture into a casserole dish. I had a little extra that I did not put in the dish. I saved it for left overs :) it tastes delicious on its own!

2. Scoop the "potatoes" and place on top of the meat mixture, and spread evenly across.

3. Sprinkle 2 tbsp of nutritional yeast over the top along with some parsley. (This can be optional)

4. Place in your broiler about 6 inches away from the flame for about 7 minutes.

5. It is then ready to serve! Blow on it though, its hot haha

Enjoy!