Spring Flooding & Clean Low Carb GF Cauliflower Shepherd's Pie

This is a great all-in-one meal that has no wheat, no white potato's and lots of flavor.

I'll have to admit this recipe is a bit involved. It might be something you want to make the night before and assemble the day you are serving or save it for a weekend meal when you have some time to cook. Next time I will be doing a double batch and freezing one for another meal. I will be making this again because it was AWESOME. I loved it, hubby loved it and my 5 year old liked it. Win.

If you are wondering why I don't eat white potatoes anymore its because they are starchy and high in carbohydrates. I avoid the carbohydrate roller coaster at all costs because of my ridiculous blood sugar swings. Cauliflower only has a fraction of the carbs and calories of white potatoes so it is a great substitute if you have blood sugar problems like me or if you are trying to lose weight. I actually added a fair amount of butter and oil to my recipe because I need the calories but you could cut that back if you are counting. 

On an unrelated matter, we had some spring flooding in our basement last night. Unusual since its was still in the minus 20 degree Celsius range last night and it hasn't started melted. Actually not so unusual when you have a 3 and 5 year-old who plug up the bathroom sink with Kleenex, turn the faucet full blast and decide to "build a skating rink" in the basement. Yep - they got a little crazy with their playing last night. They apparently forgot about it after they got in trouble about another matter on the main floor and went upstairs for their bath. I discovered it about 3 hours later...........3 hours of water gushing over the floor. Thankfully they were sleeping when it was discovered (or I might have lost my mind). Its a huge mess, a few things will be thrown out, but we don't think too much costly damage was done. 

Clean and Low Carb GF Cauliflower Shephard's Pie

by MamaChanty

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake entree candida-diet friendly gluten-free low-carb nut-free paleo sugar-free wheat belly beef cauliflower

6048777

Ingredients (Serves 4 - 6)

Mashed Cauliflower for Topping

• 1 medium head cauliflower, washed and cut in florets
• 3 Tbsp butter, cubed
• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp dried or fresh Parsley
• Sprinkle of pepper and garlic powder

Base for Shepherd's Pie

• 2 Tbsp Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 cups fresh mushrooms, diced
• 1 lb lean ground beef (organic grass fed if possible), browned
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 Tbsp Worcestershire
• 1/2 cup GF vegetable or beef broth
• 1/2 tsp organic GF soy sauce (optional)
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/2 Tbsp parsley
• 1 cup frozen peas

Assembly of Pie

• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese
• Paprika

Instructions

Step 1 - Prepare Mashed Cauliflower for Topping

Place cauliflower in a large pot covered with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle boil and cook with lid on for 8 - 10 minutes. Cauliflower should be tender but not mushy. Remove from heat. Drain well. Put the cauliflower back in pot with lid on and let stand for 5 minutes. This ensures the cauliflower doesn't get watery. Don't skip this step.

Place cooked cauliflower in the food processor with butter and spices. Pulse until it becomes whipped/consistency of mashed potatoes (you might want to do it in two batches depending on your food processor size). Instead of butter I have also used plain Greek Yogurt or cream cheese - its pretty versatile so use what you've got. Set aside.

Step 2 - Prepare Base for Pie

Brown the ground beef over medium heat. In a separate pan, fry the oil, garlic, onion and carrots over medium heat until softened. About 3 -5 minutes. Add celery and mushrooms and cook for one additional minute. Add browned ground beef, salt, Worcestershire, broth, soy sauce, tomato paste and parsley to the mixture. Simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes until cooked through and some of the juice has cooked off (so its not runny). Add frozen peas in for the last 10 minutes or so. I didn't need to thicken mine but if your beef was not lean you may have to thicken with guar gum or another thickener or continue simmering until thickened to your liking.

Step 3 - Assemble and Bake Pie

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the beef mixture into a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Top with mashed cauliflower. I dolloped it out evenly over the top and then smoothed it down with the back of a spoon to evenly distribute it over the top. Sprinkle with Mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and a dash of Paprika. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until bubbling and cheese is cooked. Broil cheese for a couple of minutes if it doesn't crisp up - it will depend on the type of cheese you use. Let stand for 5 - 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Powered by Recipage

You may also like my

Clean and Low-Carb Twice Baked Mashed Cauliflower with bacon and cheese (serves 3 - 4) recipe. 

Its a bit of an involved recipe so a good idea is to just make a double batch of mashed cauliflower one day - use half for as a side for dinner that night and use the other half to make this on the second day. Or double the recipe and freeze one for another day!