Paleo Shepherd's Pie

I'm fortunate enough to have a significant other who loves my cooking and eating healthy, so when I made this meal (which is so filling, AND healthy), he was floored. In fact, he hasn't stopped talking about it since last Thursday when I actually made it. Something about men and stew... you can't go wrong.

One of my favorite dishes at a local British pub is Shepherd's Pie. It's not really all that bad for you when you make it yourself, but in a restaurant, you know it's probably not healthy. To kick it up a notch, since I'm going towards a more paleolithic lifestyle to get back on track, I created this. Not a ton of substitutions, but my love of sweet potatoes really shines. I think it adds a little extra flavor bang for your bite, too!

Enjoy!

Paleo Shepherd’s Pie

1 lb grass fed ground beef

1 C frozen peas
1 medium onion (diced)
2 T olive oil (or coconut oil)
3 Large sweet potatoes (peeled, quartered)
1 T grass fed butter (Kerrygold)
1 C carrots (peeled and diced)
1 C celery (diced)
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and diced

1.5 T Worchestershire

¼ C almond flour (or coconut flour)
¾ C Almond Milk (or coconut milk)
¼ C Tomato Paste
1 sage leaf
Basil, sea salt, pepper, oregano

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*. Boil sweet potatoes in large pot with 1 t sea salt until cooked and soft.

In a large pan heat your olive oil and bring to medium heat. Cook ground beef for 3-5 minutes until starting to brown. Add onion, garlic, carrots, celery, peas, stirring until softened. Add ¼ C of almond flour stirring until the liquids thicken. Add tomato paste, stirring quickly until thick. Add ¼ C of almond milk, Worchestershire sauce, sage leaf and seasonings and reduce heat to low and cover.

Once potatoes are soft enough to mash (test with fork), drain potatoes, add 1 clove of diced garlic, ½ C of almond milk, butter, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Mash and let cook together for a few minutes.

In a large 9x13 baking dish, pour your meat mixture evenly over pan. Remove your sage leaf. Take your mashed sweet potatoes and cover the pan evenly. You can plop dollops on top – they will even out more in the oven. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are slightly browning on top. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

**Please note, depending on your Paleo choices, peas may or may not be allowed. Feel free to try other vegetables such as broccoli or mushrooms.**

Nutritional information:

Serves: 8

Calories per serving: 248

Carbs: 18g

Fat: 13g

Protein: 15g

Sugar: 7g

Fiber: 5g