Bacon Shepherd’s Pie (gluten-free + paleo)

February 6, 2014 By Leanne Vogel November 5, 2018

Shepherd’s pie (also known as cottage pie) layered with sauteed beef, bacon and veggies in a smoked sauce, topped with garlic mashed cauliflower and baked until crisp.

I’m not eating many potatoes these days…

Keto shopping lists, recipes, and more! Start keto with this FREE 5-step guide.

I'm ready!

Not because I don’t love them (because, wow, do I love potatoes) but because when I pop, the fun just don’t stop.

French fries, potato chips, mashed potatoes… I just go crazy when I’m around them! After I eat them, I get sleepy. And then I get hungry again and want more.

Viscous cycle. And in my experience? Viscous cycles in relation to food, isn’t a healthy thing.

So for now, there ‘aint no potatoes in the Healthful Pursuit household. Which, sounds a little difficult but replacing them (and making space for creativity) isn’t as challenging as it once seemed.

And when dinner looks like that ^, I don’t miss the potato one little bit.

The idea of using mashed cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes sounds absurd, doesn’t it? But, so did using cauliflower as the base for pudding… and that recipe? Is one of my most popular recipes ever.

We invited a couple of our close friends over for dinner a couple of weekends ago and I made them this casserole. Except I didn’t tell them that I used mashed cauliflower instead of the classic, mashed potato topping. They assumed that it was potato the whole time… even after their third helping of the stuff.

So you see? Whether you’re trying to avoid nightshades (potato is a nightshade), reduce your GI (potatoes have a high glycemic index rating) or your leaky gut healing protocol has you saying ex-nay to saponin, this recipe? Is so totally for you.

Or, maybe you’re like me and you’re just looking to broaden your eating style horizons and share new foods with your family.

I have no doubt that everyone (even your neighbors) will enjoy this one.

And seriously, bacon? Makes everything better.

Inspired by Elana’s Pantry

4.3 from 3 reviews

Bacon Shepherd's Pie (Gluten-free & Paleo)

Author: Leanne Vogel

Recipe type: Paleo, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Sugar-free, Yeast-free, Corn-free, Grain-free, Nut-free

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 1 hour 15 mins

Serves: 16

Shepherd's pie (also known as cottage pie) layered with sauteed beef, bacon and veggies in a smoked sauce, topped with garlic mashed cauliflower and baked until crisp.

Ingredients

Beef Layer

375 grams (approximately 15 strips) smoked ham bacon
0.75kg (1.6lbs) extra-lean ground beef
2 cups diced carrots
1 cup (approximately 2 small) diced onion
1 cup (approximately 3 sticks/ribs) diced celery
1 cup gluten-free chicken broth
2 tablespoons arrowroot starch or tapioca starch
2 teaspoons no-salt seasoning
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground pepper

Mashed Cauliflower Topping

2 heads of cauliflower, florets removed from stem
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
¼ teaspoon onion salt
1 egg white

Instructions

Preheat oven for 350F and set aside a 9x13 casserole dish.
Add bacon and beef to a large pot and cook on medium-high until beef is no longer pink.
Add carrots, onion and celery. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes.
Add chicken broth, starch, no-salt seasoning, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to coat and continue to cook for 3 minutes, until thickened.
Transfer to the prepared casserole dish and flatten out with the back of a spatula.
Meanwhile, add water to a large pot. Cover and bring to a boil.
Add cauliflower florets and boil for 20 minutes, until softened.
Drain the water, transfer the cauliflower back to the pot, and mash with a potato masher. Add coconut oil, garlic powder, pepper and onion salt. Mash until super smooth and amazing.
Top the meat layer with the mashed cauliflower and spread evenly. Top with egg white and, using the prongs of a fork, fluff up the top, incorporating the egg white to each bit of the top of the casserole.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes OR cover and allow to sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours until you're ready to bake.

View nutrition information (once on page, scroll down)

I bet you could use regular ‘ol bacon in this recipe but it would be pretty oily. Turkey bacon could work, too.

The no-salt seasoning that I use is from Costco. It’s organic, it’s amazing, I highly recommend it.

Smoothing and packing down the meat is the key to this recipe. So is mashing the cauliflower until very smooth (especially if you want to trick people in thinking it’s potato!)

I would love to hear from you –

What foods do you go crazy over – like my obsession with the potato?

What steps have you taken to heal your relationship with that specific food?

Sharing your strategies and experiences will help support the many women in our community. We all struggle with similar things and hearing the stories of others validates our struggles and helps us see a way out of them. Please, share!

This entry was tagged: beef, Casseroles, cauliflower