Some days I am just in the mood for comfort food. Something warm, savory and completely satisfying. When I was first learning to cook REAL food, this hearty shepherd’s pie was something I made on a regular basis. It is loaded with colorful, seasonal vegetables and hearty meats.
I layer the top with mashed potatoes, mashed cauliflower, or mashed yams, depending on what I have in the kitchen. It still remains a family favorite at our house. This is today’s version:
What I love most about this shepherd’s pie is that is super versatile. You can make it with whatever veggies you have in the kitchen. I used carrots, zucchinis, summer squash, and kale. The base is made from a nutrient-dense homemade bone broth, a juicy fresh tomato, and fresh herbs from the garden. You can easily double the recipe and freeze one for a later time.
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Savory Vegetable Pie
Ingredients
For the Top:
- 3 large potatoes, quartered
- 2 TBS grass fed butter or ghee (or coconut oil)
- a splash of raw milk (or any other milk substitute)
- celtic sea salt and pepper to taste
For the Sauce:
- 1 large tomato
- 3/4 cup homemade bone broth (see this post for instructions)
- big handful of fresh basil leaves
- 4 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 TBS finely chopped fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, thyme, etc)
- 1 tsp celtic sea salt (like this one)
- 1 tsp arrowroot powder (like this) OR 2 TBS sprouted wheat flour
For the Filling:
- 4 cups fresh seasonal vegetable, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 cups finely chopped greens (kale, collards, or chard)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 LB ground beef, bison, lamb, chicken or turkey (preferably organic and pasture-raised)
- 2 TBS grass fed butter or ghee (or coconut oil)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350′ F
- Place quartered potatoes into large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer slowly until soft but not mushy (about 10-12 minutes.) Drain. Mash potatoes until creamy smooth with butter (or ghee/coconut oil), a splash of milk, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- While potatoes are cooking, place all sauce ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a small sauce pan and simmer softly for 7-10 minutes, reducing the liquid slightly. Add in arrowroot powder OR sprouted wheat flour, and continue to cook for another minutes whisking continuously. Remove from heat.
- To make the filling: Saute onions in butter/ghee/coconut oil for 5 minutes. Add ground meat and saute until meat in completely browned. Add in chopped vegetable and greens. Stir to mix. Pour in sauce and mix again.
- Cover pan and let meat/veggie mixture simmer softy simmer for 10-15 minutes until veggies begin to soften but are not mushy. Add a little extra water of broth if it seems too dry. If it seems too wet, uncover and let it reduce a bit.
- Transfer to a shallow baking dish. Layer mashed potatoes on top of veggies and spread evenly. Bake for 30 minutes at 350′ F.
- Serve and enjoy!!!
Notes
If you are making a double batch to freeze one for later, do not bake second pie at this time. Assemble the second pie and allow to cool completely before freezing. Defrost at a later time and bake at 350’F.
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This looks great I love shepherds pie 🙂 Do you think I could replace the tomato in the sauce for something else like mashed pumpkin? Cant have tomatoes right now 🙁
Thanks 🙂
If you don’t eat tomatoes, you could just make a simple roux with bone broth, butter, and flour (arrowroot powder would work.) You want something a bit more liquidy than mashed veggies, unless you watered it down a lot with broth , which would actually be super tasty. Let me know if you try it. 🙂
Your Shepherds Pie looks delicious and full of flavor and comfort. Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great week.
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Miz Helen
Thank you so much for this recipie! I just made it (on my journey to a healthier lifestyle) and it is wonderful. Your blog is inspiring, keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for the kind feedback. It means a lot to me!