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Welcome to 2020! I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas break with your families and friends. We had a fun filled break with plenty of sledding, skating, socializing, and of course eating (feasting would be a more appropriate word)! It’s always nice to have extra time with the ones we love, and I also appreciate getting back to our normal routines when all is said and done.

One of my favourite recipes for feeding a big crowd or bringing someone a meal is this Shepherd’s Pie. I whipped up a double batch TWICE over the Christmas break and it’s safe to say the crowds were very pleased :)! I was very happy to have nailed down a recipe that was both gluten and dairy free without anyone knowing the difference. So nice to have good, comforting, hearty food that everyone can enjoy, allergies or not. If you don’t need to accommodate for allergies, I’ve left suggestions for the more common ingredients to substitute. It will be delicious either way! I would absolutely suggest doubling this recipe and freezing one pie for later, it’s not much extra effort to have a whole meal on hand for a later date!

Another exciting development for me was the discovery of Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes. I’ve already fallen in love with cooking my pasta noodles in the Instant Pot (hello no babysitting, no boiling over, no draining necessary!!!). Turns out mashed potatoes cook just as easily! I’ve left the instructions in the recipe below but basically the potatoes pressure cook with a small amount of water, do not need to be drained, and are ready to be mashed straight in the pot after 10 minutes of pressure cooking. Pure magic! Of course you can make your mashed potatoes as you normally would on the stovetop and it will taste just as good. I just love the convenience of having a portion of the meal prep for this Shepherd’s Pie being hands off.

Of course you could serve this Shepherd’s Pie all on it’s own, since it’s packed with meat, vegetables, and potatoes already. I love serving it with a nice fresh, lemon-y green salad or some steamed green beans on the side. Whatever you choose, I trust that you and your fortunate dinner mates will devour this hearty meal in a happy and speedy fashion. Of course, make sure to let me know down in the comments how it went for you, I love hearing what you thought of the recipes!! Happy New Year friends :).

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5 from 3 votes

Shepherd’s Pie (Gluten and Dairy Free)

A warm, comforting all in one meal that is the perfect make ahead meal to freeze or give to a friend in need. It's also gluten and dairy free to accomodate for people with allergies/diet preferences. The perfect hearty, nutritious meal for cold winter months!

Course Main Course

Keyword casserole, Dairy free, freezer meal, gluten free, ground beef, make ahead, shepherds pie

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

Filling:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, small chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 2 tsp Italian spices
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1 156 ml can tomato paste
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce certified gluten free if necessary
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp coconut aminos or soy sauce, gluten free if necessary
• 1 tsp pure maple syrup
• 1 cup frozen peas

Mashed Potatoes:

• 2 1/2 lbs potoates, cubed (I perfer Yukon Gold, unpeeled) about 6 average size potatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp Ghee or vegan butter use butter if not dairy free
• 1/4-1/2 cup coconut cream or cashew cream (I use the thick cream from canned coconut milk) or heavy cream if not dairy free
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese if not dairy free
• 1 egg yolk, whisked omit if making mashed potatoes not baked in a casserole
• fresh ground pepper to taste

Instructions

Filling:

• Add the olive oil to deep skillet or pot over medium heat. Saute the onion, celery, and carrot until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute.
  
• Add the beef and cook until no longer pink, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon as you go.
  
• Season with salt, pepper, and Italian spices. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute.
• Whisk or shake in a jar, the cornstarch and beef broth and add to the beef mixture, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the worchestershire, coconut aminos, dijon, and maple syrup. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. If you like a bit of a kick, feel free to add a pinch of red chili flakes or a tsp of Sriracha.
  
• Stir in frozen peas and remove from heat.
  
• Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 9 x 13" pan and add beef mixure.

Mashed Potatoes:

• Meanwhile, prepare mashed potatoes. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, or until fork tender. Alternatively, you can cook the potatoes in the Instant Pot with 1/2 cup water and 1 tsp salt for 10 minutes high presssure with a quick pressure release.
  
• Drain the potatoes (not necessary for IP) and add the ghee or butter, cream of choice, and nutritional yeast or parmesan cheese. Mash until smooth and creamy. Start with 1/4 cup of cream and add more as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  
• Quickly mash in the whisked egg yolk, working quickly so the egg doesn't scramble. (If you are using this recipe solely for mashed potatoes, omit the egg yolk. It is only used for baking the potatoes in the casserole to help them bronze and set nicely.)
• Scoop the potates in dollops on top of the beef mixture and spread evenly with a spatula, pressing up against the sides to create a seal so the beef 'gravy' doesn't boil over. Make little swoops with the spatula into the mashed potatoes to make an appealing pattern, if desired. If freezing, cover tightly and freeze at this point. Before serving, bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until filling is bubbling and fully heated through.
  
• If serving right away, bake at 400 for 25 minutes, or until filling is bubbling. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes until potatoes are nicely browned (watch carefully to not burn). Let sit at room temperature for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
  

Featured in This Post:

This post includes affiliate links, meaning I made a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions and I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t absolutely love and use on a regular basis. Hope you find these lists helpful!

Nutritional Yeast – You’ll hear me talk about this a lot, and that’s because I put this stuff on just about everything! Nutritional Yeast is high in B12 vitamins (which boost your mood and give you energy), as well as protein. It is low in calories and carbohydrates and has a delicious salty/savoury flavour. It is a great dairy free substitute to give that “cheesy” flavour to your dishes. I love sprinkling it on my pasta, omelettes, salads, soup, etc. Think of it as a superfood replacement for your typical “shaker” parmesan cheese.

Gluten Free Worcestershire Sauce – Worcestershire sauce is a staple ingredient for me for adding flavour to all sorts of soups, sauces, and meat dishes. I didn’t even realizes that the brand I was using had gluten in it, but thankfully gluten free Worcestershire sauce is readily available! Look for the ingredients to list “distilled vinegar” rather than “malt vinegar” to ensure it is gluten free, like this one from French’s.

Ghee– Clarified Butter. This is the best lactose free substitute for butter because it is made with butter so you get the same rich buttery flavour without the dairy. It’s also a valuable Source of fat soluble Vitamins A, D, E, and K. How cool is that?! 

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