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This paleo shepherd’s pie with ground lamb is a healthy dairy free recipe where mashed potatoes and cauliflower top a delicious ground lamb gravy that is baked until bubbly.

A slice of ground lamb shepherds pie being cut out of pan.

You don’t have to wait until St. Patrick’s day to make a bomb shepherd’s pie. Though if you are looking for St Patrick’s day recipes, check out my dairy-free Irish Cream Liqueur, Irish Stew, or my potato pancakes.

Though, if you are like me, you eat shepherd’s pie on the regular. This ground lamb shepherd’s pie is a particular favorite of mine because the seasoning is on point and the potato cauliflower mash is smooth and delicious!

Paleo  Shepherd's Pie on a plate.

Why this recipe works

  • It tastes like a classic shepherd’s pie, but is made with healthier ingredients! It actually reminds me of my favorite shepherd’s pie made with lamb that I had in Ireland from The Front Door Sonny’s Bar and Restaurant in Galway, Ireland.
  • It is naturally dairy free, gluten free, and grain free. It also works for those following a Paleo or Whole30 compliant diet.
  • It is a great way to cook ground lamb, if you didn’t know what to do with it.
  • It is versatile and can be customized to your tastes or dietary needs.
  • It’s a wonderful dinner option that makes great leftovers.

Recipe Ingredients

Ingredients needed to make paleo shepherds pie.
  • potatoes– gold potatoes have a great taste in this type of recipe.
  • cauliflower– this mixes into the potatoes to make the mash.
  • coconut cream– this adds creaminess to the potatoes. Make sure to like the taste of your coconut cream. Savoy has the best “non coconut” flavor that I’ve found.
  • almond milk– this is also used to add creaminess to the potatoes.
  • carrots– these are added to the gravy.
  • ground lamb– this makes the base of the gravy sauce.
  • green beans– these are also added to the gravy.
  • tapioca flour– this is used to thicken the gravy.
  • tomato paste– this is used to add flavor to the gravy.
  • blackstrap molasses– this is used to add flavor to the gravy.
  • chili powder– this is used to add flavor to the gravy.
  • strained tomatoes– this makes the sauce of the gravy.
  • chicken stock– this makes the sauce of the gravy.
  • egg– this tops the whole shepherd’s pie for a nice shine.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Additions/ Substitutions

  • Instead of coconut cream, you can use any non dairy creamer or plant based heavy whipping cream.
  • Instead of almond milk, you can use any non dairy milk.
  • Instead of ground lamb, you can use ground beef.
  • Instead of green beans, you can use peas ( though these aren’t Paleo or Whole30)
  • Instead of tapioca flour, you can use arrowroot flour.

Step by step instructions

Lamb gravy in a baking dish.
Step 1:

Step 1: Boil the cauliflower and potatoes, then make the lamb gravy while it boils.

Sauté the carrots, onions, and garlic and then add ground lamb along with thyme and rosemary.

Then, add diced green beans and tapioca flour. Along with tomato paste, blackstrap molasses, chili powder, and strained tomatoes. Add chicken stock and boil until the sauce turns into a gravy.

Pour into a baking dish.

Cauliflower and potato mash added to the top of the gravy.
Step 2

Step 2: Put the boiled potatoes and cauliflower into a bowl.

Then, add the garlic powder, coconut cream, olive oil, and almond milk to the mash as you mix the boiled cauliflower and potatoes together.  

Put on top of the lamb gravy in the baking dish.

An egg added to the top of the dish.
Step 3

Step 3: Spread the cauliflower potato mash on top of the dish, add the egg on top and evenly spread it.

Freshly baked paleo shepherd's pie.
Step 4

Step 4: Bake until bubbly.

Recipe FAQs

Do you have to use blackstrap molasses?

I think so! It replaces the Worcestershire sauce in classic shepherd’s pie recipes. I created a combination of seasoning that I think flavors the dish very well and this includes the blackstrap molasses.

To get more info on blackstrap molasses, this article from The Paleo Mom, goes into detail about black strap molasses, how it is made, and how good it is for you.

How do you store this recipe?

I like to cover the whole baking dish in aluminum foil and refrigerating it for up to 3 days.

You can also cut out individual portions of the recipe and put in airtight containers.

Can you make this ahead of time?

Yes! Just prep the whole recipe as written and store in the fridge until you are ready to bake it. You can do this up to 3 days in advance.

The whole pan of paleo shepherd's pie with ground lamb.

Other healthy shepherd’s pie recipes you’ll love:

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

4.88 from 8 votes

Paleo Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Lamb

Servings: 6
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
A healthy, grain-free recipe made with a ground lamb gravy with carrots and green beans, topped in a potato/cauliflower mash.

Ingredients 

Mashed potato topping ingredients:

  • 6-8 medium potatoes, cut into 1 inch slices
  • ½ of a head of cauliflower, cut into smaller florets
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbs canned coconut cream, (Savoy tastes great, and has no preservatives)
  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 1/3 cup almond milk
  • 1 tsp dried parsley

Shepherd’s pie filling ingredients:

  • 1 Tbs olive oil
  • 3-4 carrots, sliced (this was 2 cups for me)
  • 1 onion, diced (this was 1 cup for me)
  • 3 cloves of garlic, diced
  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp dried rosemary
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup diced green beans, (this was about 30 green beans for me)
  • 2 Tbs tapioca flour
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste, (Cento is Paleo)
  • 2 Tbs blackstrap molasses
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • 1 cup strained tomatoes, (Pomi is my favorite)
  • 1 cup chicken stock or bone broth
  • 1 egg, beaten

Instructions 

  • Boil the sliced potatoes, and the cauliflower florets in water for 20-25 minutes, until you can easily stab the potatoes with a knife. Set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Make the Shepherd’s pie filling:

  • Put 1 Tbs of olive oil and 2 cups of sliced carrots into a large pot, mix, and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté the carrots until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add 1 cup of diced onions and the diced garlic, mix and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
  • Reduce the head to medium, add the ground lamb to the pot and mix breaking it up into smaller pieces. Top the ground lamb with 1/2 tsp of black pepper, 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of dried thyme, and ½ tsp dried rosemary. Mix and cook until the meat is browned, about 7 minutes.
  • Add the diced green beans to the pan and mix.
  • Add 2 Tbs of tapioca flour to the meat and mix well. Then add the 2 Tbs of tomato paste, 2 Tbs of blackstrap molasses, and ½ tsp of chili powder to the meat and mix. Add 1 cup of strained tomatoes, mix, and simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Add 1 cup of chicken stock or bone broth and simmer until the sauce reduces to a gravy, about 7 minutes.
  • Pour the shepherd’s pie filling into a 9 in x 13 in glass dish.

Make the mashed potato topping:

  • Put all of the boiled potatoes and cauliflower into a large bowl, top with 1/3 cup almond milk, 2 Tbs coconut cream, 1 Tbs olive oil, ½ tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp dried parsley, ½ salt, ½ pepper and mix.
  • Scoop the mashed potatoes onto the filling in the pan, evenly distributing it and then smooth it out with a spatula.
  • Whisk 1 egg in a small bowl, brush the top of the mashed potatoes with the whisked egg.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Notes

  • Instead of coconut cream, you can use any non dairy creamer or plant based heavy whipping cream.
  • Instead of almond milk, you can use any non dairy milk.
  • Instead of ground lamb, you can use ground beef.
  • Instead of green beans, you can use peas ( though these aren’t Paleo or Whole30)
  • Instead of tapioca flour, you can use arrowroot flour.

Nutrition

Calories: 549kcalCarbohydrates: 60gProtein: 22gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0.003gCholesterol: 84mgSodium: 862mgPotassium: 1725mgFiber: 9gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 5492IUVitamin C: 76mgCalcium: 130mgIron: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Irish
Tried this recipe?Mention @perchancetocook or tag #perchancetocook!
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14 Comments

  1. What a great recipe! I grew up eating lots of shepherd’s pie and have always loved it. Adding cauliflower to the potato for the topping is such a great idea!5 stars

  2. I have never tried paleo before but this looks to tasty and delicious. I would love to try this during the coming weekend and give it a go. The recipe also looks pretty easy to follow and all the ingredients are more or less available to me. Thank you!5 stars

    1. Thanks! Let me know if you try it! Paleo is just another way to say that there are no processed foods inside. 🙂