Gluten-Free Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1½ lbs. lean ground beef (I prefer 90% lean)
• 2 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• 1½ cups gluten-free beef broth (reduced salt version preferred)
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp gluten-free Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 1½ cups frozen mixed vegetables (diced carrots, corn, and peas)
• 2½ lbs. russet potatoes
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter (sub dairy-free butter)
• ¼ cup sour cream (for dairy-free, use dairy-free sour cream or dairy-free yogurt )
• ¼ cup heavy cream (for dairy-free sub 1 can full-fat coconut milk)
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (for dairy-free, use nutritional yeast )
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Spray a 9”x11” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

2. 2

   In a large frying pan set over low-medium heat, sauté the olive oil with the onions until the onions have softened slightly.

3. 3

   Add the ground beef, dried parsley, dried thyme, minced garlic, salt and pepper to the frying pan and cook until beef is fully cooked and browned.

4. 4

   Add the beef broth, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce to the frying pan and simmer over low-medium heat for about 2 minutes stirring occasionally (until the tomato paste is mixed in smoothly with the other ingredients).

5. 5

   In a small cup, stir the water with the corn starch until the corn starch is fully dissolved. Pour this into the beef mixture and stir well. Let simmer on low heat for 5 minutes (stirring occasionally) until the sauce has thickened slightly.

6. 6

   Stir the frozen vegetables into the beef mixture and let simmer on low for about 3 minutes until the vegetables have softened.

7. 7

   Transfer the meat mixture to the prepared baking dish and set aside.

8. 8

   Peel the potatoes and cut into 2-inch cubes.

9. 9

   Place the potatoes into a large pot and cover potatoes with water.

10. 10

    Bring the potatoes to a boil over high heat and boil for 7-10 minutes or until the potatoes have softened. Do not overcook the potatoes or they will turn into a gummy texture.

11. 11

    Drain the water from the potatoes but keep the potatoes in that pot.

12. 12

    Remove the pot of drained potatoes from the heat and mash the potatoes with the butter.

13. 13

    Once the potatoes are mashed with the butter, add in the sour cream, heavy cream, shredded Parmesan, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mash into the potatoes until fully mixed and the mashed potatoes are smooth.

14. 14

    Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over top of the meat mixture in the baking dish. You can use a fork to add lines down the potatoes for added texture if you’d like – this is just for looks so you can keep it smooth if you’d like.

15. 15

    Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the potatoes have started to brown slightly (a golden color).

16. 16

    Remove from oven and serve hot.