Shepherds Pie Recipe with Lots of Vegetables

Growing up, we were a real meat and potatoes kind of family and so mom’s Shepherds Pie Recipe was a staple dinner meal. I grew up eating and loving this classic British dish. When I moved to London to study abroad in college I found myself tucking in to pub after pub in search of the best Shepherds Pie across the pond. Back then, the only criteria I really had was that it taste good. Of course the bar has been raised since my college days and today my criteria for a good Shepherds Pie recipe is that it not only taste good but also have lots of vegetables, less meat and dairy-free mashed potatoes (with their fiber-rich skins on!) And believe it or not, adding the vegetables, reducing the meat and banishing the dairy from the mashed potato topping actually enhances the flavor. And I’m not the only one who thinks so either… Last summer we took our son, Blake, to London (in the photo to the left) and he had his first authentic British Shepherd’s Pie at the Food Emporium at Harrods department store. I found it very interesting—and flattering!–that Blake said he actually preferred my “more flavorful recipe” to the one at Harrods. Shepherds Pie is not at all a spice-forward dish, so it wasn’t the spice that Blake was missing…it was the vegetables!

Make a Healthy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

(with LOTS of Minced Vegetables!)

My healthy shepherd’s pie recipe uses considerably less meat than traditional recipes and incorporates way more vegetables than you would think would even work. When you make the recipe, you’ll see the vegetable to meat ratio is pretty much equal. If you are a meat-lover, this might make you nervous. But trust me, the vegetables are the secret star ingredient that not only boost the overall nutritional profile of the dish, but also the flavor. By finely mincing the vegetables in a food processor, sautéing them and then mixing with the meat, the vegetables do wonders to elevate the entire dish.

Shepherds Pie Vs Cottage Pie

By the way, classic Shepherds Pie uses lamb, not beef.  If you substitute beef for lamb, then you’ll be making Cottage Pie. In fact, I initially created a simpler version of this dish for my friend Lisa Leake as a beef-based Cottage Pie over at 100 Days of Real Food (if you have not yet heard of Lisa’s NY Times bestselling cookbook, it’s a must-buy if you have kids and are trying to raise them on real food.) In addition to swapping lamb for beef, the Shepherds Pie Recipe below also incorporates peas and wine. If you want a simpler version, you can always just use the recipe featured on 100 Days of Real Foods. Ok, lets get cooking!

P.S. Looking for More Healthy Dinner Recipes?

If you liked the Shepherds Pie Recipe, be sure to check out a full month’s menu of delicious healthy dinner recipes (including weekly shopping lists!) in our Clean Cuisine Dinners digital cookbook.