It’s officially Fall and the temps are finally starting to cool down here. I’ve been craving warm and comforting recipes like this Paleo Shepherd’s Pie.

I love summer foods and all of the produce, but eating salads for every meal is getting a little boring. Fall is great here in Nebraska because it’s still warm on some days and cool on others so having a mixture of summer foods like salads and warm foods like casseroles and soups are the best of both worlds. Can’t get tired of eating the same thing over and over.

Growing up, the Shepherd’s Pie my mom made used canned tomato soup and mashed potatoes on top. It was one of my sister’s favorite meals so we had it quite often. Plus it was easy to dump all of the ingredients into a dish and then bake it. The leftovers were even better because the flavors had a chance to sit longer.

Unfortunately, those canned soups have some pretty sketchy ingredients that I like to avoid. I also am not the biggest fan of mashed potatoes. Shocking I know! Especially growing up in the midwest which is meat and potatoes land. I had to get creative when coming up with a revamped version of Shepherd’s Pie and decided to use mashed parsnips. If you haven’t ever had parsnips, get on it, because they are so good!

You can really use whatever vegetables you have on hand to add into the mixture. I always like to keep frozen veggies on hand to throw into soups and casseroles. Plus, buying organic frozen veggies is a cost saver and they are frozen at their peak for the most nutrient bang for our buck.

This recipe is so easy to throw together and it makes for great leftovers that you can pack for lunch at work the next day!

Paleo Shepherd's Pie
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Paleo Shepherd's Pie

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 - 2 lbs ground beef
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2-3 large carrots diced
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 2-3 stalks celery diced
  • 1-2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup green beans frozen
  • 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/4 tsp dried sage
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 10 parsnips peeled & diced
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

Parsnip Mash

  1. Peel and chop the parsnips. Put in a pot and cover with water. Boil for about 15 minutes until fork tender.

  2. Strain the parsnips and mash until smooth.

  3. Stir in butter, salt and pepper.

For the beef mixture

  1. Preheat your oven to 350.

  2. Add avocado oil to a skillet on medium high heat. Brown the beef and set aside.

  3. Add the other tablespoon of avocado oil on medium high heat and cook the onions, celery and carrots until onions are transparent. Add in the garlic to cook a minute or two longer.

  4. Add in the frozen green beans and cook until thawed.

  5. Stir in the remaining ingredients along with the beef.

  6. Simmer for the mixture to thicken.

  7. Transfer the beef mixture to a casserole dish and top with the parsnip mash.

  8. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes until the parsnips are golden on the edges.

  9. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.