Ingredients:
- 2kg organic beef mince
- 2 zucchini, grated
- 5 squash, grated
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 onions, diced
- 100g mushrooms, diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 3 tbs tomato paste
- 200ml organic beef bone broth
- 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 bunch fresh parsley
- 3 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried chilli powder
- 1 head cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 3/4 pumpkin, skin & seeded removed, roughly chopped
- 2 tbs ghee or coconut ghee (dairy-free option)
- 2 tbs olive oil
- 2 tbs rosemary
- 2 tbs nutritional yeast
- 3 tbs avocado oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Frying oil – organic animal fat, coconut oil, butter, ghee or sustainable red palm oil
Method:
Brown mince in large pot in fat/oil then remove to a separate bowl. Add onion and 5 cloves crushed garlic and fat/oil, cooking for 5 min.
Add balsamic vinegar, tomato paste, mushrooms, celery, herbs and spices (minus the rosemary), cooking for another 5-10 min. Add zucchini, squash, mince, bone broth, salt & pepper to taste, bring to a simmer and cook for 3 hours with lid removed, stirred every now and then.
Meanwhile, dry roast the pumpkin in the oven in 180 degrees for 40 min or until cooked through and starting to brown. Steam or boil the cauliflower until cooked through. Blend/process the pumpkin and cauliflower with 2 tbs each or ghee and olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
Put the Sheppard’s pie together by putting meat mixture into the bottom of a serving dish, and covering with roughly the same thickness layer of the cauliflower pumpkin mash. I find I get a better result if I’ve made the mince in advance and let it cool down in the fridge overnight.
Mix in a little glass jar the rosemary, nutritional yeast, avocado oil (or olive oil) salt and pepper, and baste the top of the mash, spreading evenly.
Place Shepard’s pie in oven to heat through for 20-45 min (depending if heating from cold or not) at 180 degrees. Increase heat for the last 10 min if you’d like to achieve a golden brown crust on top.