This Honey Roasted Root Vegetable Shepherd's Pie is a lightened up version of the traditional baked dish. Instead of mashed potatoes, we'll swap it out for mashed cauliflower whipped with goat cheese. And instead of red meat, we'll be using ground turkey. But to be honest, you could 100% still use mashed potatoes and lamb or beef!
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Honey Roasted Root Vegetable Shepherd's Pie with Goat Cheese Mashed Cauliflower
This Honey Roasted Root Vegetable Shepherd's Pie is not only healthier but it actually tastes amazing, too! Ground turkey is cooked down with shallots and mushrooms and is then coated in a umami-packed gravy. Next, honey glazed root vegetables are tossed with sweet peas and are stacked on top. Lastly, the entire dish is covered with mashed cauliflower whipped with fresh goat cheese and black pepper. The whole thing is then topped with parmesan cheese and baked until golden and bubbly. The results are savory, sweet and practically guilt-free!
If you're a purist, you could totally still use mashed potatoes with beef or lamb. What's most important in this dish is how the tangy goat cheese contrasts with the honey glazed vegetables. Regardless of the meat and starch, this dish will work either way!
How to make Healthy Shepherd's Pie
In this version of Roasted Root Vegetable Shepherd's Pie with Goat Cheese Mashed Cauliflower, we change things up quite a bit. Instead of ground beef or lamb, we'll be using ground turkey. You could also use ground chicken if you'd like it even lighter although I would go with turkey if possible.
Instead of mashed potatoes, we'll simply swap them out for mashed cauliflower. And instead of loading the mashed potatoes with cheddar, butter and heavy cream, we'll be using goat cheese. Not only is the goat cheese easier to digest, but it's full of flavor so you don't have to use as much.
RECIPE: Honey Roasted Root Vegetable Shepherd's Pie with Goat Cheese Mashed Cauliflower
Recipe
Honey Roasted Root Vegetable Shepherd's Pie with Goat Cheese Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
For the Honey Roasted Root Vegetables
- 2 cups chopped butternut squash
- 2 cups chopped rainbow carrots
- 2 shallots chopped
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon high quality honey
- 1 15 oz can drained sweet peas
For the Meat
For the Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- 1 head cauliflower broken down into large florets
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
- 1 cup parmesan
Instructions
For the Honey Roasted Root Vegetables
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and add chopped butternut squash, carrots, shallots, olive oil and a few pinches of salt. Toss until everything is evenly coated and then spread everything evenly out.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Drizzle with honey and stir. Add sweet peas to the honey glazed vegetables and mix one more time.
- Note: if squash isn’t in season, you might need to add more honey to sweeten it up.
For the Meat
- Add olive oil, shallots and two pinches of kosher salt to a pot and turn the heat to medium. Sautee shallots for 2 minutes until the become slightly translucent. Add mushrooms and another two pinches of salt and cook for 5 minutes.
- Move the shallot mushroom mixture to the side of the pot and add ground turkey, black pepper, thyme, rosemary and a couple more pinches of salt. Use a spatula to break up the meat and then stir everything together and continue to cook until the turkey is cooked through and crumbly.
- Add flour and Worcestershire and stir. Cook down for a few more minutes then add ⅓ cup of water. Continue cooking until you get a slight coating of gravy on the meat. Season with salt and pepper then set aside.
For the Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon of salt. When the boil is rolling, add the cauliflower and cook for 10-13 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender. Strain and place in a bowl.
- Add milk and another pinch of salt to the cauliflower then use an immersion blender to blend the cauliflower until it’s smooth and creamy. Crumble in goat cheese and stir until it’s melted and smooth. Set aside.
For the Shepherd’s Pie
- Preheat oven to 400F. In a large baking dish, spoon the meat mixture on the bottom. Next, add the honey roasted root vegetables. Then add the mashed cauliflower and top with the remaining parmesan. Making sure to seal the edges with the mashed cauliflower to avoid it bubbling out. Bake for 25 minutes or until the parmesan is golden. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
If you like this Healthy Shepherd's Pie Recipe, you might also like one of these recipes:
Pan Fried Gnocchi with Goat Cheese Chicken-This lemony Goat Cheese Chicken is served with Skillet Gnocchi, Kale, Artichokes & Sun Dried Tomatoes. It's the perfect one-pot hearty meal for nights when you can't decide what to make. Top it with fresh basil and lemon slices for added awesomeness.
Honey Sriracha Glazed Carrots - if you love root vegetables as much as I do, you'll be obsessed with this sweet and spicy glazed carrots. They're topped with fresh herbs, crumbled goat cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds and they're to die for!
Spicy Lemon & Kale Detox Soup - Loaded with Kale, zucchini, carrots, onion, red pepper flakes, turmeric, garlic, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, this spicy soup will clean out your system overnight.
xoxo,
Kenz aka GCS
