Oh, so yummy!  My husband loves Shepherd’s Pie—and so I indulge him!   We’ve had Shepherd’s Pie with beef filling, chicken filling, turkey filling, vegetable filling.  We’ve had it topped with traditional mashed potatoes, with mashed sweet potatoes, with mashed turnips, and like this—our favorite way—with mashed cauliflower!  I always have my eye out for new variations!  This recipe fits into our healthy but oh-so-yummy category in a couple of ways:

• it is low-carb (with the absence of potatoes)
• it  is made with natural ingredients that you can pronounce (as the gravy is made from scratch), and not a can of cream of something or other
• it is low in fat/high in protein (using boneless chicken breast as the protein and just 1/3 cup of shredded cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan)

This recipe could easily be doubled and baked in an 11 x 13 baking dish.  Enjoy!

Shepherds Pie with Mashed Cauliflower Topping 

Filling Ingredients:

1 sweet onion, chopped in pieces about 1/2 inch dice
4-6 ounces baby bella mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced chunky
2-3 tablespoons chopped garlic in oil (from a jar)
4+ teaspoons olive oil
1# boneless chicken breast, pounded flat, cut into 1″ cubes

1 tablespoon butter, or coconut oil
2 tablespoons brown rice flour (or all-purpose flour)
1/4 cup white wine (or broth)
1+1/4 cups chicken broth

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (your choice), defrosted

Topping Ingredients:

1 medium-sized head of cauliflower, cored and chopped into small pieces
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, smoked gouda) *use a flavorful cheese

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Bring a medium-sized pot of salted water to a boil. Add cauliflower and simmer ‘til  soft enough to mash easily (10-12 minutes).
• Drain cauliflower very well; place back into pot and  “mash” the cauliflower along with the milk and Parmesan.
• Season very well with salt and pepper to taste.
• While the cauliflower cooks, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large frying pan and saute the cut-up chicken.  Cook ’til just getting brown but don’t overcook.
• Reduce heat to low, and add the chopped garlic for the last minute (don’t let the garlic burn).  Remove pan from stove; set aside cooked chicken.
• Wipe pan with paper towels to remove bits.
• Then add 2 additional teaspoons olive oil; and saute chopped onions for 3 minutes.  Add chopped mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes more to caramelize.
• Reduce heat to low; add 1 tablespoon butter, and sprinkle flour over the mushroom-onion mixture, stirring with a whisk or wooden spoon.
• ‘Cook’ this mixture for 3 minutes (to reduce the flour-y taste) occasionally scraping the pan.
• Then gradually whisk in the wine ’til the mixture is smooth.
• Slowly whisk in the  broth and your gravy will come together.  Gently simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add back the cooked chicken and the defrosted veggies and heat together for 1-2 minutes.
• Spread the chicken-vegetable-gravy mixture in the bottom of a 8 cup casserole dish.
• Top with the cauliflower mixture, and spread across the pan almost to the edges.
• Bake for 20 minutes, and then top with the shredded cheese.
• Continuing baking another 10 minutes or so ’til bubbly.  (If top is not lightly browned, can be carefully placed under broiler for 2-3 minutes.)  Enjoy!

   ♥      ♥      ♥      ♥      ♥ 

God loves you!   ♥  (Don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen