Paleo Shepherd’s Pie {Grain/Dairy Free, AIP option}

Growing up, my dad would channel his Irish roots and make his version of Shepherd’s Pie almost weekly. It was certainly edible though looking back I giggle at our family’s “healthy” rendition. See, my dad has for many years been a Vegetarian and this pie, affectionately referred to as “TVP Pie” consisted of Textured Vegetable Protein (soy based) and instant mashed potatoes. I think there were some frozen veggies thrown in for good measure, though the TVP sticks out more than anything. These days, soy is not my pal the way it was back then. My focus in my past few years of healing has been lots of organic veggies, grass fed, pasture raised meats, and avoidance of grains, dairy, and soy. So my childhood Shepherd’s Pie is a smidgy different than the one I made here, but the memories of our weekly meal are no less important. I am glad that I could take a favorite from my youth and transform it into one that is nutrient rich and satisfying enough to feed three kids of my own. Ingredients:

• 1 pound grass fed ground beef
• 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 onion diced
• 1/2 cup celery
• 2 cups beef broth (homemade or organic )
• 1 cup peas (omit for AIP)
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce (omit for AIP)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• Himalayan salt to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste (omit for AIP)
• 3 cups yuca boiled to fork tender (large/coarsely chopped)
• 1/2 cup flax or almond milk (coconut milk for AIP)
• Freshly ground garlic salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a blender or Vitamix, blend boiled yuca, flax milk, and 1 cup beef broth
3. Add freshly ground garlic salt to taste and set aside
4. In a skillet, sauté oil with carrots, onion, and celery until softened
5. Add ground beef and garlic and cook until no longer pink
6. Add 1 cup beef broth, worcestershire,  salt & pepper and simmer until liquid reduces
7. Add peas
8. Sprinkle arrowroot flour over meat mixture (or make a slurry) and cook until gravy thickens
9. Remove from heat
10. In a pie tin, or individual serving tins, spoon meat mixture to fill tin halfway
11. Now spoon yuca blend on top of the meat mixture and bake for 20 minutes
12. Remove from oven and serve

  Shared with Allergy Free Wednesdays and Phoenix Helix AIP Roundtable