Well, my sweet potato Shepherd’s pie is kicked up a notch in nutrition using beans and less meat, sweet potatoes with skin on instead of white potatoes, and no dairy products. English people might raise their eyebrows but we are stepping outside the box. Truth is you could use white potatoes, parsnips or cauliflower mash on top (which I did a few years later=> cauliflower Shepherd’s pie). I felt like sweet potatoes because we had French Fries the night before. You could also add some butter or cheese to the crust so it browns a bit but I didn’t feel like it.
This easy Shepherd’s pie was delicious! With saucy meaty filling – pure comfort food a healthy way!
My kids do not like sweet potatoes but they loved them in this recipe! Well, my 4 year old doesn’t like anything right now, so it took him 40 minutes to finish his plate but he did => 5 ways to make kids eat healthy. My oldest said he doesn’t like mashed sweet potatoes but in combination with filling he loved them. So, try and see.
I doubled the recipe and froze one pie. I’m starting to do that now since we do not buy anything processed anymore. Saves a lot of time!
A few more sweet potato recipes I came up with over the years:
Sweet Potato Noodle Salad with Lime & Peanuts
One Pan Sweet Potato and Eggs
Chipotle Sweet Potato Oatmeal Muffins
PrintSweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie Recipe with ground turkey, beans, peas, no dairy and sweet potatoes with skin on for a delicious healthy crust.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1.5 lbs sweet potatoes, skin on & chopped (washed & scrubbed well)
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling:
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
- 3 medium carrots, diced
- 1 lb ground meat (turkey, chicken or I used venison)
- 2 cups vegetable broth (I used vegetable bouillon cube diluted in hot water)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, non-GMO
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup peas, frozen or fresh
- 14 oz can red kidney or pinto beans, drained & rinsed (I use my own cooked beans)
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add sweet potatoes and cover with water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook on low for 15 minutes or until fork tender.
- In the meanwhile, preheat large non-stick or cast iron skillet on medium heat and swirl olive oil to coat. Add onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrots and cook for a few more minutes. Add ground meat and cook until brown, breaking into pieces and stirring with spatula.
- Add broth, tomato paste, cornstarch, balsamic vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper; stir, bring to a boil and let simmer on low until thickens a bit. Add peas and beans, mix. Transfer to a 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Drain sweet potatoes and add coconut oil, garlic powder and salt to the pot. Mash with a masher until smooth. Drop dollops of potato mixture on top of meat filling and then spread evenly using a spatula or any long flat utensil. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Freeze: Assemble, tightly wrap with plastic and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as per instructions + 15 minutes.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
This is such a clever idea! I love the idea of using sweet potatoes, and I looooove the idea of cutting the amount of meat with beans. Genious!!
Thank you! Stepping outside my comfort zone and going with what feels right!
Wow! What a great variation on Shepherd’s Pie! I never would’ve thought of sweet potatoes in place of regular potatoes for this recipe. Can’t wait to try it!
I love your clean eating adaption of Shepherd’s pie. It’s much more nutrient dense than the traditional one. It’s funny, but I also made one just last week. I used ground turkey and mushrooms for the filling and mashed sweet potatoes for the crust. Will try your version, too.
P.S.: absolutely lovely photos! It’s not easy to take pictures of ground meat. 🙂
Too funny. Russian minds think alike.:) I could have added dairy to the crust to brown it more but didn’t feel like it. I have been feeling so good and my skin cleared up so well ever since I stopped eating dairy so I try to avoid it. Mushrooms are a great filler!!! Thank you. Many healthy dishes are not easy to photograph.:( Everything that is not good for us looks so tasty usually LOL.
I am thinking you did not actually mean 1.5 oz for the sweet potatoes. Can you clarify the amount required for this recipe?
Sorry, 1.5 lbs of course. Thanks for catching that.:)