Cottage Pie {low Carb}

It’s similar to Shepherd’s pie, but I’m not sure the kids would’ve noticed if I didn’t tell them. They did not miss the carbs!

Is Cottage Pie Healthy?

“Healthy” is such a broad term, isn’t it? So I think a better question is “Is it healthy for you?”.

Some would argue that ground turkey is healthier than ground beef, but, it depends. What’s the meat/fat ratio? And is the ground turkey white meat or dark or a blend? All of that makes a difference.

And what about white potatoes? Perfectly fine if you are not on a low carb diet. However, if you are, there are better for you options.

And then there’s the cheese. Some people would say cheese is fattening, but again, it depends on what’s best for your body and your needs.

So, in my opinion, using fresh all natural, real food ingredients, yes, this recipe is healthy! We’re using lean meat, no white starches, garlic, vegetables, and fresh herbs.

How to make low carb cottage pie

Cottage pie with cauliflower mash comes together in a few easy steps.

Step one: Prepare the cauli mash

• Place the cauliflower florets in a large sauce pan with the garlic, and just cover with water.

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• Heat until boiling, then cover, lower the heat, and cook for 10 minutes, or until fork tender.

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• Strain the cauliflower and garlic, and place in a food processor

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• Add butter, cream cheese salt, & pepper, and process until smooth. Set aside.

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Step two: Prepare the filling

• Saute’ the onions in olive oil until translucent

• Add the ground turkey, and brown it while breaking it up with a wooden spoon or meat chopper.

• Add peas, carrots, and garlic, stir. Then add tomato paste, rosemary, salt, pepper, and flour and stir again to blend

• Add the broth, bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.

Step three: Bake

• Pour the filling into a lightly greased 9 x 13 casserole dish.

• Carefully spread the mashed cauliflower on top

• Bake for 30 minutes.

• Add freshly grated parmesan cheese and bake another 5 minutes (optional).

• Garnish with fresh parsley (optional).

How do you keep cottage pie topping from sinking?

If you follow the instructions in this post, you shouldn’t have a problem.

If the topping is sinking, it’s probably that both the topping (whether potato or cauliflower), and the filling, are too warm. So they just kind of melt into each other.

Can you freeze cottage pie?

Absolutely! For best results, make the topping, then the filling, and let them completely cool. Then put the pie together, cover well, and freeze.

To reheat Cottage Pie, you have two options:

option 1:

• allow the pie to thaw completely in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake, uncovered for 30-40 minutes.

option 2:

• Bake the pie from frozen. Cover it with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes.

What should I serve with Cottage Pie?

 Here are my suggestions:

1. a garden salad (you can never have too many greens and veggies, right?)

1. fruit salad, or just fresh fruit. One of our fav’s is cut up fresh fruit topped with vanilla yogurt.

1. A green salad that contains fruit, like this salad with blackberries and pears. Or as you see pictured, a simple spinach salad with strawberries and toasted walnuts.

Variations

• If you’re making a smaller amount, you can skip the 9 x 13 pan and use an 8 x 8, or just bake it all in a cast iron pan. I’d recommend this if you actually are using a cast iron pan or oven safe pan to cook your meat and vegetables in. Yay for less mess!

• you can make this a more traditional cottage pie by using ground beef. Or, make it Shepherd’s pie by using ground lamb.

• Gluten free? Use a gluten free flour, a corn starch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot powder with 1 tbsp cold water), or 1 teaspoon xantham gum instead of the flour. It is such a small amount that for the carb factor I don’t count it.

• Dairy free? Skip the butter and cheese! The cauliflower mash will still taste great. Or use your favorite dairy free substitute

• To lighten it further, use non fat plain greek yogurt in place of the cream cheese in the topping.

Please hop over to the blog post for more details, tips, and related articles!