This Easy Shepherd’s Pie is a classic comfort food perfect for a simple but hearty weeknight meal, and is given a little facelift with mashed parsnips in place of potatoes!
What happens when I get a random craving for shepherd’s pie in the middle of March?
I do the normal thing and make it. Three times, to be exact. Because I had to perfect it. And I did.
I feel like shepherd’s pie is usually a meal reserved for chilly winter nights but I am here to tell you it’s also just as tasty in the spring.
Why I Love This Easy Shepherd’s Pie
I’m a sucker for a nutritious meal that tastes good, but truth be told I don’t love spending a ton of time in the kitchen whipping up elaborate and time-intensive meals. Some people do love that, and that’s great! It isn’t me though.
While you may think of shepherd’s pie as a more labor or time-intensive meal, it really isn’t that challenging to make. Just chop the veggies, cook the beef, add in the veggies, boil some parsnips, then combine it all together to bake in the oven. You can make a big batch at once and eat leftovers, which is also a win in my book.
So that’s basically why I love this easy shepherd’s pie. It’s full of nutrient dense ingredients (like grass-fed beef!), relatively simple to throw together even on a weeknight, and packs in some delicious flavor.
What You’ll Need
We’re all for simplicity in my kitchen — and I want the same for you! All you’ll need, equipment-wise, to whip up this meal is a square baking dish (I LOVE this Le Creuset one), a big saute pan (we use this one from Green Pan daily), a cutting board, and a good knife (you know I gotta rec — this knife is a DREAM). You’ll also need an oven and a stove, of course 🙂
How to Make Easy Shepherd’s Pie
There’s really four main steps:
- Chop up all your veggies. This is probably what takes the most time, so put on some tunes or a podcast and make the most of it. I mean, it’ll probably only be like 5-7 minutes, max.
- Cook the beef up in a pan, then add in the veggies and other goodies to also cook.
- While those cook up, you can start boiling the parsnips, then blitz them in the food processor to blend (or use a fork to mash).
- Add the beef mixture to a baking dish, then cover with the mashed parsnips, then bake!
Easy Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb grass-fed ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 4 whole carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tbsp herbes de provence
- 6 whole parsnips, peeled and chopped
- 1-2 tbsp grass-fed ghee
- 1 tbsp dried or fresh chives
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and spray a baking dish with oil.
- Cook beef in a skillet over medium heat until no longer pink.
- Pour out excess fat from the skillet if desired, but making sure to leave a little. Push beef to one side then add in garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant. Add in onion and carrots and saute for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add in peas, tomato sauce, coconut aminos and spices and continue to cook until everything is well combined.
- While beef mixture cooks, bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add in chopped and peeled parsnips and cook until fork tender. Once cooked, transfer to a food processor with salt, pepper, chives, and ghee and blend until pureed to preferred consistency.
- Add beef mixture to baking dish and spread out in an even layer. Spread mashed parsnips on top, then transfer to the oven to bake for 30-45 minutes. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
