Low Carb Cottage Pie

This low carb cottage pie is my version of the classic English dish.

The following post contains affiliate links, which means that at no extra cost to you I can make a tiny bit of money to help support this blog. Thank you!

So what’s the difference between Shepherd’s pie and Cottage pie? Although these two classic English dishes are similar – the main important difference is the meat! Shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb, and cottage pie is made with ground beef! They both have a topping of mashed potato – which of course will be mashed cauliflower in my version!

Traditional vegetables to add to the mix would be onions, carrots, celery, and peas – but instead I’ve used onion powder, kept the celery, and added red bell pepper. The whole pie can be prepared in advance, then warmed through in the oven when you’re ready to eat.

Add some olive oil to a large skillet and place over a medium heat. Brown off some lean ground beef. Add a chopped red bell pepper, chopped celery*, onion powder, tomato puree, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, beef stock, and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes (cover with a lid if the sauce is reducing too fast). Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary, then transfer the meat sauce to a an oven-safe dish. Oh – and you might want to remove those bay leaves at this point!

To make the topping, cook some cauliflower (boil, steam, or microwave cook), then mash it with some unsweetened almond milk and butter. Stir in some grated cheese (nothing too mild!), then spoon the topping over the sauce. Bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is starting to brown.

Low Carb Cottage Pie

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: British

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 362 kcal

Print

Ingredients

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 stalk of celery chopped
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbs tomato puree
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and black pepper

for the topping

• 1 lb cauliflower cooked
• 2 tbs unsweetened almond milk
• 2 tbs butter
• 1/2 cup grated cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the ground beef. Continue cooking until it has browned all over.
3. Add the red bell pepper, celery, onion powder, tomato puree, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, beef stock, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary, then transfer the meat sauce to a baking dish.
5. To make the topping, mash the cooked cauliflower with the milk and butter, then stir in the grated cheese. Spoon the topping over the sauce.
6. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the topping is starting to brown.

Recipe Notes

8g net carbs per serving

Nutrition Facts

Low Carb Cottage Pie

Amount Per Serving

Calories 362 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 20g 31%

Saturated Fat 9g 45%

Cholesterol 100mg 33%

Sodium 569mg 24%

Potassium 971mg 28%

Total Carbohydrates 11g 4%

Dietary Fiber 3g 12%

Sugars 4g

Protein 31g 62%

Vitamin A 26.6%

Vitamin C 114.5%

Calcium 17.2%

Iron 24.5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*OK so I accidentally left out the celery – but it SHOULD have been in there, and is included in the nutritional data!