Mashed Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie

Comfort food is a necessity in life and it’s an ever evolving thing for me.  It really changes on a daily basis for me.  Last week I posted a pasta recipe because on that particular day, a big bowl of cheesy pasta was comfort for me.  Today, I’m craving a big plate of mashed potatoes and MEAT!    My Mashed Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie has all the flavors and taste of the traditional recipe without the guilt.  Savory, perfectly spiced meat and vegetables topped with a creamy, mashed cauliflower is true comfort!  This is a Weight Watchers friendly recipe and only 2 SmartPoints per serving!!

Big news!  My husband and I moved from Texas to Indianapolis in August 2016.  That’s right…. We moved!  This move was obviously a HUGE life event for us.  We made the decision to move so that we could set our future up for success.  Our quality of life has already significantly improved!  Prior to our move, we decided to renovate the house we were moving into, which of course included the kitchen.  And if you’ve ever renovated a house, you know it takes longer than the contractors estimate for the renovations to be completed.  So, when we moved into our house the first week of August we didn’t have a functional kitchen for FOUR WEEKS.  Not cooking for that long made me really sad y’all.  But I’m happy to report that the renovations are complete and we have an amazing, better than I could have dreamed, kitchen!

Once my kitchen was done, I was ready to get back to MY comfort zone and get cooking.  It was a hard decision to make on “what will be the first recipe I make in my new kitchen”.  I decided to make this meal because I really needed something that was comforting and tastes like home.  Shepherd’s Pie is something that I didn’t grow up eating but discovered recently in my cooking journey.  It’s funny because I grew up eating these flavors, but not actually mixed together in one dish.  When I had Shepherd’s Pie for the first time, I couldn’t believe I had never had it before.  Savory, spiced meat and veggies topped with mashed potatoes…. Genius!  There are a million different versions of this meat and potato pie; all have the basic fundamentals- meat, veggies, and potatoes.

I wanted to take this recipe a step towards the guilt-free side by swamping ground beef or lamp for ground turkey.  To save time, I used frozen veggies.  You could totally use fresh veggies, but sometimes it’s good to use short cuts!  I also added in fresh baby bella mushrooms.  I can just hear my mom say “Mushrooms?!  Ehh”.  Well, I love mushrooms so I added them in, but you can totally omit!!  Lastly, to take it even further, I swamped mashed potatoes for my Garlic Mashed Cauliflower.  Perfection!  I know some of you might be saying “Cauliflower?!”  I know… But cauliflower is so underrated!  My Garlic Mashed Cauliflower seriously taste just like mashed potatoes.

For the Mashed Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie recipe, I doubled the Garlic Mashed Cauliflower recipe to make sure I had enough to cover the pie.  The great thing about this recipe is you can make all of the main ingredients way ahead of time!  The recipe has several steps to follow but don’t worry, it’s easy to follow!  I recommend making the Garlic Mashed Cauliflower first that way you have that part done.

To make the filling, in a large skillet brown lean ground turkey until it’s cooked, then remove from the skillet and set aside.  Next, saute onion, celery, garlic, and mushrooms until tender.  Add a little bit of flour, frozen vegetables, broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and cook for a few minutes.  Add the cooked ground turkey, mix until well combined, and cook for another few minutes.  Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, pour the turkey mixture into the dish, and spread to an even layer.  Then spread the Garlic Mashed Cauliflower on top into an even layer.  Sprinkle the top with paprika and bake for 20 minutes.

Mashed Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie has all the flavors and taste of the traditional recipe without the guilt.  Savory, perfectly spiced meat and vegetables topped with a creamy, mashed cauliflower is true comfort!  I’m happy to report that our first home cooked meal in Indianapolis was a success…  My husband LOVED it and it will go down in history for sure!  This version of Shepherd’s Pie is guaranteed to please.  Guilt free with only 2 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving!!

I hope you enjoy these *meaty* bites of flavor!

Watch this 60 second video to learn how to make Mashed Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie:

Serves 6

246

Mashed Cauliflower Shepherd's Pie

2 SMARTPOINTS per serving

30 minPrep Time

20 minCook Time

50 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower:
• 2 Small Heads Cauliflower
• 2 Tablespoon Light Butter
• 2 Tablespoon Light Sour Cream
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
• 1 Teaspoon Pepper, to taste
• 1 Teaspoon Salt, to taste
Turkey & Veggie Filling:
• 1 Pound 99% Lean Ground Turkey
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• ½ Small White Onion
• 2 Celery Stalks
• 2 Cloves Garlic
• 8 oz Sliced Bella Mushrooms (Omit if you do not like mushrooms!)
• 8 oz Frozen Vegetable Mix (Carrots, Peas, Corn, Green Beans)
• 2 Tablespoons White Whole Wheat Flour
• 1 Cup Vegetable Broth
• 2 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
• 1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Paprika
• 1 Tablespoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower:
1. Clean cauliflower and cut the center bottom to remove the stem and leaf parts.
2. Dice cauliflower into florets and put into a large pot. Fill pot with water to cover the cauliflower.
3. Season with a pinch of salt and fresh cracked pepper.
4. Boil cauliflower for about 25 minutes until fork tender.
5. Drain cauliflower in a colander.
6. Add half of the cauliflower to a food processor (or blender).
7. Add butter, sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor.
8. Mix until all ingredients are combined and cauliflower is a creamy texture.
9. Add the rest of the cauliflower to the food process and mix until cauliflower is a creamy, mashed potato consistency.
10. Set aside.
Turkey & Veggie Filling:
11. Preheat oven to 400 Degrees.
12. Chop onion and celery into small pieces and set aside.
13. Chop garlic and set aside.
14. Chop mushrooms into small pieces and set aside.
15. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add oil.
16. Add ground turkey, season with salt and pepper and cook, breaking up until small pieces.
17. Once meat is cooked, pour into a bowl and set aside.
18. In the same skillet, add olive oil and heat on medium heat for 1 minute.
19. Add onion and celery and sauté for 10 minutes.
20. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked.
21. Add flour, salt and pepper and mix well to coat the veggies.
22. Add broth, frozen vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, mix well, and let cook 5 minutes.
23. Add cooked ground turkey, mix well, and cook another 10 minutes.
To Assemble Pie:
24. Spray casserole dish with non-fat cooking spray.
25. Pour turkey and veggie mixture to dish. Spread to make even.
26. Pour mashed cauliflower over turkey mixture and spread to make even.
27. Sprinkle top with paprika.
28. Bake for 20 minutes.
29. Remove from oven, top with Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley.

Notes

To speed up the process, make the Garlic Mashed Cauliflower ahead of time, or while the turkey & veggie mixture is simmering.

Nutrition is based on the NEW Weight Watchers Freestyle Program guidelines. Nutrition calculated using Weight Watchers calculator.

NUTRITION: Serves 6,- (2 SmartPoints Per Serving) CALORIES: 54 FAT:4.6 SATURATED FAT: 1.4 CARBS: 2.1 FIBER: 0.3 SUGARS: 0 PROTEIN: 0.8

7.8.1.2

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https://bitesofflavor.com/mashed-cauliflower-shepherds-pie/

Nutrition

Calories

246 cal

Fat

13 g

Carbs

13 g

Protein

21 g

Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

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