Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie

4.91 from 20 votes

Indian-Spiced Shepherd's Pie

Know what’s even more delicious than a traditional shepherd’s pie? The answer: my Indian-spiced shepherd's pie! Nothing hits the spot like a piping hot skillet filled with deeply flavorful ground meat spiced with fragrant garam masala and golden turmeric, all blanketed under a layer of sweet potato mash!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Indian

Keyword: gluten-free, grain-free, nom nom paleo, nomnompaleo, paleo

Servings:

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Mash

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup full-fat canned coconut milk
1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 teaspoons garam masala

Filling

2 tablespoons ghee or avocado oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 large garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 jalapeño peppers, finely diced
2 pounds ground beef, ground lamb, ground turkey, ground goat or ground chicken.
2½ teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
½ cup full-fat coconut milk
2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup minced fresh cilantro

Instructions

Make the mash

Dump the sweet potatoes, garlic, coconut milk, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Then, turn down the heat to maintain a simmer.
Cover and cook for 40 to 50 minutes or until the sweet potato pieces are easily pierced with a fork.
Add in the garam masala. Blitz the sweet potatoes with an immersion blender or mash with a potato masher until smooth. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Make the filling

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, let’s make the filling. Heat a 12-inch broiler-safe skillet over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the ghee. Swirl it around. Then, toss the onions in the pan.
Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. (Got extra time? Cook for another 10 minutes, until the onions are browned, for even deeper flavor.)
Toss the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño peppers into the pan. Sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Crumble in the ground meat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until the meat is mostly no longer pink, breaking up the pieces with your spatula.
Stir in the salt, turmeric, and coconut milk, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium low. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the peas and cook uncovered on medium heat for an additional 3 to 5 minutes or until the liquid in the skillet has mostly evaporated.
Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the garam masala, lemon juice, and minced cilantro.
Adjust the seasoning to taste with additional salt, garam masala, or lemon juice. Smooth the top of the meat in the pan.

Assemble the shepherd's pie

Dollop the sweet potato mash all over the top and smooth it to the edges with a silicone spatula or an offset spatula.
Rake the tines of a fork across the top if you want to make your shepherd’s pie look even more awesome.

Broil the shepherd's pie

Heat the broiler on high with the rack about 6 inches from the oven’s heating element.
Broil for 10 to 14 minutes or ‘till the mash is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
Let the shepherd’s pie cool for 5 to 10 minutes before garnishing with minced cilantro, if desired. Serve and eat!

Video

Notes

Use your time wisely! Start the mash first and while the sweet potatoes are simmering, make the filling. This way you won't be wasting any time.
Use an Instant Pot to make the mash! To speed things up, you can make the sweet potato mash for the top layer in an Instant Pot! Cook the sweet potatoes, garlic, coconut milk, and salt in an Instant Pot under high pressure for 10 minutes and release the pressure immediately. Season with garam masala and blend until smooth!
Make ahead tips! If you want to make this dish ahead of time, you can prepare the sweet potato mash and filling in advance and assemble it on the day you want to serve it. The cooked topping and meat filling can be kept in the fridge for up to four days. When you want to eat the shepherd's pie, simply transfer the filling to an oven-safe skillet and heat it up on the stove until bubbling. Then, top the hot filling with the cold sweet potato mash and pop it under the broiler!

Nutrition