This Healthy Skillet Shepherd’s Pie is a comfort food make over with only 390 calories per serving. It’s loaded with flavor, rich gravy, lean beef and a bit of melted gooey cheese on top to make it unbelievably irresistible dinner!
Recipe by Katie Webster on September 1, 2024
Prep time: PT35M
Cook time: PT45M
Total time: PT55M
Rating
4.5 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
Healthy Shepherd's Pie,healthy cottage pie,shepherds pie healthy,cottage pie healthy
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds thin-skinned potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 ½-inch chunks (about 3 medium)
1 ¼ teaspoon salt, divided
1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon ground pepper, preferably white pepper
1 tablespoon avocado oil or organic canola oil
1 pound lean ground beef, preferably 93% lean
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more for garnish
½ teaspoon dry thyme
½ cup red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 ½ cups beef broth, divided
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or Tamari
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
4 ounces shredded Swiss cheese, about 1 cup
Categories
main course
Cuisine
English
Steps
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Add ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender and a knife or fork can easily slip in and out when they are probed, 13 to 15 minutes. Drain thoroughly and return to the saucepan. Add buttermilk, butter, pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt and mash until smooth. Cover and keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large oven-proof skillet over high heat. Add beef and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon until browned, and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, onion, carrot, celery and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often until the vegetables are just starting to soften and brown slightly, about 7 minutes.
Add paprika and thyme and stir to coat. Add red wine and tomato paste and bring to a simmer stirring until the tomato paste is incorporated into the mixture and the wine is almost evaporated, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and bring to a boil, stirring often.
Stir the remaining ½ cup broth with Worcestershire sauce or tamari and cornstarch and then stir into the simmering beef mixture. Cook, stirring until the sauce is thickened and reduced slightly, about 3 to 6 minutes. Stir in corn and remove from the heat.
Spread the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture, top with Swiss cheese and sprinkle with additional paprika if desired. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the beef and sauce are bubbling along the edges, 15 minutes.
Nutitrion
Serving Size: 1/6th casserole
Calories: 390 calories
Carbohydrates: 31 g
Protein: 23 g
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 9 g
Sodium: 610 mg
Sugar: 3g
Reviews
Crystal on 2020-06-13 (5 stars): I don’t usually leave a review if I followed the spirit of the recipe, but there aren’t many reviews and this was hands down the best shepherd’s pie I’ve ever had. The base gravy and the cheese was divine and did well with all the other additions I made. Thank you!
Frances on 2021-03-12 (5 stars): Great recipe, had lots of flavor. Good March recipe with St. Patty day coming up. Best I have made, and going to repeat this. Recipes I have tried before have been bland, and usually call for peas or mixed veggies to be added which I think just come out over cooked and don't have a distinct flavor anymore. I had 96 percent fat free beef, I added 8 ounces chopped mushrooms, rosemary and used a smoked salt for the salt, skipped corn and cheese to decrease calories a bit, and used mashed cauliflower with potato for the topping. That is my way of saving a few calories. I like veggies like green beans on the side. Husband loves peas, or corn-so they make an appearance that way. Thank you!
Chelsea on 2025-01-04 (3 stars): My family and I found this to be lacking flavor, which is shocking given how much goes into it! It's certainly got enough salt...it just needs depth or umami. I think next time I would go with Tamari instead of Worcestershire, and a different cheese, since Swiss has very little flavor. The recipe could also benefit from more herbs, such as rosemary and marjoram.
