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Leprechaun Shepherd’s Pie


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Make this Leprechaun Shepherd’s Pie this St. Patrick’s Day. A healthy spin to traditional Shepherd’s Pie using a green veggie to get a green crusted layer. Made with Romanesco “mashed potatoes” for a low-carb option. Ground turkey for a leaner version. Wholesome ingredients for a healthier Shepherd’s Pie.

Leprechaun Shepherd’s Pie

With Valentine’s Day behind us and just a couple of days left in February it’s safe to say we can officially start preparing for St. Patrick’s Day. We love to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day as it is a pretty fun holiday to enjoy. Now that we are parents however, the way we celebrate this day has changed quite a bit.

However, just because we don’t celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the way we used to, doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate anymore. We just make sure we do activities we can involve the baby in. Making some crafts at home is a great idea. One of the reason why I love St. Patrick’s Day is because of all the green around. Green is my favorite color so making some fun green and St. Patty’s Day themed crafts sounds like a good time to me.

Another reason why I love this awesome holiday is because of all the food! Irish food is so good and although it may not be the healthiest (as most ethnic foods aren’t), it is delicious to eat. Who doesn’t love a good authentic shepherd’s pie? It’s one of my favorite comfort foods and I also enjoy cooking it myself.

What is Shepherd’s Pie?

Shepherd’s Pie is a traditional Irish dish. It is a meat pie made with lamb and some veggies such as peas, carrots, and celery. The pie is finished with a crust made of mashed potatoes. Shepherd’s Pie can often be mistaken for Cottage Pie. The difference is that while Shepherd’s Pie is made with lamb, Cottage Pie is made with beef. Shepherd’s Pie is a fairly easy dish to make and great for the cold winters like the ones up here in New England.

Healthy Variation of Shepherd’s Pie:

The healthy eater in me does like to make healthy variations of this delicious meal. Instead of using lamb, you can use ground turkey. You can also substitute mashed potatoes with mashed sweet potatoes or cauliflower “mashed potatoes”. This makes this dish a more everyday meal with added nutrition and much healthier. 

For this Leprechaun Shepherd’s Pie, we are using Romanesco “mashed potatoes”. Romanesco is a naturally green vegetable which gives the top crust that nice green hue. Perfect to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It adds a little touch to make it that much more special for the little ones and more fun.

What is Romanesco?

For those of you who may not be familiar with romanesco, it is a vegetable in the cauliflower and broccoli family. It has a very distinctive look and tastes very much like cauliflower. It is rich in vitamin C, K and dietary fiber. Plus, it is just such a pretty veggie.

Health Benefits of Romanesco:

  • Rich in nutrients such as Vitamins C and K, Folic Acid, Fiber, Carotenoids and Potassium
  • Strengthens bones
  • Improves sight
  • Lowers Cholesterol
  • Great for reproductive system
  • Helps detox

What you need to make this Leprechaun Shepherd’s Pie:

Ingredients:

  • Ground Turkey
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Peas
  • Yellow Onion
  • Garlic
  • Fresh Thyme
  • Dried Oregano
  • Paprika
  • Apple Cider Vinegar
  • Pink Salt
  • Olive Oil
  • Romanesco
  • Almond Milk
  • Butter
  • Black Pepper

Equipment:

  • Food Processor
  • Cast Iron Skillet
  • Deep Baking Dish

How to make Leprechaun Shepherd’s Pie:

  1. Chop romanesco head and steam or boil for 10-15 minutes until soft. Place cooked romanesco head in food processor bowl along with garlic, butter, almond milk, salt and pepper. Pulse on high until well combined and creamy consistency is reached. Use a spatula or spoon and give romanesco a stir making sure there aren’t any chunks and eveything has been blended. If there are any chunks left, blend again until completely smooth. Set romanesco “mashed potato” aside.
  2. In a large cast iron skillet, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Toss in onion and garlic and sauté until onion begins to translucent. About 1-2 minutes.  
  3. Toss in diced carrots and celery. Continue to sauté for another 3-5 minutes until carrots start to soften. While carrots are sautéing, sprinkle with spices and herbs; thyme, oregano, paprika, and salt. 
  4. Add ground turkey and drizzle with apple cider vinegar. Cook until turkey has browned. Toss in peas and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes.   
  5. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. 
  6. In a deep baking dish, add cooked turkey and veggies. Dollop chunks of romanesco mashed potatoes and spread evenly over turkey and veggies.
  7. Place prepped shepherd’s pie in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and allow to cool off for a bit. Cut through and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Did you like this Leprechaun Shepherd’s Pie recipe? You may also like these other St. Patrick’s Day Friendly recipes:

5 from 5 votes
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Leprechaun Shepherd’s Pie

Make this Leprechaun Shepherd's Pie this St. Patrick's Day. A healthy spin to traditional Shepherd's Pie using a green veggie to get a green crusted layer. Made with Romanesco "mashed potatoes" for a low-carb option. Ground turkey for a leaner version. Wholesome ingredients for a healthier Shepherd's Pie. 

Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword Shepherd’s Pie
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 servings
Calories 208 kcal
Author Angelica Arias

Ingredients

For Ground Turkey:

  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 2 carrots (diced)
  • 2 celery stalks (chopped)
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp pink salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion (diced)
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)

For Romanesco "Mashed Potatoes":

  • 1 romanesco head
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp pink salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

  1. Chop romanesco head and steam or boil for 10-15 minutes until soft. Place cooked romanesco head in food processor bowl along with garlic, butter, almond milk, salt and pepper. Pulse on high until well combined and creamy consistency is reached. Use a spatula or spoon and give romanesco a stir making sure there aren't any chunks and eveything has been blended. If there are any chunks left, blend again until completely smooth. Set romanesco "mashed potato" aside.

  2. In a large cast iron skillet, heat up 1 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat. Toss in onion and garlic and sauté until onion begins to translucent. About 1-2 minutes.  

  3. Toss in diced carrots and celery. Continue to sauté for another 3-5 minutes until carrots start to soften. While carrots are sautéing, sprinkle with spices and herbs; thyme, oregano, paprika, and salt.

  4. Add ground turkey and drizzle with apple cider vinegar. Cook until turkey has browned. Toss in peas and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes.   

  5. Preheat oven at 350 degrees. 

  6. In a deep baking dish, add cooked turkey and veggies. Dollop chunks of romanesco mashed potatoes and spread evenly over turkey and veggies.

  7. Place prepped shepherd's pie in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.

  8. Remove from oven and allow to cool off for a bit. Cut through and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*Recipe updated 03/07/19 for improvement.

Nutrition Facts
Leprechaun Shepherd's Pie
Amount per Serving
Calories
208
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
12
g
18
%
Saturated Fat
 
6
g
38
%
Trans Fat
 
0.3
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
4
g
Cholesterol
 
62
mg
21
%
Sodium
 
859
mg
37
%
Potassium
 
374
mg
11
%
Carbohydrates
 
7
g
2
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
3
g
3
%
Protein
 
19
g
38
%
Vitamin A
 
3856
IU
77
%
Vitamin C
 
9
mg
11
%
Calcium
 
57
mg
6
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

Instragram @thepeacheepear

**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.

**Latest post updated as of 4/2/2020

*Post and Pictures updated as of 03/13/19



22 Comments

  1. Romanesco is a favorite of ours!! I love it! We can’t always get it here, but when we can we love it. This is a great idea for topping – festive, tasty, and good for you!

    1. It’s very limited for us too and whenever I see it at the store I buy it too! Thank you so much!

  2. Oh my! Seriously, that looks really good!

    Belle | www.OneAwesomeMomma.com

    1. Thank you so much Belle!

  3. 5 stars
    That looks like a great alternative if you want something different than the usual corned beef & cabbage!

    1. Thank you so much Marya! Could be very fun for kids took!

  4. 5 stars
    It looks awesome! I’ve used cauliflower to make a Faux mashed potato topping on a shepherds pie before and it came out delicious! I’ve never tried romanesco before, but I might just have to try and find some! It could be a really fun alternative!

    1. I love cauliflower “mashed potatoes” too and also have used it as a substitute in Shepherd’s Pie as well! So good!

  5. 5 stars
    I have never heard of Romanesco! This looks like such a fun and yummy dish.

    1. It’s such a yummy vegetable! You should definitely try it if you ever get a chance to. Thank you so much!

  6. 5 stars
    This is absolutely brilliant! We always host a St. Patty’s day get together and this will be a PERFECT dish to serve!!!

    1. Thank you Jordan! Sounds like a fun way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

  7. I saw this on your IG feed and suddenly craved for Shepherd’s pie! I’ve cooked it before but I’ve never tried a Leprechaun one 😉

    1. Lol thank you ! It’s yummy and fun to eat!

  8. Perfect St. Patrick’s day meal!! I love the healthy alternatives you suggested.

    1. Thank you so much Denisha! I’m so glad you liked it!

  9. 5 stars
    I love shepherds pie and especially love that this recipe is healthy! Great idea to turn it into a St, Patrick’s dish,

    1. Thank you Devon! I love Shepherd’s Pie too and love trying different variations of it.

  10. Well this Italian momma loves that you used Romanesco, eapecially because I’ll be needing your recipe for my Irish/Scottish husband & boys 😍 Can’t wait!

    1. Wow how much of a perfect fit is this recipe for your family?

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