LOW CARB SHEPHERDS PIE

I’m not sure what to call this dish. Its not quite a French meat pie with pastry, its not quite shepherds pie as it lacks potatoes. I guess its more of a low carb shepherds pie with a crust instead of a potatoes topping. It’s mouthwatering, no matter what it’s called. I had 2 bowls of it, the Hubby had 2 bowls of it.

There are only a couple changes I would make. First I would add pearl onions. I love pearl onions, but unfortunately the store didn’t have any. The second is the addition of green beans, chopped small. These weren’t added as I totally forgot to pick some up. I would prefer to have peas, but peas are still on the no-go low carb list. Third is a squirt of ketchup as I had forgotten how I love the tang from a dollop of ketchup in meat pies.

If I was making a non-low carb version, I would definitely add potatoes and peas. Those two veggies are my all time favourites.

For the crust, I used my almond crackers recipe. I just added half a cup of some finely chopped shredded cheese and omitted the paprika. After rolling it out (shaped to fit on top of the pie), I gently flipped it onto the pie and removed the parchment paper.

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Low Carb Shepherds Pie

Ingredients

• 1 leek chopped small
• 1/2 cup green beans chopped small
• 2 cups white mushrooms chopped small
• 4 strips bacon cut into pieces
• 1/2 small onion chopped small
• 1 cup of pearl onions blanched skins removed
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 1 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• S&P to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese chopped fine
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese left as is
• 25 g package brown gravy mix

Instructions

• In a large bowl, add 1 cup of the mushrooms, pearl onions, green beans, and half of the chopped leek.
• In a large pan, render down the bacon, removing and setting in the large bowl.
• Add the chopped onion and caraway seeds to the pot, give a light seasoning of salt and pepper, and saute until softened and translucent. Remove and add to the bowl.
• In the pot, add the ground beef, oregano, onion powder, cumin, S&P, and brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the bowl.
• There should be a small amount of liquid left from the beef. Add the remaining leek and mushrooms, and the minced garlic, and saute until the liquid has been absorbed. Add to the bowl.
• Prepare the cracker crust.
• Mix the finely chopped cheese, ketchup, package of gravy mix, and meat mixture and pour into a PAM sprayed deep dish pie plate or casserole dish.
• Top with the crust, and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
• Bake at 350°F for 50 minutes.