Another one of Ben’s and my favorite games to play is “guess the ingredients,” where whoever has cooked the meal makes the other one try and guess all the ingredients in the dish.
It’s all very complicated.
A component of tonight’s supper was Ben’s #1 all-time favorite food ever, mashed potatoes, but I added a little somethin’ somethin’ to them and wanted to see if he could figure out what it was, so I challenged him to a round of GTI when he got home from work today.
Here, let me just stick my entire tongue in the extra mashed potatoes to try and figure out what’s in there. What? Do I have something on my face?
Ok, let’s see…potatoes?
Yes.
Butter?
Yep.
Salt? Pepper? Milk?
Right, to all those things.
I think that’s it then?! Maybe sour cream?!
BAHAHAHA NO I WIN I WIN I WIN – I MADE YOU HEALTHY MASHED POTATOES AND YOU LIKED THEM!!!
Ahem, sorry! The secret ingredient I added, which the mashed potato connoisseur himself could not even detect, was cauliflower! I am so jazzed over this lower-carb mashed potato recipe, which tastes just like the real thing. You heard it here first, folks!
Now, I’ve made mashed cauliflower before trying to “trick” my brain into believing it was mashed potatoes, but no amount of whipping, butter, salt or pepper could help me get past the slightly wet and grainy texture. Sure it’s low-carb and healthier than mashed potatoes – but at what cost, I ask you?
The recipe I used to sit atop the St. Patrick’s Day inspired supper of Shepherd’s Pie I made tonight doesn’t eliminate the potatoes, rather it cuts them in half. Half potatoes, half cauliflower, with a little bit of milk, butter, salt & pepper. So easy. So satisfying!
Start by making the Healthier Mashed Potatoes that Actually Taste Good. Wash then chop 2 large potatoes into 2″ cubes then place them inside a steamer basket in a large pot and steam for 5 minutes. If you don’t have a steamer basket you can boil the potatoes. Also, you can peel the potatoes if you like – I forgot/am lazy/don’t mind peels.
After 5 minutes add 1 small head chopped cauliflower on top then steam for 10 more minutes, or until the potatoes and cauliflower are very tender.
Place the steamed veggies in a large food processor with a whipping blade, which is an unsharp blade used to mix up cake batters and mashed potatoes. Alternatively you could use the regular blade, or just use a handheld mixer (which is how my Mom has always made her mashed potatoes!)
Add warm milk, butter, salt and pepper…
Then let ‘er rip!
Scrape down the sides a couple times, and just keep going until your mixture is nice and smooth. YAY! Ok, set the Healthier Mashed Potatoes to the side for a bit while you work on the Shepherd’s Pie filling you’re going to slather them on top of.
Start by browning ground beef with onion, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Tip: I didn’t end up having to chop the onion because I found a bag of pre-chopped onions in my freezer. I always do this with my leftover onions and it is SUCH a time saver!
Drain the meat if there’s a lot of fat in the pan, then sprinkle in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Next add tomato paste, soy sauce and worcestershire sauce.
Tip #2 – I freeze my leftover tomato sauce sectioned off in plastic baggies so I can just snap one off the next time I have a recipe that calls for it.
Next add 1 can chicken or beef broth.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer until the sauce is thick, about 5-6 minutes, then add in frozen vegetables.
Pour the mixture into a casserole dish and top with the healthifier mashed potatoes.
Since we saved some cals by using half cauliflower, I felt it was only necessary to dot the top with a little more butter, salt, and pepper.
Into the oven for 30 minutes.
Heck yes!
Let the Shepherd’s Pie cool for 5 minutes, then dish it on up.
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Shepherd’s Pie with Healthier Mashed Potatoes That Actually Taste Good
Description
Shepherd's Pie with Healthier Mashed Potatoes (That Actually Taste Good!) will fool even the most die-hard mashed potato lover!
Ingredients
- For the Healthier Mashed Potatoes
- 2 large potatoes (1-1/2lbs,) peeled then chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1 small head cauliflower, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 2/3 cup milk
- 3 Tablespoons butter, divided
- salt and pepper
- For the Shepherd's Pie filling
- 1lb ground beef
- 1/2 onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- salt and pepper
- 3 Tablespoons gluten-free or all-purpose flour
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce
- 15oz can chicken broth
- 2 cups frozen vegetable medley
Directions
- For the Healthier Mashed Potatoes: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a large soup pot then drop a steamer basket into the pot. Add potatoes, place a lid on top, turn heat down to medium, and then steam potatoes for 5 minutes.
- Add cauliflower florets on top of the potatoes, place lid back on top, then steam for another 10 minutes or until cauliflower and potatoes are very tender. Transfer to a large food processor fitted with the whipping blade.
- Meanwhile, warm milk and 2 Tablespoons butter in a small saucepan then add to food processor with salt and pepper. Process until very smooth then set aside.
- For the Shepherd's Pie filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef, onions, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat then drain, and return to the skillet. Sprinkle in flour then stir well and cook for 1 minute.
- Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce, and chicken broth to the skillet then bring to a boil. Lower heat then simmer until sauce has thickened, 5-6 minutes. Add frozen vegetables then more salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour mixture into a large, oven-proof casserole dish then top with healthier mashed potatoes and dot the top with remaining Tablespoon butter, salt, and pepper. Place casserole dish on top of a baking sheet (in case the sauce overflows) and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
You will want seconds, thirds and fourths of this dish. It is comforting, creamy and hearty, but light too. Great for saving plenty of room for green beer on St. Patrick’s Day!
PLUS THOSE POTATOES! Enjoy!
Meg B. of Our Misadventures 03.16.2012
If you use anything but those white potatoes – it would be even healthier because the other types of potatoes have resistant starch. I suggest russets :)
Mary 03.15.2012
My mother used to try to sneak cauliflower into our mashed potatoes when I was a kid (back in the 60s). She was never successful as we would always figure it out. She may have just been a bit ahead of her time!!
Leslie Means @ Her View From Home 03.15.2012
OOOH – that looks good! Will you come cook for my family please? We defrosted something again tonight because I don’t plan ahead and I feel like anything I try to make takes too much time! AAAHHH! I might try this one over the weekend. Thanks!
Tiffany 03.15.2012
Kristin – your recipes are awesome! I have been making a LOT of them lately and am always very pleased with the outcome. I have no idea how you manage to work full time and have such detailed / delicious food posts, but you are doing a fantastic job!
kathleen @ the daily crumb 03.15.2012
what a great night of food at the IGE household! i have a head of cauliflower in my fridge just dying to be turned into mashed taters. thanks for the recipe!
Maura 03.15.2012
I love this alternative to corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick’s Day! I was just debating today between Skinnytaste’s buttermilk mashed potatoes vs. cauliflower mash, and this is the best of both worlds! Can’t wait to try it :)
Marie Brasseit 03.15.2012
Love this recipe! I see your husband does like to eat! haha……..great idea with half potatoes/cauliflower! Totally enjoy your ideas like the sectioned off bags! Again, your pictures have such sharpness! Can’t wait to try this recipe on MY picky husband! Thank you!
Maria W 03.15.2012
I’m always amazed! You’re doing a great job showing us lots of tips. I never knew what to do with the rest of that whole can of tomato paste and now I know!! Thanks!
Also, the mashed cauliflower to mimick mashed potatoes is something I first saw in my South Beach Diet book and it is a favorite of my family, too! I enjoy the beautifully photographed recipes and try many of them! Thanks!
Angela Ten Clay 03.15.2012
This looks delicious! How do you get your plastic baggies to section off like that to freeze your tomato juice? And then do you just cut one off when you want to use it?
Hannah-lyz 03.15.2012
I do that too! Though my bf and dad are strange and like chunkier mash, so I’ll blend up the cauliflower with garlic and soy milk, and mash it into the potatoes with a hand masher :) Add salt and pepper and viola! They don’t even miss the marge/butter!
Lauren 03.15.2012
Haha, love the leftover potato on Ben’s face. :)
Michelle (Better with Berries) 03.15.2012
Love the idea of going half and half on the mashed potatoes and cauliflower! When my dad was diagnosed with diabetes (I was in middle school) my mom started making it with all cauliflower, and it always felt like I was eating baby food.
This, on the other hand, sounds like it’s yummy :-)
Jocelyn @ WhatsOnTheWire 03.15.2012
I absolutely LOVE cauliflower, but I am the only one in my family. Always looking for ideas to sneak it into a meal, and the mashed potatoes dish sounds perfect for me to try!
Jocelyn @ WhatsOnTheWire 03.17.2012
I made the potato cauliflower dish, AND my kids ate it! Thank you!!! I also made a cauliflower pureed soup, with small chunks of potatoes, that I couldn’t get the kids to eat. I loved it though.. added onion and carrots pureed too, with garlic, nutmeg, a little butter, sea salt, white pepper and fresh basil.
katie@newmamamac 03.15.2012
your husband is one lucky man
Daniela 03.15.2012
This may be the dumbest question, but how do you get your tomato sauce to section off like that? What a great idea!
Iowa Girl Eats 03.15.2012
I just used my fingertips to section it off!
Mart 03.15.2012
Ok, I am not getting it at all. Brain fart here. How do you get the bag to stay sectioned off? So you fill the bag with sauce, freeze it a little and then section off? Does it stay sectioned off easily? Please explain in more detail!
Gloria 03.16.2012
I love your idea to freeze tomato paste in baggies like that. I always throw the extra out. You are so clever. I love the idea of freezing leftover onions chopped too.
Tiffani 03.15.2012
I’m not a big Shepard’s pie or mashed potato lover, but I’m willing to bet my husband would love this meal! And he’d never suspect cauliflower!
One question – where do you find sectioned-off plastic bags? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before…
Iowa Girl Eats 03.15.2012
It’s just a regular bag, but i used my fingertips to section off the paste!
sharon weaver 03.15.2012
Your so smart, i always end up throwing the left overs away.
Kimberli 03.15.2013
Such a genius idea to not waste the leftover tomato paste, I’ll definitely be doing that trick from now on! And thanks for the idea for healthier mashed potatoes, I’m going to try these on my boys (including the big one! ;)) soon and see if they can taste the difference!
Villy @ For the love of Feeding 03.15.2012
This looks incredibly delicious!!
Blog is the New Black 03.15.2012
Not only do I heart shepard’s pie, but I made one last year with a cauliflower crust…. but ALL cauliflower! Love your halfsies!
Em 03.15.2012
I am so inspired! Mashed potatoes are my most favorite food on planet Earth! :) :) :) :)
Thank you! I will have to try this.
Lindsey 03.15.2012
Yum! Shepherd’s pie is my all time favorite comfort food, no question, and I love any and all cauliflower, so I can only imagine how much I’d enjoy this meal! Also, thanks for the tip about the tomato paste–that’s brilliant!