Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie Bites

These Mini Shepherd’s Pie Bites are so delicious and a perfect appetizer for your next game day or holiday grazing table. Using mashed cauliflower in place of a potato topping makes this a low carb Shepherd’s Pie recipe that you are going to love!

This Healthy Shepherd’s Pie in keto friendly cheese cups is a family friendly recipe that you can make on the stove or in your Instant Pot. This is healthy comfort food that’s Weight Watchers and 21 Day Fix approved!

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we like to make our recipes easy for everyone to follow. In this post you’ll find ingredient information, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan calculations. If you’d like to get straight to the recipe, just scroll down to the bottom where you’ll find the easy to print keto Shepherd’s Pie Bites recipe!

Ingredients

• Ground beef: use lean ground beef or ground turkey to cut down on fat and calories.
• Onion
• Garlic
• Brown rice flour: you can use whole wheat flour if you’re not following a gluten free diet.
• Beef broth: low sodium beef broth.
• Carrots
• Peas: canned or frozen peas.
• Corn kernels
• Coconut aminos: or low sodium tamari or soy sauce. This takes the place of the classic but salty Worcestershire sauce.
• Italian seasoning
• Tomato paste: find a low sodium tomato paste, if you can.

Mashed cauliflower ingredients

• Cauliflower
• Garlic salt: you can use garlic powder if you want to cut down on sodium.
• Pepper

Cheese cup ingredients

• Cheddar cheese

Instant Pot directions

1. Turn your Instant Pot to sauté.
2. Add ground beef, onions, garlic, and Italian seasoning to your pot and, while stirring together, sauté until beef is browned.
3. Mix in the carrots, peas, corn, coconut aminos, and tomato paste to the meat.
4. Turn off the Instant Pot and add the broth.
5. Place a vegetable steaming basket over the meat and fill it with the cauliflower florets.
6. Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the “manual” or “pressure cook” setting for 4 minutes.
7. After the cook time has ended, release the pressure using a quick release.
8. Turn off the Instant Pot and remove the steaming basket of cauliflower and set aside.
9. Turn the Instant Pot to sauté again and mix in the brown rice flour. Stir the meat filling until the liquid turns to gravy, then turn the Instant Pot off.
10. In a food processor, blend together the cooked cauliflower, garlic salt, and pepper until smooth.

Stove top directions

1. Brown the ground beef, onions, garlic, and Italian seasoning together in a skillet.
2. Mix in the carrots, peas, corn, coconut aminos, and tomato paste to the meat.
3. Add the broth and bring it to a simmer. Stir in the brown rice flour until the broth thickens.
4. When your broth has thickened to gravy, remove from heat and set aside.
5. Fill a pot with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.
6. Place a steaming basket of cauliflower into the pot and cover. Let the cauliflower cook for 8-10 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.
7. In a food processor, blend together the cooked cauliflower, garlic salt, and pepper until smooth.

Cheese cup directions

1. Preheat oven to 375º F
2. Cover a baking dish or sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. Sprinkle the cheese onto the covered baking sheet into round piles a little bigger than a standard muffin pan.
4. Bake the cheese for 5 minutes, then remove the cheese from the oven and let sit for about 15 seconds until the cheese stops bubbling.
5. Quickly peel the cheese off the baking sheet and place them inside a cupcake pan to cool and harden.
6. When the cheese has cooled, about 10 minutes, they can be easily removed from the cupcake pan.

Assembling your Shepherd’s Pie Bites

Fill your cheese cups with the meat mixture and top with a spoonful of mashed cauliflower. Garnish with green onions and enjoy!

Recipe tips

• You can learn more about soy sauce substitutes, like coconut aminos, here!
• You may want to double the recipe if you’re making this for a party. As written it makes about 12 cups. 
• Some readers have made this dairy free by omitting the cheese cups and using phyllo dough cups instead. This will add carbs so adjust your nutrition and healthy eating calculations accordingly.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix

Entire recipe: 2 red containers, 4 green containers, 1 yellow containers, 4 blue containers 

Per serving: 1/2 red container, 1 green container, 1/4 yellow container, 1 blue container

Weight Watchers

Using 95% ground beef, fat free both, and fat free shredded cheese:

Per serving: 2023 points: 3 | 8 Blue Plan Points | 8 Green Plan Points | 8 Purple Plan Points

More low carb recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Bites
• Easy Cauliflower Taco Bowl
• Southwest Egg Roll in a Bowl
• Healthy Crack Chicken
• 20 Minute Bacon Egg Bites

5 from 3 ratings

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Low Carb Shepherd’s Pie Bites

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Approximate Serving Size: 3 pieces

Servings 4 people

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These mini Shepherd’s Pie bites are perfect for your grazing table! Healthy Shepherd’s Pie in keto cheese cups is a family friendly recipe that you can make on the stove or in your Instant Pot. The cheddar cheese cups are low carb and easy to make. 

Equipment

• Instant Pot 6 qt
• Food processor
• Instant Pot Trivet

Ingredients 

Meat Filling:

• ▢ 1/2 lb. ground beef lean, or ground turkey
• ▢ 1/2 cup onion chopped
• ▢ 1 clove garlic minced
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1/2 cup carrots chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup peas
• ▢ 1/4 cup corn kernels
• ▢ 1 tsp coconut aminos or low sodium tamari or soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp tomato paste low sodium
• ▢ 1/2 cup beef broth low sodium
• ▢ 1 tbsp brown rice flour or whole wheat flour

Mashed cauliflower:

• ▢ 3 cups cauliflower chopped
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp pepper

Cheese cups:

• ▢ 1 1/3 cups cheddar cheese 1/3 cup can make 3 cheese bowls

Instructions

Cheese cups:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Sprinkle the cheese onto the covered baking sheet into round piles a little bigger than a standard sized muffin tin. 1 1/3 cups cheddar cheese
• Bake the cheese for 5 minutes. Remove the cheese from the oven and let it sit for about 15 seconds until the cheese stops bubbling.
• Quickly peel the cheese off the baking sheet and place them inside a cupcake pan too cool and harden.
• When the cheese has cooled about 10 minutes they can be easily removed from the cupcake pan and filled.

Instant Pot:

• Turn the Instant Pot to sauté mode.
• Add ground beef, onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning to your pot and, while stirring together, sauté until beef is browned. 1/2 lb. ground beef, 1/2 cup onion, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• Mix in the carrots, peas, corn, coconut aminos, and tomato paste to the meat. 1/2 cup carrots, 1/4 cup peas, 1/4 cup corn , 1 tsp coconut aminos, 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Turn off the Instant Pot and add the broth. 1/2 cup beef broth
• Place a vegetable steaming basket over the meat. Fill the steaming basket with the cauliflower. 3 cups cauliflower
• Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using "manual" or "pressure cook" for 4 minutes.
• After the cook time has ended, release the pressure using a quick release.
• Turn off the Instant Pot and remove the steaming basket of cauliflower. Set aside.
• Turn the Instant Pot to sauté again and mix in the brown rice flour. Stir the meat filling until the liquid turns to gravy, then turn the Instant Pot off. 1 tbsp brown rice flour
• To make the mashed cauliflower mix the cooked cauliflower, garlic salt, and pepper together in a food processor until smooth. 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
• Spoon the meat filling into the cheese cups and top with a spoonful of mashed cauliflower. Garnish with green onions.

Stove top:

• Brown the ground beef, onions, garlic, and Italian seasoning together in a skillet. 1/2 lb. ground beef, 1/2 cup onion, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• Mix in the carrots, peas, corn, aminos, and tomato paste to the meat. 1/2 cup carrots, 1/4 cup peas, 1/4 cup corn , 1 tsp coconut aminos, 1 tbsp tomato paste
• Add the broth and bring it to a simmer. Stir in the brown rice flour to thicken the broth and make a gravy. Remove from heat and set aside. 1/2 cup beef broth, 1 tbsp brown rice flour
• Fill a pot with 2 cups water and bring it to a boil.
• Place a steaming basket full of cauliflower into the pot and cover. Let the cauliflower cook for 8-10 minutes until the cauliflower is soft. 3 cups cauliflower
• Mix the cauliflower, garlic salt, and pepper in a food processor until smooth. 1/2 tsp garlic salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
• Fill the cheese cups with meat filling and top with a spoonful of mashed cauliflower. Garnish with green onions.

Video

Notes

21 Day Fix

Entire recipe: 2 red containers, 4 green containers, 1 yellow containers, 4 blue containers 

Per serving: 1/2 red container, 1 green container, 1/4 yellow container, 1 blue container

Weight Watchers

Using extra lean ground beef and fat free shredded cheese:

Per serving: 2023 points: 3 | 8 Blue Plan Points | 8 Green Plan Points | 8 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 635mg | Potassium: 588mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 3181IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 312mg | Iron: 2mg

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