All through the year, my mother would make these, only switching out the color of the sugar she used to coat them. To get various colors and a little flavor, think about mixing a small amount of powdered drink mix (like Kool-Aid crystals) in white sugar. (If you leave out the sugar, the flavor will be overpowering.)
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 25 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 9×13-inch casserole |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 5 cups diced celery
- 5 cups finely chopped mushrooms
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 3 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 (8 ounce) can low-sodium tomato sauce
- 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 4 (10 ounce) packages frozen cauliflower rice (such as Green Giant®)
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided
- ½ teaspoon paprika
Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in a very large skillet over medium-high heat. Add celery, mushrooms, and onion; saute until onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Crumble turkey into the skillet. Add parsley, thyme, garlic powder, pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook until turkey is no longer pink and has absorbed most of the liquid in the skillet, about 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle almond flour over the turkey mixture and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomato sauce until combined; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a 9×13-inch baking dish and top with sliced zucchini.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Cook cauliflower rice in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until hot, about 5 minutes. Set 1 cup aside in a large bowl. Transfer remaining cauliflower rice to a food processor with milk and 1 tablespoon butter; blend until smooth. Mix with reserved rice for added texture.
- Spread cauliflower mixture over the meat and zucchini. Cut remaining 1 tablespoon butter into small pieces and dot over the cauliflower. Sprinkle with paprika.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cauliflower topping has a golden hue, 30 to 35 minutes.
- Any soy or nut milk can be used in place of regular milk, and any oil can be substituted for avocado oil.
- Any thickener can be used instead of almond flour.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 266 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 90 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Sodium | 224 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
It was very time consuming in preparation, the liquids did not cook out of it much, and it did not stick together well, Loved all the Vegetables that was in it, but really think it needed a cheese to help the dish stand out more and bring the ingredients in to where they were not so loose in the pan.
Loved this lighter version. It makes a lot and the leftovers are delicious. I added some shredded parmesan cheese to the cauliflower topping and added a 5 oz box of spinach to the celery, mushroom turkey mixture to beef up the vegetable content. I will definitely make this again!
So good. We were barely done dinner when my kids asked when we could have it again.
This is such a great healthy alternative to the traditional Shepherd’s Pie and the recipe turned out great!
Really liked the ingredients and texture! Used ground beef bc that’s what I had on hand, and I browned it separately, then added it to the veggies. Still delicious! Added xtra sharp white cheddar, black pepper, and green onions to the cauliflower topping. Definitely will be making again!
Will definitely make again, but the cauliflower topping is quite bland. So next time will make creamier with milk , salt, pepper, some herbs or perhaps a little cream to make richer.
Love it! I used Beyond Beef and added corn nibbles because I thought it needed more colour (and I accidentally forgot the zucchini) and topped the mashed cauliflower with smoked paprika and a little cheddar cheese. My husband (who misses real meat) ate it with gusto!
Big hit with with wife. I thought the topping was bland but the meat mixture was very flavorful. Nice dinner. Will make again.
This was better than I thought it could be. I didn’t have zuccini, but I had okra and used that. I will make this again.
To speed up the prep, I used pre-made mashed cauliflower and frozen mixture of carrots, onions, and celery. Recipe turned out pretty well…even the picky kids liked it.
We really liked this dish. The only thing I did differently, was added some shredded Gouda cheese, since I had a dish very similar to this, in Amsterdam. It sort of tasted like lasagna, except no noodles. 🙂
A bit low on flavor, I added carrots, but next time would also add some spices. would make it again.
I’ve never been a fan of shepherds pie but loved this one with cauliflower mash on top. I will definitely make it again.
Very tasty and perfect for low-carbers or keto-dieters! I halved the recipe and used a 8 x 8 dish, which worked out perfectly. I highly recommend at least doubling the salt as it’s a bit on the bland side without. I used my own thickener, as suggested in the cook’s notes since I don’t like the results from using almond flour – it tends to make things gritty. Instead, I sprinkled about 1/2 tsp of konjac flour over top of the meat mixture in the pan, then stirred it all together. I also highly recommend cooking the vegetables first, then placing into a bowl, then cooking the meat mixture on its own, and combining everything back into the pan. Otherwise, the pan will be overcrowded and the meat will just steam. To save time, you could buy premade frozen mashed cauliflower, thaw it, then spread over top of the zucchini. You could also just steam your own cauliflower florets, then mash it yourself. Just make sure that no matter what cauliflower you use, it is well drained. I’ll be making this again, as it makes the perfect leftovers for my work lunches!