The Best-Ever, Ultimate, Bariatric Shepherd’s Pie

It may seem a tad over the top to call this pie recipe ‘the ultimate’ one, but it is seriously the best to date! I featured it in my last free newsletter (see here) but think it’s worth sharing here on the website too. It has all the flavour of my previous very popular Herder’s Pie (in ‘Return to Slender’ cookery book – see here and here) but this time has a superb creamy low-carb topping that rivals a potato mash any day. Indeed I have served this without mentioning the new topping and no one has queried it (even some of my fussy family). It is arguably richer and tastier than

the classic potato topping and is loaded with additional protein into the bargain – a win! win! in my reckoning. It can be spooned on top of the filling and topped with an optional tomato slice for a rustic look, or popped into a piping bag and swirled on top for something a bit more fancy.

To get the ideal serving size for serving after WLS bake in one of our Portion, Cook and Serve Bariatric Cups (details here) as we have done in the pic below, or use a small ramekin or baking dish of the correct portion size. Early post-ops can start with the very smallest size cup, moving up as they progress until reaching what we think is the maximum ideal 1 cup portion size for a WLS post-op. The cups take away the guesswork!

THE BEST-EVER, ULTIMATE, BARIATRIC SHEPHERD’S PIE

Ingredients

METRIC/US

1 medium cauliflower, cut into large pieces (about 4-6 cups)
2 tsp olive oil
2 x 300 g/11oz cans cooked white beans (cannellini or haricot for example), drained and rinsed
salt and freshly ground black pepper
700 g/11/2 lb lean minced/ground beef (or use minced/ground turkey or lamb if preferred)
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional)
400 g/14 oz can chopped tomatoes in rich tomato juice or 500 g/1 lb carton passata (smooth crushed tomatoes)
2-3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
4 tbsp tomato paste
I beef stock/bouillon cube
sliced tomatoes (optional)

Method
1. Place the cauliflower in a pan and add sufficient water to just cover. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until fork tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well then transfer to a blender with the oil, beans and salt and pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 150 C/300 F/gas mark 2.
3. Cook the minced/ground beef in a non-stick, ovenproof pan until browned. Dry fry or spray the pan with a little low-fat cooking spray or just a smear of oil if necessary. Add the onion and garlic if used and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until softened.
4. Add the tomatoes or passata, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, stock/bouillon cube and salt and pepper to taste, mixing well. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour, then increase the oven temperature to 200 C/400 F/gas
mark 6.
6. Transfer the beef mixture to a suitable ovenproof dish or divide and spoon equally into the bariatric portion cups (or individual baking dishes) and top with the prepared cauliflower and bean mixture. Top with sliced tomatoes if liked.
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes until tinged golden. Serve hot.

SERVES: 6
WLS PORTION: 1/2
CALORIES: 300
PROTEIN: 33.1g
CARBOHYDRATE: 22.1g
FAT: 7.9g