'Shepherd's pie' with sweet potato mash

I don’t think healthy food and delicious meals should be mutually exclusive things. This is one of my go-to meal prep recipes that helps me stay fuelled as an athlete but satisfied as a food-lover.

Credit: Danielle Abou Karam

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp ghee
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced onion
• ½ cup diced celery
• 1 garlic clove, diced
• 500 g lean beef mince
• 680 g passata
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup chopped spinach or kale leaves  

Sweet potato mash

• 1 kg peeled chopped sweet potato
• salt
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 125 ml (½ cup) almond milk
• ⅓ cup finely sliced spring onions
• ⅓ cup finely chopped parsley
• 20 g butter, at room temperature
• black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. For the mash, place the sweet potato in a large saucepan and cover with plenty of cold water. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender.
2. Meanwhile, melt the ghee in a large heavy–based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, onion and celery and cook for 5-6 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the mince and cook until browned, breaking up any lumps as it cooks.
3. Stir in the passata, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
4. Once the sweet potatoes are ready, drain and return to the pan. Add the olive oil and garlic and mash until smooth. Gradually add the almond milk until you get the desired consistency (I prefer mine with some small clumps and not too smooth). Add the spring onions, parsley and butter, season to taste and stir to combine well.
5. Divide the 'shepherd’s pie' mixture and sweet potato between bowls and serve.

 

Photography by Danielle Abou Karam.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.