Shepherd’s pie without the cream and butter: saucy lean beef with peas under a mashed-potato top made creamy with Greek yogurt. It slices into four at 16g of protein and just 191 calories a slice.

Greek yogurt in the mash gives you the creamy top for a fraction of the fat of butter.

Ingredients

  • For the mashed potato top
  • Potatoes — 3 medium, ~150 g each [P 12 C 78 F 0]
  • Fat-free plain Greek yogurt — ¼ cup [P 6 C 2 F 0]
  • Milk — ¼ cup (1% skim) [P 2 C 3 F 0]
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder — to taste
  • For the beef mix
  • Ground beef — 227 g (1 cup, 95% lean) [P 50 C 0 F 11]
  • Frozen peas — ½ cup [P 4 C 11 F 0]
  • Tomato sauce (or crushed tomatoes) — ½ cup [P 2 C 8 F 0]
  • Olive oil — 1 tsp (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder — to taste

Method

  1. Boil the potatoes. Cube and boil 15 minutes until fork-tender; drain.
  2. Mash. Mash with the yogurt, milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder until smooth.
  3. Make the beef mix. Brown the beef with the spices 5–6 minutes, then add peas and tomato sauce; cook 1–2 minutes.
  4. Assemble. Spread the beef in a baking dish, top with mash, and cut into 4 slices.

What to eat it with

  • Sour cream, chives and hot sauce on the mash.
  • A side salad.
  • Extra veg stirred into the beef.

Variations

  • Any ground meat: turkey or lamb (lamb is the classic).
  • Sweet potato top for a twist.
  • Cheesy top: a little low-fat cheese browned on top.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 3g a slice, from the potato and peas.
  • Beef note: 95% lean keeps the fat at ~3.5g a slice.
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-slice 191 cal / 16g protein listed; no correction needed.