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    Home » Main Meals » Moroccan Shepherds Pie

    Moroccan Shepherds Pie

    LAST UPDATED: July 1, 2020 | PUBLISHED: July 1, 2020 | BY: Kim

    This Moroccan Shepherds Pie is a healthy twist on a comfort food classic.  With gently spiced ground beef and lentils, there’s sweetness, spiciness, subtle middle eastern flavours, and different textures making up this dish. 

    Jump to Recipe
    a slice of moroccan shepherds pie on a grey plate with spinnach

    It really is a meal in one, and takes about 20 minutes to prep, and another 25 minutes in the oven.

    If you’re a true comfort food lover, you’ve probably had your fair share of shepherds pie, but perhaps you’ve not had a Moroccan Inspired one. 

    What Makes This Shepherds Pie a Standout?

    1. it’s a meal in one, which means you don’t need to  prepare other veges or salad to have with it
    2. 20 minutes of prep and then it cooks itself in the oven
    3. Makes 6 generous sized portions
    4. Serve it in ramekins for individual shepherds pies
    5. Its versatile: Can be made with any type of ground meat/mince – beef, chicken, turkey, lamb
    6. Its perfect winter comfort food made healthy
    7. It’s the right ratio of potato to meat
    8. It has little pieces of cranberries and feta for that delicious sweet and salty hit
    9. It has hidden veges
    10. It’s freezer friendly

    Ingredients

    ingredients for moroccan shepherds pie

    Ingredient Notes

    • Onion:  Red onion (also called Spanish onion) works well in this recipe for its mild flavour, however, brown or white onion can be substituted.
    • Moroccan Seasoning – this is an all in one seasoning sold in supermarkets in Australia.  I use the Masterfoods brand.  If its not available where you live, you can make your own:
      • 1 tablespoon of Tumeric
      • 1 tablespoon Plain Paprika
      • 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
      • 1 tablespoon Garlic Salt
      • 1 tablespoon Dried Rosemary
      • 1 tablespoon Dried Cumin
      • 1 tablespoon Ground Corriander
    • Lentils:  make sure to use precooked canned lentils for this recipe.  Using dried lentils wont work as theres not enough liquid in the recipe.  Canned and drained chickpeas would also work as a substitute.
    • Potato:  White sweet potato/regular white potato may be substituted for the yellow sweet potato
    • Cranberries: Try to get the reduced sugar cranberries if you can.  Alternatively you may like to try dried blueberries as a substitute.
    • Feta:  Opt for a hard Greek feta so it will hold its shape during cooking.  Avoid the softer feta cheeses and goats cheese and these will melt and disappear.
    • Cornflake Crumbs:  These offer a small textural element to the dish but can be left off if you don’t have them, or substituted for regular breadcrumbs

    How To Make This

    Step 1

    Ge the Potatoes on.  Boil a pot of water and add the sweet potatoes. Cook for approximately 10 mins, or until tender.

    a pot of sweet potatoes

    Step 2

    Cook the Onion, Garlic.  Heat a non stick saucepan to medium heat and add onion and garlic. Stir until soft. Add Moroccan seasoning and half of the coriander. Stir for one minute.

    Step 3

    Add the beef mince (or ground beef).  Stir to break up any lumps. Cook until browned. Add passata, beef stock/beef broth and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Mixture will thicken slightly and liquid will reduce.

    Cooking the beef on the stove for the shepherds pie

    Step 4

    Stir remaining ingredients through meat mixture - lentils and zucchini, cranberries chilli powder and remaining coriander.

    moroccan beef in a pot before final cook offf

    Step 5

    Mash Potatoes.  When potatoes are tender, drain off the water and mash gently with a fork. Add in the butter, fetta and chives (reserving a few chives to sprinkle over the top before putting in the oven.

    a pot of mashed sweet potato

    Step 6

    Arrange in casserole dish.  Spoon beef mixture into an ovenproof tray. Spoon in mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining chives and cornflake crumbs

    Step 7

    Bake for 25 minutes.

    freshly baked moroccan shepherds pie

    A similar vegetarian version I make is this Lentil Shepherds Pie, that is packed with comforting flavours and lots of creamy mash on top.

    Recipe Tips

    Spice Blend:  In lieu of Moroccan seasoning, you could purchase Ras al hanout -  a Moroccan spice blend that can be found at deli’s and some supermarkets.

    Extra Garlic:  Stir through an extra couple teaspoons crushed garlic into the mashed sweet potato

    You Questions Answered

    What size dish to use

    I used a rectangle casserole dish 27 cm by 16 cm (10 ½ inch by 6 ½ inch).  Any similar sized square or round dish would work.

    Can this be made ahead

    Yes.  This can be made upto a day ahead and all you need to do is reheat it in the oven or microwave

    How long does it keep in the fridge

    This dish will keep in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.  Just make sure that its in an air tight container with lid.

    Moroccan Shepherds Pie - on a plate with a fork

    More Healthy Comfort Food Recipes

    • Shepherds Pie Lasagna
    • Slow Cooker Spicy Moroccan Chicken
    • Slow Cooker Moroccan Meatballs
    • Crispy, Crunchy Smoky Paprika Chicken
    • Green Split Pea Soup With Bacon
    Moroccan Shepherds Pie - on a plate with a fork

    Moroccan Shepherds Pie

    Kim
    This Moroccan Shepherds Pie is a healthy twist on a comfort food classic.  With gently spiced ground beef and lentils, there’s sweetness, spiciness, subtle middle eastern flavours, and different textures making up this dish. 
    5 from 2 votes
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    Prep Time 25 mins
    Cook Time 25 mins
    Total Time 45 mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Australian
    Servings 6 People
    Calories 520 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 500 grams / 1 pound. Beef mince or ground beef
    • ½ medium Red onion - diced
    • 2 cloves garlic - crushed
    • ½ cup Corriander - finely chopped
    • ¾ cup Passata tomato sauce
    • ¼ cup Beef stock/beef broth
    • 2 tablespoons Moroccan seasoning
    • ½ medium Zucchini - grated
    • 200 grams / 7 oz. Cooked Brown lentils - I use canned
    • 2 tablespoons Dried cranberries - finely diced
    • ½ teaspoon Mexican chilli powder
    • 2 tablespoons Dried Chives
    • 1 ½ Cups Orange sweet potato - 220 grams approx.
    • ⅓ cup Fetta cheese - crumbled
    • 1 tablespoon butter
    • 1 tablespoon Cornflake crumbs

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/350 degrees F
    • Boil a pot of water and add the sweet potatoes. Cook for approximately 10 mins, or until tender.
    • Heat a non stick saucepan to medium heat and add onion and garlic. Stir until soft. Add Moroccan seasoning and half of the coriander. Stir for one minute.
    • Add the beef mince (or ground beef) in, stirring to break up any lumps. Cook until browned. Add passata, beef stock/beef broth and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Mixture will thicken slightly and liquid will reduce.
    • Stir through the lentils and zucchini, cranberries chilli powder and remaining coriander.
    • When potatoes are tender, drain off the water and mash gently with a fork. Add in the butter, fetta and chives (reserving a few chives to sprinkle over the top before putting in the oven.
    • Spoon beef mixture into an ovenproof tray. Spoon in potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining chives and cornflake crumbs
    • Bake for 25 minutes

    Notes

    • Onion: Red onion (also called Spanish onion) works well in this recipe for its mild flavour, however, brown or white onion can be substituted.
    • Moroccan Seasoning – this is an all in one seasoning sold in supermarkets in Australia. I use the Masterfoods brand.  If its not available where you live, you can make your own:
      • 1 tablespoon of Tumeric
      • 1 tablespoon Plain Paprika
      • 1 tablespoon Smoked Paprika
      • 1 tablespoon Garlic Salt
      • 1 tablespoon Dried Rosemary
      • 1 tablespoon Dried Cumin
      • 1 tablespoon Ground Corriander
    • Spice Blend:  In lieu of Moroccan seasoning, you could purchase Ras al hanout -  a Moroccan spice blend that can be found at deli’s and some supermarkets.
    • Lentils: make sure to use precooked canned lentils for this recipe.  Using dried lentils wont work as theres not enough liquid in the recipe.  Canned and drained chickpeas would also work as a substitute.
    • Potato: White sweet potato/regular white potato may be substituted for the yellow sweet potato
    • Cranberries: Try to get the reduced sugar cranberries if you can. Alternatively you may like to try dried blueberries as a substitute.
    • Feta: Opt for a hard Greek feta so it will hold its shape during cooking.  Avoid the softer feta cheeses and goats cheese and these will melt and disappear.
    • Cornflake Crumbs: These offer a small textural element to the dish but can be left off if you don’t have them, or substituted for regular breadcrumbs

    Nutrition

    Calories: 520kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 44gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 5gFiber: 9gSugar: 15g

    Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners.

    Keyword moroccan shepherds pie
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    Hi there! I’m Kim and I'm passionate about living a life infused with mindfulness, simplicity and self-care. Here I share my recipes, tips, insights and wisdom for eating well, slowing down and reconnecting with the things that matter.

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    Kim Morris Hi there! I’m Kim. My sugar free kitchen is a site dedicated to creating healthy and delicious clean eating dinners and sweet treats with less sugar using simple ingredients and natural sweeteners. Read More...
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