Cornbread Shepherd’s Pie

🥘 Cornbread-Topped Ground Beef Shepherd’s Pie

Serves 6

Ground Beef & Vegetable Filling

Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs lean ground beef  (or turkey)

• 1 small yellow onion, diced

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, green beans & corn)

• 2 tbsp tomato paste

• 1 cup beef broth

• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• ½ tsp salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 1 tbsp olive oil, if needed

Cornbread Topping

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal

• 1 cup Gluten Free or All-purpose flour

• 1 tbsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 cup milk

• 2 eggs

• ¼ cup melted butter

  *** AOK if you use a box mix ***

How to:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Heat a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and onion. Cook until the beef is browned and the onion is tender.

3. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

4. Stir in the tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt and pepper.

5. Add the frozen vegetables and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture should be thick and saucy, not watery.

6. Make the cornbread: In a bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.

7. In a second bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, honey and melted butter.

8. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Don't overmix.

9. Spread the cornbread batter evenly over the beef and vegetable mixture in the cast-iron skillet.

10. Place the skillet directly into the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the cornbread is golden brown and cooked through.

11. Let it rest for about 5–10 minutes before serving.

🔥 A little trick

Put the skillet on a baking sheet before putting it in the oven. If your filling bubbles over a little, you'll save yourself a messy oven!

📊 Estimated Macros

Using 90% lean ground beef and the ingredients above:

Per 1/6 recipe: ~575 calories | 35g protein | 56g carbohydrate | 26g fat | 7g fiber

Whole skillet: approximately 3,450 calories, 210 g protein, 336 g carbs and 156 g fat.

The exact numbers will depend heavily on the ground beef, milk, butter and if you used the box mix or not.

Want to lighten it up?

A few easy changes can bring it closer to 450–500 calories per serving

• Use 1¼ lbs 93% lean ground beef

• Use 2 tbsp butter instead of ¼ cup in the cornbread

• Use 2% or skim milk

• Increase the vegetables to 5 cups

That version would still give you roughly 30+ grams of protein per serving, while keeping the cornbread topping nice and substantial.

Prep & Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in individual containers for easy lunches or dinners. Reheat until warmed through.

Meal-building idea: Add a simple green salad or extra vegetables.