Healthy Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie (Technically Cottage Pie!)

This healthy shepherd’s pie (technically cottage pie!) uses ground beef, veggies, and a creamy sweet potato topping. Gluten-free & dairy-free friendly comfort food.

If you’re craving a warm, comforting meal that’s both nutrient-dense and family-approved, this Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie with ground beef and veggies is about to become a staple. It’s like shepherd’s pie meets a cozy fall casserole — but with a mineral-rich twist that supports hormone balance and energy.

This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free friendly, making it perfect for anyone looking for a hearty, nourishing dinner without the heaviness of traditional casseroles.

💡 A quick note on naming: Traditionally, shepherd’s pie is made with lamb, while the beef version is technically called cottage pie. Since most people are more familiar with the term shepherd’s pie when it comes to beef, I’ve used that name here for easier recognition. But yes — if we’re being precise, this recipe is a cozy cottage pie with sweet potato topping.

🎥 Watch the Recipe in Action

I put together a quick reel walking you through this recipe step-by-step! Full disclosure: I filmed this during my period (hello, real life 👋), but that’s actually what makes this dish even more special — it’s loaded with nutrients that support your body during the menstrual phase.

Why This Recipe is Great for Your Menstrual Phase

If you’re into cycle syncing, you’ll love this:

• Sweet potatoes are rich in slow-digesting carbs and vitamin A, which can help support stable energy and replenish nutrients lost during menstruation.

• Beef and bone broth provide heme iron and zinc, helping to restore iron levels if you’re experiencing heavy bleeding.

• Coconut aminos + veggies bring in minerals and antioxidants to fight fatigue and support detox pathways.

When you’re on your period, your body craves grounding, nourishing meals — and this casserole checks every box.

Tips for Success

• Make ahead: Assemble the casserole up to 24 hours in advance, refrigerate, and bake when ready.

• Customize your veggies: Don’t be afraid to toss in mushrooms, corn, or zucchini for extra variety.

• Add protein variety: Swap ground beef for lamb or turkey depending on your taste (or hormone support needs).

Final Thoughts

This casserole is comfort food with purpose — warm, hearty, and designed to fuel your body through different phases of your cycle. Whether you’re deep into cycle syncing or just want a nutrient-dense dinner, it’s a dish worth bookmarking.

✨ If you try this recipe, make sure to tag me in your reel recreations so I can cheer you on in the kitchen!

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Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie

This healthy shepherd’s pie (technically cottage pie!) uses ground beef, veggies, and a creamy sweet potato topping. Gluten-free & dairy-free friendly comfort food.

Servings: 4-6 Prep: 10 MIN Cook time: 40 MIN

Ingredients

Filling

• 1 white onion, diced

• 2 carrots, peeled and diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• 1 lb ground beef

• ½ cup beef bone broth

• 4 Tbsp coconut aminos (or 2 Tbsp Worcestershire + 2 Tbsp coconut aminos for less sweetness)

• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 Tbsp arrowroot flour + 1 Tbsp water (slurry)

• ½ cup frozen peas

• ½ cup frozen green beans (or other mixed veggies on hand)

Mashed Sweet Potato Topping

• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 2 Tbsp grass-fed butter, ghee, or coconut oil

• ¼ cup milk of choice (dairy-free if preferred)

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ¼ tsp smoked paprika

• Salt and black pepper, to taste

• Optional: shredded cheese for topping

For Serving

• Fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

1. Prepare the Sweet Potatoes

   • Place peeled, cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot of salted water.

   • Bring to a boil and cook 12–15 minutes, until fork tender.

   • Drain, then mash with butter (or oil), milk, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. Cook the Filling

   • Preheat oven to 375°F.

   • In a 12-inch oven-safe skillet (cast iron works well), sauté the onion in a little oil for 3–5 minutes until softened.

   • Add ground beef, garlic, and carrots. Cook 5–6 minutes, breaking up the beef, until browned.

   • Stir in tomato paste, coconut aminos (or Worcestershire + coconut aminos), Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook 2–3 minutes to deepen flavor.

   • Add bone broth, slurry, peas, and green beans. Stir well and simmer 2–3 minutes until sauce thickens.

3. Assemble & Bake

   • Spread the mashed sweet potatoes evenly over the filling.

   • If using cheese, sprinkle on top.

   • Bake uncovered for 25 minutes, until lightly golden.

4. Serve

   • Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.

✨ Notes & Tips

• For a smoother topping, whip the sweet potatoes with a hand mixer.

• Swap in ground turkey or lamb for variety.

• Make ahead: Assemble the shepherd’s pie, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bake as directed.

Paleo Hasselback Sweet Potatoes

Hasselback Sweet Potatoes - Melt in your mouth, sop of buttery sweetness; you can’t tell it’s actually healthy for you! Paleo, dairy-free and gluten-free.

As someone who doesn’t eat gluten, sweet potatoes are one of my favorite carbohydrate sources. They are great after a hard workout when you need to replenish glycogen stores and nutritionally, are among the best sources of vitamin A along with riboflavin, thiamin, and carotenoids due to their naturally orange color.

Sweet potatoes nutrition versatility mirrors its versatility in our diet. They can be eaten any time during the day - paired well with most dishes from a poached egg for breakfast to adding coconut butter and cacao powder for dessert.

For this dish, it’s great for the holidays, as a side dish for dinner or implemented into lunch meal prep rotations!

As a tip, for the best Hasselback sweet potatoes, you’ll need to make deep incisions using a very sharp chef’s knife. Another thing I found was that if you place chopsticks on each side of the sweet potato and cut, it will make the best cut without going all the way through!

I would like to thank Bako Sweet for gifting me with these amazing organic California grown sweet potatoes! For more information regarding nutrition, products, and sourcing, check this link!

Now without further ado, let’s get to the recipe!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Hasselback Sweet Potatoes - Melt in your mouth, sop of buttery sweetness; you can’t tell it’s actually healthy for you! Paleo, dairy-free and gluten-free.

Ingredients 

• 4 Sweet potatoes

• 4 slices bacon (cooked and crumbled)

• ¼ cup raw pecans

• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup 

• 1 Tbsp coconut sugar

• 1 Tbsp grass-fed butter

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• Avocado oil cooking spray

• Pink Himalayan sea salt

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil, then coat the foil with cooking spray or simply use a silicone non-stick baking liner. 

2. Place a potato on a cutting board between two chopsticks or two wooden spoons. Using a sharp chef’s knife, slice the potato into ¼ inch thick slices. (The chopsticks will prevent you from slicing all the way through the potato)

3. Repeat the process with the remaining potatoes. Plate the potatoes on the sheet pan. Spray potatoes with avocado oil spray and sprinkle sea salt. 

4. Bake for 50-60 minutes until potatoes are tender, browned and tops are crispy. 

5. While the potatoes are cooking, melt butter in a small skillet on medium heat. Chop the pecans and add to the melted butter. 

6. Stir for about 2-5 minutes until you get a nutty aroma. Add coconut sugar and maple syrup and stir. 

7. As soon as the mixture starts to bubble, immediately add cinnamon to the mixture and take off the burner. Mix thoroughly until the mixture is thick but liquidy. May need to add tbsp water if the mixture is too thick. *Make sure the sugar doesn’t burn! This process is very fast.

8. Remove the potatoes from the oven and top each potato with pecan sugar mixture. Sprinkle the bacon and fresh thyme leaves over the top and enjoy!

Notes

• Ingredients that I used that are #paleoapproved

  • Pederson’s Organic No Sugar Added Uncured Smoked Bacon

  • Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Spray

  • Kerrygold Grass-fed Butter

Brown Butter Sage Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Brown Butter Sage Mashed Sweet Potatoes - Elevated mashed potatoes using brown butter and sage. (dairy-free/paleo/vegan-friendly)

If you are not on the brown butter train, then you need to hop on board, real fast! The basic technique of melting butter at a certain heating point, not only changes the chemistry but also the flavor and aroma. Preparing butter in this way not only enhances the flavor of whatever you put into it but it also adds a rich nutty taste to the dish. 

So how do you make it? Well, it’s very easy actually! Add a stick of butter (I personally use pasture-raised butter or clarified ghee) to a pan on medium heat. As the butter slowly melts, swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. 

You will notice that the color will turn from yellow to golden-tan to, finally, a toasty-brown. You will know that the butter is ready to take off the heat when you smell that nutty aroma! Transfer brown butter into a heat-proof bowl to cool. 

So now that you are a pro at browning butter, we are taking it up a notch! When you melt the butter, simply add fresh sage leaves and mashed garlic. The infusion of flavors pairs perfectly with the subtle sweetness that is sweet potatoes. 

Speaking of pairing, I will share the best main course that will couple perfectly with this recipe so stay tuned! In the meantime, you can use brown butter in just about any sweet or savory recipe.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Brown Butter Sage Mashed Sweet Potatoes - Elevated mashed potatoes using brown butter and sage. (dairy-free/paleo/vegan-friendly)

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)

• 1 stick butter (pasture-raised, clarified ghee, or vegan butter)

• 4-6 fresh sage leaves

• 2-4 cloves of garlic (mashed)

• ½ cup plant-based milk

• S&P

Directions

1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until totally soft, about 16-20 minutes. Drain and return potatoes to the pot. 

2. Use a potato masher to mash potatoes until smooth.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the brown butter by adding a stick of butter to a pan on medium heat. As the butter slowly melts, swirl the pan occasionally to be sure the butter is cooking evenly. Add fresh sage leaves and mashed garlic while butter is cooking. As soon as the butter turns to a toasty-brown color, take the pan off the heat. Strain and transfer brown butter into the pot with the mashed potatoes. 

4. Discard sage leaves. Mince garlic cloves and add to mashed potatoes. Add milk, salt, and pepper, and combine. Season to taste and serve! 

Notes

• If you would like to fry a sage leaf as a garnish, add a small pad of butter to a pan and fry in butter for 2-3 minutes on medium heat. 

• You can use regular potatoes for this recipe as well. 

• If you would like to mix things up/I love using half ghee/half butter for this recipe!

• Makes 6-8 servings

Sweet Potato Waffles

Sweet Potato Waffles - Made with only two ingredients and ready in less than five minutes, these sweet potato waffles are naturally gluten-free and paleo-friendly.

At first, sweet potato toast was my obsession… now it’s sweet potato in waffle form! When I visited friends and family in Atlanta last month I ate at many burger joints. When ordering a burger, I would have to order it naked (no bun). After the second burger joint, ordering a burger with no bun got boring real fast and I ended up loading on fries because I was so hungry. 

But then I thought, why not combine fries into a bun that can be healthy, gluten-free, and fun?! And here we are ladies and gents… sweet potato waffles!

To be honest, I feel weird adding this recipe to the blog because it is just too easy to make. Made with only two ingredients, you literally can’t go wrong.

For a more savory sweet potato waffle, you can add seasonings like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. For a sweeter waffle, you can add cinnamon, pumpkin spice, chai spice, and coconut sugar. 

Either way, these waffles are very versatile. I like making two batches of this recipe so that I can freeze the leftover waffles and have extra on hand for #sundaymealprep. These waffles freeze beautifully and retain freshness after popping them in the toaster to reheat.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Sweet Potato Waffles - Made with only two ingredients and ready in less than five minutes, these sweet potato waffles are naturally gluten-free and paleo-friendly.

Ingredients:

• 1 large sweet potato 

• 2 eggs (whisked)

• 1 Tbsp oil

Add-ins: 

• Sweet version: add cinnamon, pumpkin spice, chai spice, or coconut sugar

• Savory version: add salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika

Directions: 

1. Remove the skin of the sweet potato by using a peeler. Finely grate sweet potato until you have about 1 to 1 ½ cup grated sweet potato. 

2. Drain liquid from sweet potato and add to a small bowl.

3. Add whisked eggs, oil, and preferred seasoning mixture. 

4. Heat a small waffle maker and spray with oil. Using a cookie scooper, scoop about a tablespoon of sweet potato mixture and smooth into a flat circle in the waffle maker. 

5. Cook for about 2-5 minutes or until fully cooked through and golden brown.

6. Makes about 5-6 small waffles. 

Notes: 

• Store in the refrigerator for up to a week in an airtight container. Can be frozen and popped into the toaster to reheat. 

• Small waffle maker I use

Chai Spiced Sweet Potato Chocolate Chip Muffins

Chai spiced sweet potato chocolate chip muffins - Nutrient-packed sweet potato muffins that are super moist and addictingly delicious! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally low in sugar.

Growing up as a kid, we didn’t eat sweet potatoes often. The few times we did, it was usually in the form of  sweet potato casseroles or sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. Now that I’m older, I can’t get enough of them.

That’s why, regardless of the weather, I wanted to create a super cozy and comforting sweet potato muffin made with chocolate chips (because why not!?) and chai spice!

If you can’t tell from my Instagram, I use this chai spice seasoning on almost everything. Before diving into this muffin recipe, you should totally whip up this amazing chai spice seasoning if you haven’t done so already, then we can get to cooking!

Of course, if you don’t have the time to make a homemade seasoning blend, you can always use a regular chai spice blend found at a grocery store, use pumpkin spice seasoning, or simply cinnamon!

At first glance, it might seem like you need a lot of ingredients for these muffins, but if you look closer, you will see that you might have many of these ingredients already in your pantry! If you don’t have gluten-free fine oat flour then you definitely need to stock up!

If you are worried about buying an entire bag of oat flour just for a muffin recipe, then don’t fret because you can also use this oat flour for many other recipes such as my fluffy, gluten-free pancakes or raspberry almond thumbprint cookies.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Chai spiced sweet potato chocolate chip muffins - Nutrient-packed sweet potato muffins that are super moist and addictingly delicious! Gluten-free, dairy-free, and naturally low in sugar.

Ingredients

Dry

• 2 cups gluten-free oat flour

• 1 cup superfine blanched almond flour

• ½ cup chocolate chips + plus more for topping

• 1 Tbsp chai spice seasoning

• 1 tsp baking soda

• ¾ tsp baking powder

• ½ tsp salt

Wet

• 1 cup sweet potato puree (from 1 sweet potato)

• ½ cup plant-based, unsweetened milk

• ¼ cup coconut oil

• ¼ cup pure maple syrup

• 2 eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. To cook the sweet potato, peel the sweet potato and cut into small chunks. To a medium pot, add sweet potato chunks to water and boil potatoes until soft. Drain potatoes and blend in a processor, blender, or using a masher until sweet potatoes are pureed. Set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12 cup muffin tin with liners and spray the inside of them with nonstick cooking spray.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together except the chocolate chips.

4. In a separate large bowl, whisk the wet ingredients until well combined, smooth and creamy. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until well combined. Gently fold in ½ cup chocolate chips.

5. Divide batter evenly into muffin liners (about ¾ full), and top each with a few chocolate chips. Bake for 25-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

6. Let the muffins cool for 5 minutes and then remove and transfer muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

• Remember - if you want this to be a true dairy-free version, use dark chocolate chips that have no milk.

• If you would like to make this recipe lower in oil, you can use 2 tablespoons of oil. It will just not be as moist - more on the crumbly side but still delicious!

• If you need help finding the best ingredient brands, these are what I use! Gluten-free whole grain oat flour, superfine almond flour, dairy free chocolate chips, vanilla extract

• If you  have leftover sweet potato puree, you can make this pumpkin pie protein smoothie - just replace pumpkin with sweet potato!