AIP cottage pie - seasoned ground beef and grated vegetables under a white sweet potato mash

By this point in an elimination phase, the meals you miss most are rarely exotic. They are the plain, heavy, familiar ones, and cottage pie sits near the top of that list for a lot of people. This version keeps the golden mashed top and the savory filling intact, built entirely from what the protocol allows, trading out only the potato, the butter, and the cheese underneath it.

The white sweet potato mash is a good source of potassium, involved in muscle function and the steady energy that chronic inflammation tends to drain. As the bone broth simmers into the beef, gelatin builds in the pan, the same protein a mending gut lining can use.

Take an extra minute plating this one. Spoon out a whole portion instead of scooping it apart, so the layers show along the cut edge. A little visual care here shifts how the whole dinner feels.

Ingredients

For the mash

• 2 to 3 small white sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed (about 1 to 2 lbs)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• bone broth as needed to loosen the mash (start with a splash)

For the filling

• 2 tbsp coconut oil, or other AIP cooking fat
• 1 lb ground beef (lamb works in its place)
• 1 small onion, finely chopped or grated
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 parsnip, grated
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup bone broth, plus more if needed
• additional salt to taste

This recipe is AIP elimination-compliant as written. White sweet potato keeps the mash nightshade-free in place of white potato, and the seasonings are all Core-permitted herbs.

Method

Put the cubed white sweet potato in a pot, cover with water, and add the 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil and cook until very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, then mash with a splash of bone broth until smooth, adding more broth a little at a time until the mash is soft and spreadable. Set aside.

Heat the oven to 375 F. Warm the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft, then add the ground beef and break it up, cooking until no pink remains. Stir in the grated carrot and parsnip, the oregano, marjoram, thyme, garlic powder, and ginger, and cook a few minutes more until the vegetables soften.

Pour in the 1/2 cup bone broth and let it simmer until most of the liquid has cooked down and the filling is moist but not soupy. Taste and add salt as needed.

Spread the filling in an even layer in a baking dish. Spoon the mash over the top and smooth it with the back of a spoon, then draw a fork across to make ridges that will brown. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is set and lightly golden. Let it settle for a few minutes before serving.

Oven note

The stovetop step builds the filling and the oven only finishes the top, so there is no separate appliance path needed here. If you want a deeper brown on the mash, run it under the broiler for the last minute or two, watching it closely so it does not scorch.

*Adapted from gutsybynature*