EASY SHEPHERD’S PIE

St. Patrick’s Day is this month, so I’m going to put some Irish inspired recipes in here over the next couple of weeks. The first one is an easy Shepherd’s Pie. I made this on Monday night and it was a quick weeknight dish and very good. The family commented that I hadn’t made Shepherd’s Pie for them before, and they really enjoyed it.

Traditionally, Shepherd’s Pie is made with ground lamb, hence the name. If you prefer to use ground beef it is technically called a “Cottage Pie.” I think you could probably get away with just calling it a Shepherd’s Pie since it sounds better for St. Patrick’s Day. I’ll leave that up to you.

I’m going to let you in on a huge shortcut. While you can most certainly make your own mashed potatoes, I have found that the Bob Evans brand of original refrigerated mashed potatoes are fantastic! They are made with real potatoes and when reheated taste delicious. They can usually be found in the refrigerated section next to the deli in the grocery store.

Since this pie contains meat, mixed veggies and potatoes, it really is a one-dish meal. I served it on its own, but it would also be great with a side salad and rolls.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Ground Meat (lamb, ground beef…)

• ½ cup diced onion

• 2 Tbsp minced garlic

• 3 Tbsp tomato paste

• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire

• 2 tsp ground black pepper

• 1-2 Tbsp beef base (I like Better than Boullion)

• ½ cup water

• 2 cups frozen vegetables, thawed completely

• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

• 24oz refrigerated mashed potatoes (I like Bob Evans original)

• ¼ cup sour cream

• 2 Tbsp butter, softened

• 1 tsp seasoned salt

• 1 tsp parsley

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) Brown ground meat in a large skillet over medium high heat until cooked through. Drain grease. Add onion and garlic and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.

3) Add in tomato paste, worcestershire, black pepper, 1 Tbsp beef base and water. Stir well and let simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the flavors combine. Taste and add additional beef base if desired.

4) Spray a deep dish pie plate with cooking spray

5) Layer in all of the meat mixture, then mixed veggies and 1 cup of shredded cheddar.

6) In a separate bowl whisk together warmed mashed potatoes, sour cream and butter

7) Layer mashed potato mixture on top of meat and veggies. Top with seasoned salt and remaining 1 cup shredded cheddar.

8) Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly

9) Remove from oven, top with parsley and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving

10) Enjoy!

This recipe serves 6