Shepherd’s Pie
I grew up eating Shepherd’s Pie, and it has become a favorite stand-by recipe for me as an adult. It’s fabulous as a make-ahead meal, which is great for those busy days when there just isn’t enough time to cook. You can leave it whole to feed your family, or portion it into Tupperware containers and freeze so you have quick, easy lunches to take to work. It’ll keep in the fridge for up to a week, and will stay happy in the freezer for about a month. Now, I always like my food to be colourful (the more colours the healthier it seems to me), so I use heirloom carrots. You can feel free to use the regular orange kind, but who can say no to a purple carrot?
Ingredients
1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (diced)
4 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (more or less depending on your taste)
1 cup each peas, carrots (chopped to same size as peas and corn), and corn (this is where the frozen veggies can come in handy)
4 potatoes (peeled and cubed)
½ cup cheddar cheese (grated)
¼ cup milk
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Peel and cube the potatoes and put them in a large pot of water to boil.
2. In a separate pan, on medium-high heat, brown the ground beef. Drain off any excess fat, and add your onion and garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent.
3. Add your tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce as well as salt and pepper to taste. Feel free to add other herbs and spices, but I like to keep it simple.
4. If using frozen or canned vegetables, you can add them directly to the ground beef mixture. Fresh corn and peas can go right in, but you might want to par-boil carrots for a few minutes.
5. Once the potatoes are cooked through, drain the water and mash them. Add milk and butter (also salt and/or pepper to your taste) and mix.
6. Pour the ground beef mixture into an oven-safe casserole dish. Cover with the mashed potatoes and top with the grated cheese.
7. Bake at 350F for 20 min, and then broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese.
Nutritional Information
Makes 8 Servings
Per Serving
Calories: 325.3 Fat: 8.4g Saturated fat: 8.4g Unsaturated fat: 7.7g Carbohydrates: 26.6g Sugar: 4.5g Fiber: 4.2g Protein: 16.1g Cholesterol: 59.7mg
