Shepherd’s Pie

Not gonna lie… growing up I never liked this meal. I wouldn’t say it was the worst, but I was never excited about it. When my friend sent me a recipe for shepherd's pie earlier this year I thought it was funny, because I didn’t consider it a meal to get excited about. She SWORE it was awesome though. I decided to take her word for it… and let’s just say its become one of our go-to meals now.

This recipe is tasty for people of all ages. My toddlers and my dad love it the same. I love it, but I probably appreciate it more as a mom because of how versatile it is. No Worcestershire sauce? No problem, try balsamic vinegar. We did and it was awesome.

I also appreciate it more as someone who cares a lot for the environment. This is a GREAT recipe to prevent food waste. Use ANY kind of veggies you have, especially ones that are starting to go bad. We’ve used green beans instead of celery and it was great. I’m sure broccoli or zucchini would be awesome too. We didn’t have parmesan on hand once so we used up the rest of our provolone, brie, and mozzarella. It’s a very forgiving recipe and you can truly make it your own. It’s also a great cast-iron recipe!

Shout out to @turkuazkitchen for making an awesome recipe! We’ve made a few modifications.

SHEPHERD’S PIE

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground meat of choice

• 1 medium yellow onion chopped

• 1 large diced carrot

• 1 rib chopped celery

• 1 cloves minced garlic

• 2 tbs. tomato paste

• 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

• Salt & pepper to taste

• 1 tsp. Dried oregano

• 1 tsp. Dried parsley

• 1 tsp. Dry thyme

• 1.5 cups Beef broth

• 1 c. Frozen peas

Mashed potatoes:

• 5 medium potatoes

• 4 tbs. butter

• 1 c. Mozzarella cheese

• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese

• 1/2 c. Milk

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat, add the ground meat and brown it for 4-5 minutes. Add chopped onion and cook for 2-3 more min. Then add carrot, garlic, celery, and tomato paste and sauté for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and thyme and stir well.

2. Add Worcestershire sauce and broth and bring to simmer. When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 4-5 min. Add the frozen peas and cook for 4-5 minutes until the peas are cooked. Remove from the heat and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

4. Meanwhile, in a large pot, boil potatoes until tender. Mash the potatoes. Add butter, warm milk, mozzarella, and parmesan, salt & pepper. Mix.

5. Pour the meat filling into a 9x9 in baking dish or 9 inch cast iron pan and spread evenly. Top with mashed potato and gently spread out evenly. Add some parmesan cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.

6. Let sit 15-20 minutes before serving.

7. Enjoy!