If you’re on Pinterest of Facebook, I’d truly appreciate it if you could use one of the buttons above. Thank you so much! Now let’s enjoy some Shepherd’s Pie!!
I’ve spent the last two weeks perfecting this Shepherd’s Pie. I had a few ideas for it and the first one I tried out, only a fourth of it got eaten. I made some tweaks and tried again the very next night. My son said “Shepherd’s Pie again?” and looked a little leary. Two helpings later he was smiling and telling me how good it was. The dish was practically licked clean with not a crumb left.
That is when I knew I had a winner! I’ll get to the recipe in a minute but first I wanted to share something with you.
Lamb or Ground Beef In Shepherd’s Pie
I know this is more of a cottage pie since it has ground beef and traditional Shepherd’s Pie has lamb but where I live lamb doesn’t make an appearance too often and we always call this Shepherd’s pie. Just call it whatever cranks your tractor and we’ll both be happy farmers.
Now let’s make Shepherd’s Pie 🙂
The Ingredients you’ll need for this Shepherd’s Pie recipe are:
- Cooked ground beef
- French onion soup
Sour cream
- Dry Italian seasoning
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Leftover mashed potatoes
- Frozen mixed veggies
- One pack of brown gravy mix
This brown gravy mix is important.
So don’t try to substitute canned gravy or actual gravy, because this mix is going to act as a thickener for us and also lend a lot of great flavor to boot!
When it comes to veggies for Shepherd’s Pie:
Get the mixed veggies with itty bitty cubed carrots 🙂 Some of them have big sliced carrots and these take ten forevers to cook so we want to avoid those.
Tips About The Potatoes:
Instant potatoes will technically work. I don’t ever use instant potatoes to make actual potatoes. I use them as soup thickeners and crusts in casseroles but that is because my mother always made homemade mashed potatoes so instant potatoes taste off to me. HOWEVER, if you like ’em, go for it and I’ll stand on the sidelines and cheer you all the way. Your kitchen = your rules, and don’t let anyone else tell you different! Another option for this, if you don’t want to do mashed potatoes, is to get a box of stovetop stuffing mix. Mix that up according to the package directions and just use it as a topping. I’d leave out the cheese but you can certainly include that if you like.
How To Make Shepherd’s Pie
Place veggies in a medium sauce pot and cover with water.
Put over medium high heat. Bring just to a boil.
Remove from heat and drain. Place veggies in a bowl to the side.
In that same pot, because there is no reason to dirty up another one, place french onion soup, gravy mix and dry Italian seasoning.
Stir that together well and cook over medium high heat until well blended and heated through, about 5 minutes or so.
Or until you get tired of fooling with it 🙂
A lot of things in my kitchen are done on that kind of timescale “Until I get tired of fooling with it…”
Stir in your veggies and beef.
Mix that up good.
In a large mixing bowl, place leftover mashed potatoes, cheese, and sour cream.
Stir well to combine.
Spread ground beef/veggie mixture into bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes.
Sprinkle remaining cheese over.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for thirty minutes.
Enjoy your Shepherd’s Pie!
Southern Plate Shepherd’s Pie
- 1 pound cooked ground beef Can use more if you like
- 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning
- 2-3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
- 1 + 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 12 ounce bag frozen vegetable mix small carrots, not big
- 10 ounce can french onion soup
- 1 packet beef gravy mix .87 ounces
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In large saucepot, place frozen vegetables. Cover with water and place over medium high heat until they just come to a boil. Drain veggies and set aside.
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In the same sauce pot, combine french onion soup, dry gravy mix, and Italian seasoning. Stir well and place over medium high heat, stirring often, until just heated through. Remove from heat and stir in cooked ground beef and drained vegetables.
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In large mixing bowl combine mashed potatoes, sour cream, and 1 cup of cheese. Stir well to combine.
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Pour ground beef filling into bottom of an 8×8 baking dish. Top with mashed potatoes and spread to cover. Top with remaining cheddar cheese.
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Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 30 minutes.
You may also enjoy these other recipes:
Sweet Potato Dumplings; Heaven on a plate!
Candied Sweet Potatoes Recipe Sooo Easy
Loaded Twice Baked Potatoes Recipe Freezer Friendly!
“The happiest people don’t worry too much about whether life is fair or not,
they just get on with it.”
~A. Matthews
Yum
