Everyone Loves This Quick Shepherd's Pie Recipe

"Shepherd's Pie" (or "Cottage Pie") is a delicious way to use up extra ingredients you may have in your kitchen, especially ground beef or mashed potatoes.

This easy and quick Shepherd’s Pie recipe is a favorite, especially with the men in our house. Their eyes light up when they see I’m making it. It’s really easy to assemble, and the ingredients are inexpensive, too. Leftovers almost never occur, and if they do, they’re gone the very next day. Yes, it’s that good.

Vegan note: If you’re vegan, use tofu crumbles or some kind of beans instead of meat, substitute the vegetable broth for the beef broth, and use your favorite butter substitute instead of butter. Voila.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 lbs ground or minced meat (I usually use beef, venison, or turkey. Leftover meat from burgers, etc., works well, if you have it.)
• 1 onion
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 4 tbsp red wine (optional, but awesome)
• 1 two-pound bag frozen mixed vegetables (the green beans, corn, peas, carrots, etc. mix)
• 1 one-pound bag frozen lima beans (optional)
• 1 small to medium size box dehydrated potatoes (if you have leftover potatoes you can mash, use those instead.)
• Beef base
• Cornstarch
• Salt and pepper
• Butter (or substitute)
  

Preheat oven to 400° F.

Meat and Vegetable Layer:

Dice the onion and mince the garlic. (Running cold water in a sink nearby or lighting a candle can help keep you from crying. Don’t be sad. It will be worth it, trust me.)

Cook the onions in a large saucepan with a little butter until they are translucent; add about half of the minced garlic, wine, and meat. Cook until meat is done. Drain if needed and spread over the bottom of a large glass casserole.

Empty the bag of frozen vegetables and half the bag of lima beans into the saucepan with a little butter and a few tablespoons of water. Cook until no longer frozen. Mix with the meat in the bottom of the casserole pan and flatten it all into one (mostly) uniform layer.

Potatoes:

Mix several cups of potatoes with water (you can use cold or warm; you’re about to put it in the oven anyway) according to the box’s directions. The quantity of potatoes needed depends on the size of your casserole and the potato-to-meat ratio you prefer. I usually like about half and half.

Add the rest of the garlic and a few tablespoons of butter to the potatoes and mix thoroughly. Salt and pepper to taste. It takes a few minutes for the potatoes to re-hydrate, so don’t use too little water and give them some time or they will be lumpy and concrete-like after baking.

Gravy:

Mix ¼ cup warm water with a tablespoon or so of beef base and add a little cornstarch to thicken. Pour over meat and vegetable mix. The gravy should cover at least half of it if you look through the side of the casserole.

Spread the potatoes in a layer on top of everything in the casserole. Peak with a fork, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake 15-20 minutes until potatoes begin to brown and gravy is bubbling.

If the potatoes threaten to get too brown, cover the casserole with foil.

Sometimes I have to split this into two casseroles, since one isn’t big enough. The smaller one usually goes into the fridge for next-day leftovers. Enjoy!

Serves at least 5 (this depends a lot upon the size of your casserole).