I’m fairly certain that every single vegetable in the plant kingdom somehow made its way into my shepherd’s pie recipe.
Except radishes. Whew.
But really, so many vegetables in this recipe! Nutritionists everywhere, rejoice!
I love, love, love this casserole! So hearty, fairly healthy – full of lean protein and veggies, and incredibly flavorful. I don’t consider myself to be a picky eater, but I definitely do not do not-so-flavorful food.
Ready to make this shepherd’s pie?! As always, the recipe is at the bottom, but I’ll talk you through the steps. Let’s get cookin’!
When I make this recipe, I typically use 8-9 small golden potatoes, but you’ll just want enough potatoes to get you about 4 cups diced. Once you peel ’em and dice ’em, toss ’em in a large pot of water – enough water to cover the potatoes by an inch or two.
Place the pot on medium heat, cover if you’d like (to help them cook more quickly), and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat down to a simmer, and then cook the potatoes until they’re soft. From start to finish, the potatoes probably need about 25 minutes, give or take, to cook in the water before they’re soft.
While the potatoes are simmering, begin browning the beef in a large skillet (you will want to use the largest skillet you have) over medium heat. Once the meat is about halfway cooked, throw in the diced onion and chopped carrots and continue cooking over medium heat until the beef is completely brown. Add squash, zucchini, tomato paste, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and sugar.
Cover beef mixture and cook on stove top for an additional 20 minutes over medium heat.
Add frozen corn and peas. Cover once more and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
Once the potatoes are soft, drain them and pour them into a large mixing bowl. Add butter. With a hand or a stand mixer, mix potatoes until the butter melts and the consistency becomes creamy.
Add sour cream, whipping cream, and salt. Mix until potatoes are well-blended.
Once you’ve finished mixing the potatoes and the beef and veggies are done on the stove top, we’re ready to pair them together!
Spoon the beef and veggies into the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish. Evenly spread the potatoes on top. This may get a little messy, but that’s ok. Sometimes the messier = the tastier.
Place in the oven at 350 and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle cheese on top, and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
If you eat the shepherd’s pie as soon as it comes out of the oven, it’ll look like this on your plate:
But if you wait a while until it cools a bit or eat it as leftovers, it’ll look like this:
Both ways are exceptionally delicious! Gather up a crowd and sit ’em all down around a delicious meal. I hope this brings some smiles to your kitchen table!
This recipe freezes really well, too. Bonus!
Looking for other casserole recipes? Check out my King Ranch Chicken, Protein-Packed Pasta Bake, and Green Chile and Spinach Chicken Enchiladas. All delicious and on the healthier (and super nutritious) side!
Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- 8-9 small golden potatoes, peeled and diced (you want enough potatoes to be about 4 cups diced)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream or half & half
- 1 c light sour cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Dash of ground pepper
- 1lb lean ground beef
- 1 c diced sweet or yellow onion
- 1 c diced carrots
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 squash, diced
- 1 1/4 c beef broth
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 6oz can tomato paste
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- Dash of garlic salt
- Dash of pepper
- 1 c frozen peas
- 1 c frozen corn
- 1 1/2 c light shredded cheddar cheese
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