Shepherd's Pie Tutorial (FREEZER MEAL)

I've never made Shepherd's Pie before today. I always seem to be missing one thing when I pull up a recipe for it, but tonight we received a bag of fresh potatoes from a friend's garden. I had a pound of ground beef in the freezer so Shepherd's Pie made sense for dinner. I knew the basics of a Shepherd's Pie...meat, veggies, gravy...mashed potato topping. I winged the details and this is what I created. I thought it turned out awesome, we ate on it for several days, so it stretches pretty well, and cheap to make!

This makes a great freezer meal. Just line your casserole with tinfoil and then saran wrap. Assemble the Shepherd's Pie like normal but instead of baking it, freeze it! To reheat, put the unwrapped frozen Shepherd's Pie back into the pan you froze it in, and let thaw in the fridge. Once thawed, bake as normal.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1lb lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 Tbs butter

2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I used 1/2 cup green beans, 1/2 peas, 1/2 cup carrots, and 1/2 cup corn)

1 can of cream of mushroom

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups of mashed potatoes (seasoned with butter and salt/pepper to taste)

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Step 1  

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, brown the ground beef, onions, and garlic together.

Step 2

Once the meat is browned, add the flour, cream, and 4 Tbl butter. Stir to combine.

Step 3

Add the frozen vegetables, stir to incorporate. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

Step 4

Add the cream of mushroom soup. Stir to combine. Cook until heated through, season with salt and pepper.

Step 5

Pour the beef and veggie mixture into a greased casserole dish.

Step 6

Cover the beef and veggies with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Step 7

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.