Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie or commonly called Cottage Pie is a comfort food meal that always gets rave reviews. This lightened up version of the classic Shepherd's Pie is made with lean ground beef (or lamb) and lots of veggies, simmered together in the most delicious sauce, and topped with the creamiest mashed potatoes. This dinner is easy to make, and freezes well too.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings servings of about 1 1/3 cups each

Calories 310

Author Kim

Ingredients

1 1/4 pounds red potatoes, cut into chunks
3 large cloves garlic, peeled
3/4 cup light sour cream
1/2 cup light shredded cheddar cheese
1 pound extra lean ground beef
2 tablespoons flour
4 cups fresh or frozen mixed vegetables; such as broccoli, carrots, peas, corn, onion and/or bell peppers, thawed if frozen
3/4 cup beef broth
2 tablespoons ketchup
Optional garnish: fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Cover potatoes and garlic with water in a large saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer 20 min. or until potatoes are very tender. Drain; return to saucepan with sour cream. Mash to desired consistency. Stir in 1/4 cup of the cheddar cheese.
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Brown meat in a large skillet. Stir in flour; cook 1 min. Add vegetables, broth and ketchup; continue cooking 5 min.
Spoon meat mixture into 8-inch square baking dish. Cover with mashed potatoes. Bake 18 min. Remove from oven; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese. Bake an additional 2 min. or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Notes

Photos by Sasha of Eat Love Eats.

Meat. Lean ground beef is very tasty in this dish, but any ground meat will work. Try chicken, bison, turkey or lamb.
Veggies. The options are endless. You can substitute any of the veggies in this dish for other favorites or what you have on hand.
Herbs. You can add fresh herbs while cooking the veggies, if you’d like. I think 2 teaspoons each of fresh thyme and rosemary would be tasty. Or 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme and rosemary.
Dietary restrictions. You can easily make this dish fit a variety of dietary needs. For gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour. For dairy-free, use dairy free sour cream or yogurt and nix the cheese or use a dairy-free substitute.
Use sweet potatoes: For an amazing sweet+savory combo, feel free to use sweet potatoes instead of red potatoes for the mashed potatoes. Of course, you can always use Russets or Yukon Golds as well too.

Nutrition