I needed a quick throw together recipe and I had little food in the house. So I talked to the hubs and found some cheddar cheese, steamable mixed vegetables, 2 lbs of ground beef, and mashed potatoes. The first thing I thought of was a pie. I was going to make an open face pie with a pie crust, meat and vegetable filling and a mashed potato/cheese top. But I just didn't want to have to make a crust and go through all that today. So I thought shepherd's pie would be a great. But I didn't want to do the traditional way. Instead of Mashed Carrots and Peas I left all the vegetables whole. I created a great homemade gravy along with the ground beef and some really good instant mashed potatoes with cheese and voila! My version of Shepherd's Pie! So here we go:

Ingredients:
1 box Idaho Instant Mashed Potatoes
Milk
Melted Butter
2 Whole Bell Peppers (chopped)
2 Onions (chopped)
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
3 cups of Flour
3 Bags of Steamable Mixed Vegetables
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 lbs of Ground Beef
4 tbsps Salt
2 tbsps Pepper
2 tbsps Paprika
1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 tsp Basil
1 tbsp Parsley

Instructions

Brown off the ground beef in a skillet. Drain beef in a colander.  Place in a big bowl. Add some oil to the pan and cook the bell peppers and onions until soft and translucent. Place in a bowl with the ground beef. Cook the vegetables per the instructions but cook them only half way. Example: If the vegetables call for 10 minutes on high, cook for 5 minutes on high. Stir the mixture up in the bowl so that everything is incorporated. Now start the gravy. In the same pan used to cook the bell peppers and onions brown off the 3 cups of flour. Keep moving the flour around until the flour cooks and begins to brown. Add 3 cups of water, whisk and season with the seasonings mentioned above or a seasoning mixture of your own. Stir and watch until the gravy thickens. Once you have a thick substance that is full of flavor add the gravy to the bowl of meat and veggies. Stir until everything is mixed together. 

In a bowl mix together the mashed potatoes, milk, and butter. You want to potatoes to be thick but spreadable. Pour the meat and vegetables mixture into a casserole dish and pat down flat. Spread the potatoes over the meat and potatoes mixture and make sure the potato layer is thick and high. Add the cheddar cheese to the top and place in the oven on a 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve after 15 minutes. 

This serves 10 people.


*Alternatives*
Instead of making a traditional gravy try making a red gravy with tomato paste and sauce. Here's what you'll need:

2 tbsp of Tomato Paste
1 Small Can of Tomato Sauce (or Jar whatever you like)
2 cups of Chicken Stock
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tsp of Salt
1 tsp of Pepper
1 tbsp corn starch.

In a sauce pan saute your aromatics (onions, bell pepper, and garlic). Once translucent and soft add the tomato paste. Cook until it caramelizes in the pan. Add the tomato sauce and chicken stock. Then sprinkle in the corn starch. This will help the filling to tighten up. Stir it in and cook until its reduced and thick. Combine with your partially cooked veggies and fully cooked meat. Top with Potatoes and cheese. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown. Then remove and wait 10 minutes then serve.

*Enjoy your meal folks!

Don't Know How to Serve This?

This is a one pot meal but it can be served with a side salad w/ your favorite vinaigrette!