Easy Shepherd’s Pie

This recipe is one that I had never made until the last month.  I don’t remember my mom every making it for us when I was little.  The first time I had it was at a friend’s house years ago.  And it was pretty good.  I’m also thinking of fast and easy recipes that my husband will like and so will the kids.  A few months ago I thought about maybe trying a Shepherd’s Pie.  I mean meat and potatoes is bound to be a hit right!?!?

I tried to see if there was a recipe in our family cook book, but there wasn’t.  So I went on line to see what I could find.  I wanted to see what a shepherd’s pie was all about!  How many “layers” there were and what was really in it.  After looking at a couple recipes, (I don’t remember which ones because I didn’t write them down or print them out) I figured out what I would like in mine and how to make it super simple.  I like simple meals!

I made it one night for dinner and it was pretty good, but it seemed to take too long and dirty too many dishes.  I got to talking about this dish with my dad and he asked how I put my potatoes on the top.  I had just smoothed them out and topped them with cheese like you’re supposed to.  Well apparently that’s not how my grandma used to make them.  He said, “that’s not how you do it.  You use an ice cream scoop and put the scoops on top and each scoop is a serving”.  Well that’s not a bad idea!  So that is what I did  on my next go around.  And I think it turned out pretty great!

To make it easier, I used 2 packets of Idahoan Buttery Potatoes.  Super easy and still good.  I cooked my meat and veggie mixture along with the “gravy” in one pan and then transferred it to the baking dish.  Putting it together was easy and pretty quick.  Baking is what takes time. 🙂

This will now be one of the regular meals in our home.  The kids like it, the hubby likes it and the left overs heat up great!

If you’d like this recipe, click on the download link below.

This is a great meal to use up left over mashed potatoes for sure.  I like to use ground turkey, but you could use any meat.  With canned or frozen veggies, it really is an easy meal.

Hope your family likes it too.

Happy Cooking!

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