Shepherd's pie

Shepherd's pie is hearty, filling, and delicious. Try putting one together on a chilly day off. It will warm up your belly and your home!

• 1 lb (454 grams) ground beef or turkey
  
  
• 4 large potatoes
  
  
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
  
  
• 1/3 cup milk
  
  
• Pinch of salt and pepper
  
  
• 1 cup grated cheese (optional)
  
  
• 1 medium onion
  
  
• 398 mL can diced tomatoes
  
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
  
• 2 cups canned or frozen mixed veg; i.e. peas, carrots, corn, mushrooms
  
  

1. Preheat oven to 350F, and lightly grease a large (9x13 inch) baking pan.
   
   
2. Put a medium pot of water on to boil, and roughly chop the potatoes. Boil until soft, and then mash with butter, milk, salt and pepper, and cheese (if using)
   
   
3. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet, and dice onion. Cook the onion until oftened, about 4-5 minutes.
   
   
4. Add ground meat to the skillet, ad cook until brown, about 5 minutes more. Drain the excess grease and return to heat.
   
   
5. Add the diced tomatoes, water, and mixed veg to the meat and onion mix. Simmer for 10-15 minutes.
   
   
6. Layer meat mixture onto the bottom of the baking dish, and spread the mashed potatoes on top. Bake in the oven until the top is golden brown, around 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before serving.

• Never pour grease down the drain; it can solidify in the pipes and cause plumbing problems. Instead, pour hot grease into a jar or bowl and allow to cool before throwing away.
  
  
• This is a great use for leftover mashed potatoes!

• Recipe will work with any ground meat. Half, or all of the ground meat can be replaced with lentilst.
  
  
• Any finely chopped veggies can be added to the ground meat; zucchini, carrots, or bell peppers are popular additions.
  
  
• Minced garlic and chopped or dried herbs can be added along with the tomato to boost the flavour; thyme, oregano, sage or parsley work well.
  
  
• Mashed potato topping can be made with instant potatoes or any mashable root vegetable; sweet potato or roasted pureed squash are both delicious, especially with turkey. Garlic and cream cheese can be added as well.

• Allow shepherd's pie to cool completely, and then store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
  
  
• This recipe is great for batch cooking; it can be doubled, baked in 2 pans, and frozen. One can be eaten right away, and the other one can be enjoyed later. Simply allow to cook completely, and then covered with plastic wrap and a layer of heavy duty aluminum foil and frozen for 2-3 months. To cook, allow to thaw in the fridge overnight, remove wrap and foil, and bake at 375F for 20 minutes or so, until cooked through.

Recipe adapted from Food Bank Australia

Food is Too Expensive! was funded by the City of Saskatoon through our Healthy Yards partnership, the Cyril Capling Trust Fund of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and the Department of Plant Sciences. Focus group research to inform this work was collected by CHEP. Thank you all for helping us make healthy food more accessible!