Top o’ the evenin’ to ya’!
That’s my happy St. Patrick’s Day greeting.
Ben and I were going to hit up an all-you-can-eat St. Paddy’s Day buffet at Hy-Vee tonight (unlimited Reubens & corned beef?!) but I thought nah, lets keep it homemade with The Best Shepherd’s Pie. EVER!
I was kind of annoyed with myself for choosing to make this classic meat pie, originally known as Cottage Pie back in the late 1700s, instead of going to the buffet. I figured it would take at least an hour to make.
Turns out it was actually a cinch! Just brown ground beef with onions and garlic, cook in flour, chicken broth, tomato paste and other seasonings, then simmer until thick.
Toss in some frozen veggies, and you’re nearly there!
While I was making the filling, I whipped up ~4 cups worth of mashed potatoes on a burner next door.
Assembly time!
Pour the filling into an oven-proof casserole dish then top with mashed pa’tators. Pop into the oven for 20 minutes, and…
BINGO!
Bubbling its little heart out as I pulled it out of the piping hot oven, which totally made me giggle. I just love it when comfort food smells, tastes and sounds like comfort food, you know?
I scooped us out a big serving and almost fell into the tunnel of mashed potato love!!!
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The Best Shepherd’s Pie. Ever.
Description
The Best Shepherd's Pie. Ever. is incredibly hearty, with beef and vegetables cooked in a savory gravy, topped with creamy mashed potatoes — the ultimate comfort food!
Ingredients
- 4 cups prepared mashed potatoes
- garlic salt
- 1lb ground beef
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 Tablespoons gluten-free flour OR all-purpose (dish will not be GF if using AP flour)
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Tablespoon gluten-free tamari or soy sauce (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
- 1 can (14.5oz) chicken broth
- 2 cups frozen vegetable medley
- salt & pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef, onions and garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When meat is completely cooked, sprinkle in flour and continue to saute for 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, gluten-free tamari or soy sauce and chicken broth. Simmer for 5-6 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Turn of the heat then stir in frozen vegetables and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour beef mixture into a large, oven-proof casserole dish then top with mashed potatoes and sprinkle with garlic salt.
- Place casserole dish on a large sheet pan (in case the sauce overflows) then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Scoop onto plates then serve.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Meat & potatoes at its finest. Savory and so comforting!
Ben took his first bite…
“omg, this is life altering right now. This is the best Shepherd’s Pie you’ve ever made…”
“It’s the only Shepherd’s Pie I’ve ever made.”
“No…” (makes horrible face)
“Oh. Right. That Shepherd’s Pie. So it’s only the best when compared to the second AND worst Shepherd’s Pie I’ve ever made…”
“Um, yeah I guess so.”
ENJOY!
Brigid 01.11.2012
OMG. Made this with my boyfriend last night….you were right, it WAS literally life altering …we finished it today for lunch…GREAT recipe thanks so much !!!!
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Amanda 03.18.2011
All time favorite is the Golden Cashew sundae from Hickory Park in Ames, Iowa….2 scoops of butter pecan ice cream, hot caramel, cashews, whip cream and a cherry! Yum! Pretty much any sundae at Hickory Park makes the list of favorites though.
Courtney F 03.18.2011
MY HUSBAND is the one who craves ice cream!!!
Morgan 03.18.2011
OMG, I am totally making the shepherd’s pie this weekend. And thanks to you, now all I can think about is how badly I NEED a blizzard….
Carolyn @ Lovin' Losing 03.18.2011
My husband craves ice cream ALL THE TIME. Last time I ended up making him banana soft serve since he’d already had a bunch of sweets that day.
Machelle 03.18.2011
Oh Boy….what’s NOT a favorite at Dairy Queen??? Ha! Unfortunatly, too much ice cream upsets my tummy, so I have a one scoop limit. I love a small vanilla cone dipped in chocolate, small cherry Blizzard, small chocolate shake made w/hot fudge, or a Dilly Bar. I also REALLY LOVE the Jamocha shakes at Arby’s. If you’ve never tried one I urge you to do so!
John 04.02.2013
I’ve been looking for a decent Shepherd’s Pie recipe, and this one looks like a winner. Also, I agree with Machelle, DQ soft serve vanilla ice cream cones, dipped in chocolate, as well as dilly bars, are da’ BOMB imo. :)
Scotty 03.18.2011
That looks very yummy – but its def a Cottage Pie cos its made with beef mince. A Shepherd’s Pie has to be made with lamb – cos shepherds look after sheep!!!
McKenzie T 03.18.2011
I hope you got your mint Oreo Blizzard. It is the finest choice on the menu and would have been my vote. I thought about doing the Shamrock shake myself but didn’t, boo!
joe 03.18.2011
Shepherd’s pie with hamburger? How gauche. You should make it with stew beef at least. Lamb would be the best option, but I’m certain that’s regarded as ‘icky’. C’mon, give me a big ‘eeeeeewwwwww’, gurls. OK, now back to your cupcakes.
Iowa Girl Eats 03.18.2011
Ouch, Joe! ;)
Laura 03.14.2019
There’s always at least one person who gets offended with misnaming this humble recipe. Always at least 1! It drives me nuts. If I ever blog about shepherds pie, I’m just calling it whatever pie! ? your recipe sounds great! ❤️
Kristin 03.14.2019
Whatever Pie – LOVE IT ????
Kristin from MN 03.18.2011
That recipe looks delicious! I have to try it SOON! Your nephew is adorable! I really love the mint oreo blizzard and the shamorck shake, but my all time favorite is probably the blueberry muffin batter from Cold Stone with whip cream, blueberries and pie crust for mix-ins.
Hope 03.18.2011
I’ve never had shepard’s pie before. I totally saved this recipe because it looks way too good to pass up! I suppose I should make it sometime soon because it doesn’t seem like a spring type dish. Haha!
I LOVE Dairy Queen! I do the same thing with my boyfriend. I am always in the mood for ice cream every single night and I drag him to go get some. I think he really does like that I suggest it though because he seems to enjoy it. :) I usually make my own Blizzard at DQ. I like chocolate ice cream with cone dip. The cone dip hardens up and it becomes like dark chocolate chips. I love it!
Amy 03.18.2011
Mint (flavored) Ice Cream with Cookie Dough bits!
Rachel 03.18.2011
My favorite is the Reese’s PB Cup blizzard, occasionally made with chocolate ice cream (depending on my mood). The sad thing is, any time I go to DQ for treats, it almost always results in some sort of bad argument between my husband & I! If I go to the other ice cream shop on the other side of town, we’re fine, though! It’s kind of laughable, really.
Karla 03.18.2011
I find this so funny. My fiance and I are the same way. I ALWAYS want icecream. I even tried to talk him into having it for dinner. It was a no go! My favorite DQ blizzard is PB cup! In fact, last Saturday, I already put it in my own head that tonight after dinner my fiance and I will go get blizzards. Wish me luck brining that up while were eating dinner!
Kristen 03.18.2011
Ahh, I went British instead of Irish (hubby’s fam is British) and had a hearty steak and ale pie!
DQ used to do this amazing thing called Frozen Hot Chocolate that I was obsessed with. This was like 10 years ago, so who knows, they might still do it.