Freezer-Friendly Shepherd’s Pie

Did you make it through St. Patrick’s Day without Shepherd’s Pie?  Drew is here to make sure you don’t suffer the same humiliation next year…

Ingredients for the Beef and Vegetable layer: 

• 1 pound ground Beef (85/15 recommended, but use leaner beef if desired)
• 1 ½ cup chopped yellow onion
• ¾ cups chopped carrot
• ½ cup frozen peas
• ½ cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 cup beef stock
• Salt and pepper

Ingredients for the Mashed Potato layer:

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ¼ cup milk
• 3 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper

Preparation:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, then add beef.
• Brown beef until fully cooked, about 5 minutes
• Soak up excess beef fat with a paper towel, then add onion and carrot
• Season with a pinch of salt and pepper
• Cook 10 min, or until soft
• Add peas and corn and cook for 2 min.
• Add butter to the pan and toss around until fully melted
• Stir in flour, thyme leaves, and garlic.
• Stir 1 minute until flour disappears.
• Add beef stock and bring liquid to a boil over high heat.
• Cook for a minute or two until broth thickens into a light sauce
• Remove pan from heat and transfer beef and veggie mixture to an 8×8 baking dish.
• Preheat oven to 425°
• To make the mashed potatoes, place cubed potatoes in a pot filled with cold water.
• Place on the stove set over high heat and bring to a boil
• Cook for about 5 minutes, until potato cubes are fork-tender
• Drain potatoes, then spread them out on a sheet pan in a single layer and let sit for a couple minutes so the steam can escape
• Use a fork or potato masher to mash the potatoes, then stir in cream, milk, butter, and cheese.
• Make any necessary seasoning adjustments with salt and pepper
• Spread mashed potatoes on top of the beef and veggies in the 8×8 baking dish
• Bake shepherd’s pie for 20-25 minutes, until mashed potatoes are golden brown and crispy on top.

Freezer Instructions

• After baking, let pan cool to room temperature, then cover with foil
• Place in the freezer for up to 2 months
• When ready to eat, reheat the shepherd’s pie (still covered with the foil) for 1 hour in a 350° oven
• If you thaw the pie in the fridge the night before, you can cut that time in half.

Total time: 1 hour; Prep time 0:15, Cook time 0:45

Serves 8

Original recipe on ThePioneerWoman.com