Is Shepherds Pie Healthy
Because Shepherds Pie uses lamb mince it can be quite high in fat.
If youd like to reduce this, when you brown the mince, you can drain off an fat in the pan at that point before you add any other ingredients, that will reduce the fat you are actually consuming.
You can try to buy lean lamb mince but its quite difficult to find.
To add some more nutrients, you could also replace the regular white potato mash with sweet potato mash if you fancied.
How To Make Mashed Potato Topping
While the meat mixture is cooking, you will place your peeled potatoes into a pot of salted water and bring to a boil.
Cook the potatoes for 20 minutes or until fork-tender.
Drain the potatoes reserving ¼ cup of the water.
Pour the potatoes back into the pan and add in the water then begin mashing.
When the potatoes are mostly mashed, add in the melted butter, heavy cream, and sour cream.
Stir and mash to combine.
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Shepherd’s Pie Including Directions For Freezing
Higher starch potatoes like Russets or Yukon golds make for the fluffiest mashed potatoes. Start potatoes in cold water or theyll cook unevenly with the outside starting to fall apartwhile the inside remains uncooked. Drain well after cooking you might even heat the potatoes gently on low heat on the stove top for about a minute. Avoid mashing potatoes in a food processor as it can turn them into glue. By the way, did you know one medium-size potato has only 110 calories?
Serves 6Ingredients
- 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds of potatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz. Neufchatel or cream cheese, cubed and softened at room temperature.
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
- 1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 cups frozen mixed vegetables , thawed
- 1 cup savory beef gravy, purchased or homemade
Directions
TO BAKE NOW:
Alices Notes
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How To Make The Filling
Vegetables In Shepherds Pie
For the vegetables, I used frozen peas, celery and leek instead of onion. You can add any vegetables you have in your fridge or pantry, actually! Use different vegetables every time you prepare delicious easy Shepherds pie for dinner! You can also replace half the potatoes in the recipe with the pumpkin mash, which will add interesting color to this easy dish.
Shepherds pie is a classic winter comfort dish. Yes, I know it is March in calendar, but it is cold and snowy outside my window!
I think Shepherds pie is a filling dish that can be served for any family gathering to feed a lot of people. Moreover, you can freeze it or chill ahead of time!
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What Is A Shepherds Pie
Ok, so before you head to the comments section to really give me a history lesson, we know this isnt a true Shepherds Pie. It is more of a Cottage Pie, which is an English dish and traditionally made with ground beef. A traditional classic Shepherds Pie recipe hails from Ireland and is made with ground lamb . But, like many cultural and traditional cuisines over the years, the lines have been blurred here in America. So you will often see the dish we are making here referred to as a Shepherds Pie.
Types Of Recipes On This Site
While I am proud to be a dietitian, I do NOT only eat health food. So, thats not what this site is about. I strive to make the BEST recipes, the recipes you keep coming back to over and over because your whole family loves them. If I can convince one family to cook one of my easy recipes at home instead of going through the fast-food drive through, then I consider that a win!
The recipes on this site tend to fall into one of two categories:
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Tips For Homemade Shepherds Pie:
- Use a potato rice or food mill versus just mashing the potatoes if youd like silky smooth, lump-free potatoes.
- If possible use red wine for a robust finish.
- Use lean beef and dab up excess fat so dish isnt overly greasy.
- Avoid cooking in a glass dish as it may shatter under the heat of the broiler. If you dont own a cast iron pan use another deep oven safe pan or a metal or ceramic baking dish.
The Best Quick & Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe Made With Ground Beef
If youre looking for cheap and easy dinner recipes for the family, this ground beef and potato casserole recipe is always a hit! Even your picky eaters will love this simple meal. Its also loaded with veggies, so consider it healthy enough to serve often.
The idea behind a classic shepherds pie is simply to mix ground beef or lamb with a good hearty tomato based sauce and mixed vegetables, top with mashed potatoes in a casserole dish , and then bake until the potatoes and cheese are well browned.
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Say Hi To Coco Morante
One last treat for all you readers out there: I thought it would be fun for you to get to know Coco a little more. Here’s a quick Q& A with the author herself!
1. How many Instant Pots do you own?
Right now, four. I’ve also given some to friends and family as I’ve upgraded or received new units for review. Currently I have two 6-quart models , as well as 3-quart and 8-quart pots.
2. Whats one recipe from this book that you really want people to try and fall in love with?
Cincinnati Chili . I adapted the recipe from a stovetop version shared with me by my friend Diana Pray. It’s full of spices, including a healthy dose of cinnamon — the Midwestern-meets-Greek flavor is so unique and delicious. You have to try it !
3. What three recipes from this book are best if you just got your first Instant Pot?
Risotto , because it’s so easy you won’t believe it. Split Pea Soup , because it tastes like my grandma’s did — I’m transported back to her kitchen when I eat a bowl. And Succotash — most all the ingredients come from the pantry or freezer, so you can make a hearty, nutritious vegetable side dish any time. Those are all really straightforward recipes that don’t require you to buy additional accessories, so you can make them right when you take your Instant Pot out of the box.
4. Latest food obsession?
5. Three ingredients that are always in your pantry?
Nutritional yeast, almond flour, and San Marzano-style canned tomatoes.
7. What are you working on now?
Thanks, Coco!
To Assemble A Shepherds Pie
Pro Tip: Shepherds Pie can be made ahead which is perfect for the holidays or busy weeknights. See the Make-ahead section below for tips on refrigerating or freezing the pie.
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Ingredients For Deviled Eggs:
Note* The printable step by step recipe card is at the bottom of this post.
- 6 large hard boiled eggs
- 3 Tablespoons mayonaise
- 1-2 teaspoons dill pickle juice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
I always start with 1 teaspoon of pickle juice. Then, I taste the filling. If it needs a little extra saltiness and tanginess, I add another teaspoon of pickle juice.
If you dont have or dont like pickle juice, white vinegar or red wine vinegar are good substitutes. However, you may want to add a pinch of salt to the filling if you use vinegar instead of pickle juice.
How To Make It Ahead
You can easily prepare your Shepherds Pie ahead of time for an easy make-ahead dish perfect for busy weeknights. Prep your Shepherds Pie all the way without baking. Cover well with foil or wrap and place into the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350º, remove the wrap from the dish and bake until heated throughout, about 25 30 minutes.
Heres my Shepherds Pie recipe. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does.
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Read The Labels On Your Worcestershire Sauce
Diving into the meat filling, youll see that Worcestershire is a key ingredient. This is a vinegar based sauce made from fermented onions and garlic, along with molasses, tamarind, anchovies, spices and more. Yep, you can say this sauce has an intense depth of flavor, making it perfect to add to meats.
But if youre gluten-free, youll need to be mindful of the brands you buy. Worcestershire often includes a wheat-based soy sauce to get that deep dark brown color. So, I recommend purchasing one of the below brands that are gluten-free .
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How To Freeze Healthy Shepherds Pie
Once the shepherds pie is baked, cool completely and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer until fairly firm, about two hours. Then, cover tightly with plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Mark the date on the outside and store in the freezer for up to two months.
When ready to serve, remove the foil and plastic wrap. Use the foil you just removed to loosely cover the pie. Make sure that your casserole dish can go straight from freezer to oven if not, set the casserole in the oven while the oven preheats so that the dish warms slowly.
Bake the casserole for an hour, or until the pie is hot all the way through. Remove the foil for the last 15 minutes to allow the top to brown.
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Meat Pie As One Of Easy Dinner Ideas
What I love about Shepherds pie, it was a lot much easier to prepare, comparing with other comfort dishes like lasagna or moussaka. Mainly because it is tasty even without Bechamel sauce, and you will need to make only two layers! And believe me, it has nothing complicated during the cooking process, if you follow my step-by-step instructions.
So this Shepherds pie will turn amazing every time you make it! Oh, and cheese is the must, dont miss this step!
Easy Shepherds Pie Recipe
Today we cooked a casserole with beef, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. Mmm, it was so delicious This dish is prepared with ground lamb according to the classic recipe, but we cook it with ground beef. This is called Shepherds Pie . This is a very tender and nourishing dish.
Want to cook it too? Lets make an easy shepherds pie recipe for dinner tonight!
Cooking a shepherds pie is very simple. If you have leftover mashed potatoes, you can use them. If you dont, cook your mashed potatoes we will tell you how. Believe me, without mashed potatoes, this easy shepherds pie recipe wouldnt be so creamy, beautiful, and delicious.
This recipe doesnt include tomato sauce and wine, so children will eat it with pleasure. For me, this is a homey dish which can be cooked even on holidays.
We always cook it with the leftover mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving. This is a quick and easy shepherds pie recipe.
Dont be afraid to experiment with spices, herbs, and vegetables. Add beans, celery, other spices, sauces, and herbs to this easy shepherds pie recipe.
My parents like to add some tomato sauce to the beef filling instead of Worcestershire sauce. And its delicious too.
Preparation tips and tricks for Shepherds Pie:
How do I freeze shepherds pie?
How to Make Shepherds Pie Recipe :
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Key Steps For Easy Shepherds Pie
- Buy some shortcuts. I actually find chopping to be quite therapeutic, but when it comes to shepherds pie, peeling and chopping carrots is the last thing I want to spend my time on. Instead, opt for a bag of mixed vegetables from the freezer.
- Focus your efforts on the potatoes. You can totally make shepherds pie with store-bought mashed potatoes and you should if youre in an especially big hurry. But in the time it takes to make the beef filling, you can chop four large russets and cook them until tender. The resulting mashed potatoes will have more flavor and a better texture than store-bought.
- Add a yolk to the potatoes for texture and structure. Another benefit to making the mashed potatoes from scratch: you can stir in an egg yolk. Just one yolk makes the mash ultra-creamy, and also helps the potatoes form a crispy crust in the oven.
- Brown the beef in the same skillet youll serve from. This is key to the ease of this recipe. Use a large oven-safe skillet to brown the beef for the pie cast iron is best, if youve got it. Once the beef is brown, youll add your frozen vegetables and a few other ingredients to make a quick gravy, which is the base of the pie.
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Perfect Make Ahead Meal
Simple shepherds pie is perfect for meal prep because all of the elements can be made ahead of time. A win for busy moms everywhere!
The mashed potatoes can be prepared up to three days before and refrigerated.
The meat mixture can also be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator for a couple of days.
And of course you can assemble the entire casserole, cover and chill it until you are ready to bake it. Just keep in mind that if it is cold, the cooking time will be much longer.
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