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Easy Shepherd’s Pie

Simple, yet most comforting, vegetable loaded Shepherd’s Pie

Hearty, vegetable loaded Shepherd's Pie is comfort food !

Sometimes simple, plain old-fashioned food is all we need on a chilly evening.  Shepherd’s Pie, also known as, Cottage Pie, is comfort food at it’s best.

Strange thing is, we are a bilingual family, English and Afrikaans and when I speak English I would refer to a “Cottage Pie”, but when I speak Afrikaans it is a “Herders Pastei”, which literally means “Shepherd’s Pie”!

But since I see Shepherd’s Pie is the more popular (preferred?) name for this recipe, we will stick to a Shepherd’s Pie.

Hearty, vegetable loaded Shepherd's Pie is comfort food !

I have been making this simple Shepherd’s Pie for decades now, changing up the vegetables as to what I have on hand. Leftover raw or frozen vegetables from a previous dish come in very handy, as you only need a little of each.

Serve with a salad or two (or one or two vegetable sides) and dinner is ready.

I like a thick layer of mashed potatoes, therefore no dinner rolls, but if the potato layer is, for some reason, thinnish you might want to “starch” it up by adding a roll or two.

Hearty, vegetable loaded Shepherd's Pie is comfort food !

My family would never say no to Shepherd’s Pie – we all love it and it is such a versatile recipe, mine is rarely exactly the same. Use vegetables you have in the refrigerator or even canned for when you are in a hurry.

This is one of my many versions, (most preferred by us though) and I think the most popular as I usually have everything on hand. Frozen Corn and Peas – always in the freezer!

Hearty, vegetable loaded filling :

Hearty, vegetable loaded Shepherd's Pie is comfort food ! (Filling)

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Remember, you can always add more vegetables if you prefer, or change with whatever you have on hand.

Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Easy Shepherd's Pie
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
40 mins
Total Time
50 mins
 
Simple, yet most comforting, vegetable loaded Shepherd's Pie
Course: Main Course
Servings: 6 Servings
Author: Linda Nortje
Ingredients
  • 2 TB Butter
  • 1 Onion chopped
  • 1 t Fresh Garlic crushed
  • 750 g Lean Ground Beef ( 1 1/2 pounds )
  • 3 Carrots peeled and grated
  • 1/2 cup Frozen Corn defrosted
  • 1/2 cup Frozen Peas defrosted
  • 2 TB Tomato Paste
  • 2 TB Parsley finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup Beef Stock
  • Salt and Black Pepper to taste
TOPPING:
  • 3-4 cups Mashed Potatoes seasoned
  • 1/2 cup Cheddar Cheese grated
  • 1/4 t Paprika
Instructions
  1. Melt the Butter in a large pan – saute the Onion and Garlic until soft – add the Ground Beef and cook until done – add the Carrots, Corn and Peas
  2. Mix together the Tomato Paste, Parsley and Beef Stock – add to the pan – cover and simmer for 30 minutes – season to taste with Salt and Black Pepper
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 200 deg C (400 deg F) about 10 minutes before the filling is done – spray a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) oven dish with cooking spray
  4. Transfer the filling to the prepared oven dish – top with the Mashed Potatoes – sprinkle over the Cheddar Cheese and lastly some Paprika – bake 10 – 15 minutes until golden brown and the Cheese has melted
Recipe Notes

Remove from the oven – let stand for 5 minutes – slice and serve

LINDA

Hearty, vegetable loaded Shepherd's Pie is comfort food !

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