Easy Shepherd's Pie

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon olive oil

¾ cup yellow onion (finely diced)

1 rib celery (finely diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 lb. ground beef (I used 85% lean)

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

½ teaspoon dried thyme

½ cup chicken broth

1 cup brown gravy (see notes)

Salt/Pepper

1 cup frozen mixed vegetables

3 cups mashed potatoes

Directions

Prepare the Potatoes.

My homemade mashed potato recipe is perfect for this recipe, you’ll make a half batch to end up with 3 cups. While the potatoes boil, prepare the filling.

Prepare the Filling

Preheat oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and celery. Saute for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Increase heat to high. Add the ground beef. Cook and crumbled until cooked through. Drain all excess grease.

Reduce heat to medium-high. Sprinkle in the flour and toss to coat. Add the Tomato Paste and thyme. Cook for 1-2 minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the Chicken broth. Use a silicone spatula to scrape up any brown bits from the pan, this adds flavor to the filling.

Add HALF of the brown gravy. Stir in the vegetables until heated through.

Season with salt/pepper and add more gravy if desired. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Remove from heat.

Assemble

Transfer to a lightly greased 9-inch pie pan or 7 x 11 casserole dish. Carefully spread warm mashed potatoes on top.

Use a fork to “rake” lines into the mashed potatoes.

Broil

Set the oven rack about 5 inches away from the broiler. Set to a high broil, 550 degrees.

Broil for about 5 minutes watch it after 2 minutes, it will go from perfectly browned to burned quickly.

Remove from heat and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories: 528 kcal
• Total Fat: 24 g
• Saturated Fat: 9 g
• Cholesterol: 81 mg
• Sodium: 451 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 52 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 26 g