I’m lucky enough to have a family who will eat all (read: most) of my creations with very little to zero resistance. Even my three young boys have been raised to know that you “shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds you.” They rarely put up a fuss about what I serve for dinner. I frequently remind them that I don’t run a restaurant. I’m not a short-order line cook. Cereal is not an option. (Sorry. Not sorry.) Perhaps that’s why they’ve grown to enjoy our family meals together?! And this Shepherd’s Pie recipe has quickly become a favorite in our house!
With that being said, I like to experiment a lot with fun meals that offer loads of flavor, BUT, I also love to stock-pile dishes that I KNOW they’ll enjoy. These are the meals that I double, triple or even quadruple sometimes, placing the extras in the freezer for those busy, activity-filled weeknights.
Enter—>Shepherd’s Pie.
I didn’t grow up eating Shepherd’s Pie. It wasn’t a meal in my mom’s repertoire so while I knew it existed, this casserole style meal wasn’t at the top of my go-to list. Until one day, my oldest son came home from school and told me that the “Shepherd’s Pie hot lunch is SO GOOD, mom. You should try making it.”
Enter a little chuckle from moi.
I figured if the school cook could nail Shepherd’s Pie, I probably had a shot at this. (Although, I should note, my son’s school cooks are the absolute bomb-diggity! They do a GREAT job!)
I was flipping through my recent issue of Cook’s Illustrated and it was a magazine filled with make-ahead meals. While perusing, I came across their freezer version of Shepherd’s Pie. I thought I could give it a whirl, using their recipe for a little direction, but mostly just some baseline inspiration since I’m virtually incapable of following a recipe completely.
After creating my Shepherd’s Pie a few dozen times, and giving several away to friends who recently had surgeries or babies, I was receiving rave reviews! So…I think I landed on a recipe with solid ingredients and some amazing flavor components! YAY!
I hope you and your family enjoy my version of Shepherd’s Pie as much as we have! It’s EASILY doubled, tripled or even quadrupled so you can ‘stockpile’ just like I do! Happy cooking!
And…after you have successfully created this recipe for your family (high-five to you!), check out my recipe for my Rustic Polenta Casserole! It’s an absolute crowd-pleaser! And…just like Shepherd’s Pie, it can be made ahead of time, frozen down and easily doubled for big crowds!
Shepherd's Pie
My version of Shepherd's Pie is streamlined and consists of very flavorful meat & vegetables. It is the perfect freezer meal and it's sure to please the whole family! Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 T. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 6 carrots, diced
- 1 medium-large sweet yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, freshly minced
- 2 lbs. 93% lean ground beef (I like grass fed)
- 1 T. Italian herb seasoning blend
- 2 tsp. oregano
- 1 T. French Thyme
- 2 T. tomato paste
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3/4 cup red wine (one that you like to drink)
- 1 3/4 cup beef broth
- 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
- 1 2/3 cup frozen peas
- Kosher Salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 3 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 3/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk, warmed
- 4 T. butter, softened
- 1 cup sharp, aged cheddar cheese (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering, then add onions, carrots, 1 tsp. Kosher salt & 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper and cook until vegetables are softened and onions are translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the ground beef. Make sure to break up any large clumps with a spoon and cook until the beef is browned and no longer pink. Stir in the minced garlic, tomato paste, Italian herb seasoning blend, oregano, French thyme. Cook until well blended and fragrant. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Step 2 Slowly stir in the wine and cook until slightly reduced, about 2-3 minutes. Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, scraping up the tasty brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Bring this mixture to a simmer and cook for about 8 minutes until it becomes slightly thickened. Divide the mixture between 2-9X9 inch pans or place in 1-9X13 inch pan. Make sure the pans are greased ahead of time. Set these pans aside.
- Step 3 Cook mashed potatoes. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan or small stockpot. Add water to cover them by a about 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender through the center, drain. Return the potatoes to the empty, hot pot off the heat. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher until smooth. Stir in the warmed cream (or whole milk), butter and salt and pepper to taste. Add cheddar cheese if using (it’s delicious. just add it.)
- Step 4 Divide & spread the frozen peas over each pan and gently press them into the beef mixture. Spoon the mashed potatoes evenly over the beef mixture and spread them out evenly to the edges of the pan.
- Step 5 Let the mixture cool completely, about 20-30 minutes before wrapping in plastic & aluminum foil wrap before placing in freezer. If you’re going to bake it right away, place mixture directly onto a baking sheet (to catch drips) into a 400 F degree oven, uncovered for about 35-40 minutes to cook. To add those desirable brown bits to the mashed potatoes that we like, turn your broiler on for 10 minutes at the end and broil about 10 minutes.
- Step 6 If you’re baking straight from the freezer, remove any plastic wrap, cover with aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet in a 400 F degree oven. Bake until hot in the center, about 1 hour. Then, broil for an extra 10 minutes at the end for those brown potato bits.
- Step 7 Let stand to cool for about 10 minutes before serving~Enjoy!
For anyone who is wondering about Tara’ s version on Shepard’s Pie, you have got to try it! I have been making Shepard’s Pie for years and it was never a favorite of mine until NOW! It is absolutely delicious, it is a must “add to recipes”. What a great comfort food! Can’t wait to try more recipes of Tara’s. Great job! Please keep those recipes coming!!!!!
I will do so! Thank you for the kind words!!