Shepherd’s Pie, a layered casserole of sautéed ground lamb and vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and baked until golden, is the quintessential casserole of the United Kingdom. Inspired by this fantastic combination, American Cottage Pie mirrors its predecessor except that ground beef is used in place of the lamb. Regardless of what you call it, this savory meal of meat and vegetables topped with golden brown mashed potatoes is a hearty, one-dish supper that can more than feed your whole family.

Shepherd's Pie
 
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Recipe type: Casseroles & One-Pot Meals
Makes: 10 Lunch or 8 Dinner portions
Ingredients
  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 batch
    Home-Style Mashed Potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 pounds (96%) extra lean ground beef
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • ¾ cup diced celery
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 ¼ cups frozen peas
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F, and spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. Prepare the Home-Style Mashed Potatoes (page 221) according to the recipe’s directions.
  3. Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet, and brown well, crumbling the beef as it cooks.
  4. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the skillet, and sauté for 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent and celery begins to soften. Stir the flour into the beef and vegetables, and sauté for 1 minute.
  5. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and peas to the skillet, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has slightly thickened and the carrots are tender.
  6. Spread the beef and sauce mixture evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Spoon the Home-Style Mashed Potatoes over the top of the beef, and spread to even out.
  7. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the top of the potatoes has lightly browned. Let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. For 100 calorie portions, slice into 32 sections by cutting 4 rows by 8 rows.
Perfect Portion Shepherd's Pie