Easy Beef Shepherd's Pie

This easy beef shepherd's pie layers seasoned beef and vegetables under creamy mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. Assemble it ahead of time if needed, then bake when you're ready for dinner.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 onion, grated or chopped
• 1 carrot, grated or diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dry onion soup mix
• 1 small bag frozen vegetables, such as green beans or peas and carrots
• Prepared mashed potatoes, as needed for topping
• Shredded cheddar cheese, as needed for topping

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly spray a pie plate or casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Add the ground beef, onion, carrot and garlic to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, breaking the beef apart as it cooks, until the ground beef reaches 160°F on a food thermometer.
3. Season with Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.
4. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and dry onion soup mix. Stir until well combined.
5. Stir the frozen vegetables into the beef mixture and transfer everything to the prepared pie plate or casserole dish.
6. Spread prepared mashed potatoes evenly over the beef and vegetable filling.
7. Sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese over the mashed potatoes.
8. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted.

Kids Cooking Tip: Kids can measure the seasonings and broth, help prepare the mashed potatoes and spread the potatoes over the cooked filling. An adult should handle the raw beef, hot skillet and hot casserole dish.