Make-Ahead & Freezer Shepherd's Pie
Recipe by Trinity Hansen, Ogden, Utah
This make-ahead shepherd's pie recipe makes two 9-inch dishes, making it easy to serve one for dinner and save the second for another meal. Ground beef, vegetables and gravy are topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese for a hearty family dinner.
Makes: 2 9-inch dishes
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 6 medium potatoes
- Butter and milk, as needed for mashed potatoes
- Seasonings for mashed potatoes, as desired
- 2 cups beef gravy
- 1 can mushrooms, optional
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 10 ounces frozen vegetables
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
- Peel or scrub the potatoes, cut them into cubes and cook until tender.
- Drain the potatoes and mash with butter and milk until smooth. Add seasonings as desired.
- Brown the ground beef with the chopped onion in a large skillet, breaking the beef apart as it cooks. Cook until the ground beef reaches 160°F on a food thermometer, then drain excess grease if needed.
- Stir the beef gravy, frozen vegetables and mushrooms, if using, into the cooked beef.
- Lightly grease two 9-inch pie dishes.
- Divide the beef and vegetable mixture evenly between the two dishes.
- Divide the mashed potatoes between the dishes and spread them evenly over the beef filling.
- Sprinkle 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese over each shepherd's pie.
- Bake at 400F for about 30 minutes, or prepare one or both dishes for the freezer to cook later.
If freezing one of the pies, cover it well and label it with the recipe name and date. Thaw it in the refrigerator before baking.
Use What You Have
Trinity notes that this recipe is very versatile. You can use instant mashed potatoes instead of homemade, leave out the onion or mushrooms, change the cheese or add your family's favorite vegetables.
No Beef Gravy?
When we tried Trinity's recipe, we didn't have beef gravy on hand. We mixed one package of onion soup mix with 1 1/2 cups water instead, and it worked well with the beef and vegetables.
Kids Cooking Tip: Kids can help mash the potatoes, measure the vegetables and cheese and assemble the layers once the cooked beef mixture is ready. An adult should handle the raw beef, hot skillet and hot baking dishes.