Healthy Shepherd’s Pie
Shepherd’s pie is such a classic comfort dish. I found a way to lighten up the typical recipe without sacrificing any of the flavor. Basically, my recipe has less meat and more legumes/vegetables than other recipes. Since I am not a fan of lamb, my shepherd’s pie is more of a cow herder’s pie, because I make it with beef. This can also be a great way to sneak in lots of extra vegetables that need to be eaten up from the fridge.
Healthy Shepherd’s Pie
Servings 10 people
Ingredients
- 1/4 pound Ground Beef 1 1/2 Cup Cooked (see notes)
- 1 Cup Carrots diced
- 1 Cup Celery diced
- 1/2 Cup Bell Pepper any color, diced
- 1/2 Cup Onion diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 15 oz. can Diced Tomatoes with juice
- 8 oz. can Tomato Sauce
- 1 Cup Frozen Corn
- 1 Cup Frozen Green Beans 1 inch pieces
- 2- 15 oz. cans Kidney Beans
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried Parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
Mashed Potatoes:
- 8-10 Medium Russet Potatoes (6 Cups peeled and chopped)
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Cup Plain Unsweetened Greek Yogurt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Chives
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 Cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese shredded
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees and grease a 3” deep 9 x 13 pan. Mine is a Pampered Chef Stoneware Pan (Amazon Affiliate link). Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the carrots, celery, bell pepper and onion with the ground beef until the meat is completely brown. Drain grease.
- Add minced garlic and cook for just 60 seconds before adding remaining vegetables, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Cook on medium-high heat until the green beans are crisp/tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add Kidney Beans, Worcestershire sauce and seasonings. Reduce heat to a simmer until potatoes are ready.
- While the meat and vegetable mixture simmers, bring a large stock pot of water to boil. Add chopped potatoes and boil until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Drain water from potatoes. Using a potato masher or hand mixer, blend the potatoes with butter, yogurt, chives, salt and pepper until the potatoes are smooth and creamy.
- Fill the greased pan with the meat and vegetable mixture. Top with potatoes by scooping 1/2 cup dollops evenly over the mixture. Use a spatula to spread the potatoes as a smooth topping.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, top with shredded cheese and bake uncovered for 5 more minutes.
- Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
I often cook 1 to 2 pounds of ground beef at a time with a diced onion and freeze it in 1 1/2 cup portions in baggies. If you do the same, cook your veggies in this recipe with 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil. Add the pre-cooked beef in step 4 with the kidney beans so it doesn’t become too tough.
