shephard's pie

ok, here it is.. be prepared for heaven in a one-dish meal!!

you'll need:

1lb of ground beef or sausage (or, if you want to be healthy, ground turkey works here too!)

1 package of frozen veggies (any variety works, just use whatever you have or whatever combination sounds good. i like the corn, green beans, and carrots mix)

4 oz of garlic and herb cream cheese (also yummy on a bagel but that will come later)

1 pkg of instant mashed potatoes

1 pkg brown gravy** (if you are using turkey, you might want to grab a lighter gravy mix but brown gravy still works)

8-10 oz sharp cheddar cheese --> optional

**You can also get the ready-made au jous as a substitute to gravy to eliminate the gravy making phase. You can find it on the same isle


to do:

For the filling:
1) preheat the oven to 375 and spray a saute pan with your cooking spray
2) brown the ground meat on medium high (dont forget your salt, pepper, garlic salt and onion powder!)
3) drain the meat when cooked in a strainer, or by tilting the pan and absorbing the excess juice with a paper towel
4) make up the gravy according to the package (you just add water), and pour it into the meat (or just pour in the au jous)
5) pour in package of frozen veggies and stir-- let this simmer on lower heat while you make the topping

For the topping:
1) make up your instant mashed potatoes according to the package instructions (usually you just add water and microwave)
2) stir in 4 oz of garlic herb cream cheese
3) stir in a handful of cheddar cheese, if desired

Putting it all together:
1) spray your 13 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray (or smaller pan if you half this recipe)
2) pour in the meat/veggie mixture
3) top with potato mixture and spread over the top to cover the meat and veggies
4) top with cheddar cheese (if desired)
5) bake for 25 mins until cheese is melted (see? you have time for your reading or homework while this cooks!)


Time breakdown (i think this will be helpful in the future for when you are trying to pick a meal that fits your schedule)
-meat browning: 5-7 minutes
-gravy making/veggie adding: 2 minutes
-potato mixture making (while veggies simmer): 5 minutes
-assembly: 1-2 minutes
-baking time (and study time for you!): 25 minutes



-- My roomate shared a similar recipe with me and i added a few tweaks for time efficiency, so thanks to her for my building block!