It would be nice to make easy Shepherd’s pie with instant mashed potatoes. Although this dish is quite popular, not many people are making it at home. The reason is because this dish seems too elaborate. However, the following recipe will be able to debunk that notion. You will be interested in making the pie at home for family and friends because it is not as scary as you might think.
Ingredients
- A pound of ground beef
- A cup beef stock
- A small size onion, chopped
- ½ cup carrots, chopped
- ½ cup grated Cheddar cheese
- An egg, large size and beaten slightly
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 24 oz. instant mashed potatoes
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped for garnish
Cooking Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
- Prepare mashed potatoes according to instructions written on the packaging then set it aside for later use.
- On a medium-heat, cook onion and ground beef until the liquid and fat are rendered out. Drain liquid and fat.
- Add chopped carrots into the pan and cook until soft.
- Add all-purpose flour, salt, and pepper to the beef mixture. Stir for up to a minute so the raw flour taste diminishes.
- Stream in beef stock to the pan while continuing to stir the pan’s content. The mixture will get thick after a while.
- Pour filling mixture into a medium size baking dish that has been greased lightly with oil or butter.
- Mix mashed potato with beaten egg before adjusting the seasoning. Pre-packaged mashed potato is often salty enough that adding salt is not necessary.
- Spread the mashed potato mixture on top of the filling, ensuring that it is evenly spread out.
- Bake the pie for 25 minutes in the preheated oven.
- Take out the baking dish to sprinkle Cheddar cheese evenly on top before placing it inside the oven again for about 5 minutes.
- Remove Shepherd pie with ground beef mashed potatoes and cheese from the oven.
- Let it cool in the room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley for a little bit of green.
This easy Shepherd’s pie with instant mashed potatoes recipe takes less than an hour to prepare. It can serve up to six people happily, which means this recipe might be the right choice for a small dinner party. Serving guests with this dish will make them feeling special.
Of course, there are several ways to improve this recipe. It is possible to change the kind of cheese used in the recipe for another type such as Gruyere and Parmesan. The type of vegetable added can also be changed. This easy Shepherd’s pie with instant mashed potatoes recipe is definitely worthwhile.
