Shepherds Pie

Hey guys!

This quicky recipe is the perfect example of how to repurpose leftovers into a new, homey, comfort food meal!

Leftovers Shepherds Pie

$21.02 for about 8 servings, $2.63 per serving

At least 5 slices of roast beef (supplement with lean ground beef if you want to make but don’t have enough leftovers -or none at all) -~$10-15

1-2 cups of frozen carrots and peas- ~$0.91

1 diced onion- $0.15

1 can tomato basil soup- $1.97

1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup- $0.77

6 potatoes- $5

2 pats of butter- ~$0.34

3/4 cup cream- ~$0.89

Seasonings: Salt, pepper, red chili flakes, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce, garlic clove or garlic powder

Your first stop is to wash, peel and small dice your potatoes into a pot 2/3 full of water. You want to small dice so they cook faster. Pop that pot on the stove to boil once you’re done- keep an eye on it as you do things and turn it down to simmer once it boils. You’ll know the potatoes are done when they are easily pierced by a fork and try to crumble apart (I just taste test them honestly). When they’re like that, drain them in a colander and deposit them back into the pot to mash with your cream and butter. I melt my cream and butter together in a measuring cup before mashing so that the cold cream and butter don’t seize the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

While you’re working at that, you should have time while the potatoes are cooking to take a large frying pan and put in your diced onion in with some olive oil and garlic (if you want). Add chili flakes and some dried thyme and saute until the onions are softened. Next, add the raw meat (if applicable) and cook through. If not applicable, just add in your already cooked meat and warm through. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now comes the fun part- add in your cans of soup and stir to incorporate. You want to feel like this is a bit sauce-y, because when it cooks in the oven some of the moisture will evaporate. Add in your frozen veggies and stir to incorporate and warm. If it’s still not saucey enough, just add half a cup of water and stir to incorporate again. Add a couple dashes of Worcestershire, and taste your sauce to see how much salt and pepper it might need.

Once you are satisfied with your mixture, you can transfer it into an oven safe dish like a a lasagna pan and top with your potatoes. Put it in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes to brown your potatoes and get your mixture bubbling, then enjoy!

You can use fresh veggies, different veggies, different meat, different soup… whatever you want to do to make this your own! My sister makes the mixture and freezes it to put on top of baked potatoes. The technique stays the same.

Do you have a favorite comfort food that you make from leftovers? Let me know in the comments!