July 29, 2021
Hey everyone! I hope your summer is going well, but, if you are like me, you are already plotting and planning how to be more efficient and getting ready for back to school season. One thing I am always trying to do is meal prep and plan to make life easier, so we are headed back to the kitchen this week for an old household favorite that can be made same day or prepped in advance, and both are pretty easy. I’m sharing my Shepherd’s Pie recipe!
There are four main ingredients and they are simple and can easily be substituted for your dietary needs or preferences. I’ll share what we use and you can substitute as needed. This recipe can make a large casserole dish that will easily feed 8-10 people, or can be split into two storage containers for reheating later. This recipe even freezes well and will keep for a few months, so can be prepped and stashed for the future.
Ingredients:
- 1lb ground beef
- 10-12 servings of mashed potatoes
- 1-2 cans of sweet corn
- 4 cups of shredded cheese
First, brown your beef (or whatever meat you are using) and drain it. If you forgot to defrost your meat in advance, don’t worry! Ground meat can be put in the skillet on low-medium heat with a lid, then slowly cooked and then just scrape off the cooked layer until it is all defrosted and cooked!
From frozen, just cover and cook lower, then flip and scrape every few minutes 
a paper towel between the strainer and beef helps absorb grease and keeps meat from getting stuck
Second, prepare your mashed potatoes (or substitute). We use potatoes a lot, but Florida humidity is not our friend, so we just keep dehydrated flakes on hand and prepare those. This recipe is great with homemade mashed potatoes from scratch or leftover potatoes from a holiday meal or take out.
Third, open your can of corn and drain the liquid. you can also use frozen corn or even mixed veggies for this recipe.
Next, is putting it together, and the method is a matter of preference. We like to mix ours all together, but some like theirs layered. If you mix, like me, just use a big mixing bowl and mix it well. Then, you can put it into your baking dish.
Everything dumped into the mixing bowl-ready to mix 
all stirred together!
Finally, add a layer of shredded cheese to the top as thin or thick a layer as you like. We like to use Mexican blend since we usually have that on hand for taco night, but I’ve used Mozarella left from Italian night before, or even used partial leftover bags of both mixed, and, in a pinch, have even just put sliced cheese on top. Whatever works for you!
At this point, you can either let it cool and then cover and freeze, or pop it in the oven to bake. If you go strait to the oven, bake at 350 degrees F for about 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. If you prefer to freeze it, then you’ll want to let it set out from the freezer for a bit, if you can, then bake at 350 degrees F for about 45-60 minutes, or until hot all the way through.
And that is it! Enjoy!
I hope this helps make dinner, for at least a night or two, one less thing to worry about this month!
I’d love to hear your feedback on what your family thought of this recipe, or how you adapted it for your own tastes! Don’t forget to click that star and like this post, and be sure to subscribe to my blog to get them sent to your inbox every week! Wanna join the community? Find me on Twitter at @AddictedtoTeac1 or on Facebook at Addicted to Teaching where we all chat and share ideas, strategies, experiences, and job posts at our schools!
