This easy shepherd's pie recipe (aka cottage pie) with ground beef is simple, gluten free, and uses only 6 ingredients! A cheap, make ahead freezer meal.
3cupsfrozen mixed vegetablespeas, carrots, corn, and/or green beans
kosher salt and black pepperto taste
Instructions
Cover potatoes with cold water and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt in a large pot, and bring to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.
While potatoes are cooking, sauté the diced onion in 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet until softened (about 2 minutes). Add the ground beef and sauté until JUST fully cooked, breaking it up with a spoon into small pieces (about 5-7 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Don't overcook it or it will be dry (see notes).
When potatoes are soft enough to pierce easily with a fork, drain, and mash with 4 tablespoons butter and the milk (3/4 cup). Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Layer ground beef mixture, frozen vegetables, and mashed potatoes in a 9x13 baking dish. Alternatively, divide the ingredients into two smaller baking dishes to freeze one (see notes).
Use the back of a spoon to smooth the potatoes, leaving some ridges, or use a fork to "rake" a ridged pattern into the potatoes.
Melt remaining tablespoon butter and drizzle evenly on top of potatoes.
Bake at 425° F for approximately 30 minutes, or until potatoes begin to brown. Run the broiler for the last 5 minutes for extra crispy potatoes.
Notes
Optional: to make a gravy base, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of flour on the beef and stir to coat. Add 1.5 cups chicken or beef broth and continue to heat, stirring, until thickened. You can also just add 1/2 cup of broth without the flour for a gluten-free version that stays more juicy and moist, especially if you overcooked the beef by accident.
Time saving tip: cook the beef and onions in a large, oven-proof skillet, such as cast iron. Then, layer the veggies and potatoes right on top to pop into the oven.
If you prefer, you can use ground lamb instead of beef, or a combination of both kinds of meat.
You can prepare this ahead of time and keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and in the freezer for a 6 months. Defrost completely before cooking by transferring from freezer to fridge 2 days before cooking.
For a Paleo/whole30/dairy free version, make sure to use only carrots and/or green beans for the veggies and use chicken broth instead of milk in the potatoes. Use ghee instead of butter.
For a low-carb version, use mashed cauliflower in place of the mashed potatoes.
The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.