Nutrilicious Shepherd's Pie

Hello Yellow! Let's have a cooking lesson today! I have this wonderful recipe to share with you. Tried Shepherd's Pie before? This recipe originated in Australia and is one of their most loved dishes. It is so easy to prepare (preparation time: 10 mins. ) and wouldn't cost so much plus, it's very nutritious and delicious.


This hearty pie has a base of minced meat, diced carrot and peas in a tomato-based sauce. The meat layer is topped with creamy mashed potato and golden melted cheese.We have used 1kg of fresh beef mince in the filling but you could use about 800g of chopped roast beef or lamb. The filling could also be varied to include other vegetables (e.g., mushrooms or corn kernels) and herbs such as rosemary or oregano.



The pie can be assembled a day ahead and refrigerated until required. If you are baking the pie straight from the refrigerator, increase the cooking time and reduce the oven temperature by about 20 degrees so that the topping doesn't overcook before the centre gets hot.



Serves 4-6.


For the Meat Layer you would need:


20ml (1 tablespoon) oil

1 large (200g) onion, diced

1 large (165g) carrot, diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 -2 lbs raw minced lamb or beef (or 800g chopped cooked meat)

60ml (3 tablespoons) tomato paste

12g (1 tablespoon) plain flour

250ml (1 cup) chicken stock (or 1 cup water and 1 chicken stock cube)

40ml (2 tablespoons) Worcestershire sauce

400g-410g tin crushed tomatoes

Salt and pepper

128g (1 cup) fresh or frozen peas

2 tablespoons chopped parsley


optional ingredients would include (chopped celery, hardboiled egs chopped in quarters or even quail eggs and a choice of ground beef instead of lamb) depending on how you wanted it. be creative.

Heat oil in a large heavy based pan or saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables have softened.

If you are using raw meat, increase heat to high and add mince. Cook, stirring, until meat has browned and most of the liquid from the meat has evaporated. If you are using meat that is already cooked, add the chopped meat to the vegetables and continue to the next step.

Over medium heat, add tomato paste and flour to meat mixture and cook for one minute. Add stock, Worcestershire sauce, crushed tomatoes, salt and pepper.Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until liquid has reduced, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 350 -375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius fan-forced).Stir peas and parsley into meat mixture and pour into a 2.5 litre ovenproof dish.Top filling with mashed potato. Use a fork to create peaks in potato and sprinkle with cheese.

If the dish you are using is quite full, sit it on a baking tray in case any of the sauce overflows while baking. Bake pie for about 20 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is golden brown.

For the Mashed Potato Toppings:

2 lbs. of potatoes, peeled and chopped

50g (2 1/2 tablespoons) butter

Salt, to taste

About 125ml (1/2 cup) milk (the amount needed will vary, depending on the type of potatoes used)

100g (1 cup) grated cheese (we used a combination of mozzarella, cheddar and parmesan)

Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with water. Cover saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce to medium heat and boil gently until potatoes are soft.Drain potatoes and mash with butter, salt and milk.

Mmmm... Nutrilicious!!! share this recipe with family and friends and enjoy this great meal. Ti'l next time folks,Bon Appetit!