Cheesy mashed potatoes on top of hamburger and green beans makes this Simple Shepherd's Pie a family favorite. Mom favorite too.
A delicious meal made in minutes then popped into the oven. Simplicity at it's finest. What is also great is my family finally learned that instant mashed potatoes are not to be feared. This Simple Shepherd's Pie saved the day in a lot of ways. ;-)
I sound like a broken record, but as most of you know, my hubby is a rather picky guy when it comes to food. I guess I should say was very picky because in the almost 20 years I have known him, he has greatly improved when it comes to trying new foods. He even drinks cabbage juice. {Enjoys it is a totally different story.}
The Breakthrough
You have no idea how much of a breakthrough it is for me to put a dish of hamburger mixed with green beans topped with instant potatoes in front of him and he not cringe. I normally make real mashed potatoes but on a whim, I bought a box of instant potatoes at Aldi's a few weeks back. Ya want to know what I caused in my house when I did that? A riot. Really. Kids were speaking on top of each other, baffled I would buy such a thing and dare to have it grace our house. Amazing.
Why Simple Shepherd's Pie?
One night I was looking for something different to make and thought of a good old-fashioned Shepherd's Pie. Only it wouldn't have all the vegetables some have because my family wouldn't like it. No, I thought green beans should be the only veggie.
It worked everyone. I was able to mix green in with meat topped with potatoes from a box. It was beautiful. Of course, I did add cheese to the top and that makes everyone happy. So I kind of cheated a little. Don't tell.
If you already have hamburger cooked up in the freezer, you could have this dish in the oven in about 10 minutes. I had to fry up some hamburger but that didn't take too much time. Add whatever veggies your family likes. My hubby told me to add corn next time since Cade likes corn. Shocker. I think the cabbage and carrot juice is softening his taste buds. ;-)
Everyone at my table loved it. In fact, I ran out. Next time, a bigger batch for my growing family of 6.
📖 Recipe
Simple Shepherd's Pie
Ingredients
- Instant or regular mashed potatoes (6 servings)
- 1.75 lbs of hamburger , cooked
- ½ cup beef broth
- 1 cup green beans , drained
- Salt , pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make mashed potatoes according to package directions
- Stir together cooked hamburger, beef broth, green beans and cook on medium/low heat for 5 minutes
- Place in a greased baking dish (I used a 2 qt round)
- Top with mashed potatoes and spread evenly
- Bake at 375* for 20 minutes
- Add cheese after 20 minutes and bake for another 5 (adding cheese is optional)
Nutrition
Martha Romero
It was delicious!!
Kim
Thank you!! Glad you liked it!
JJ
Our son is a very picky eater! This Shepherd's Pie is exactly what I've been looking for to make! Thanks. ??
Kim
I understand picky eaters! My hubby is too. But, after years of having a food blogger for a wife, he has come around. :-) I hope your family enjoys it.