Shepherd's Pie, My Oh My.

When I was a kid my parents took me on a weekend trip up to Woodstock, VT. We spent our time playing tennis, touring local shops and taking long bike rides to the small surrounding towns. On one of those bike rides we stopped in Quechee, VT for lunch, where my father and I both enjoyed Shepherd's Pie. It was the first time I had ever had this dish, which consists of a hearty beef and vegetable mixture topped with creamy mashed potatoes. It wasn't until I married my husband that I was reminded of this wonderful meal, and we recreated it so that it is not only delicious, but healthy as well. I have made the recipe below for 2 people, but you can easily double or triple and still get the same great taste.

Shepherd's Pie
PointsPlus value per serving: 11
Calories per serving: 485
Servings: 2

Ingredients
Potato Topping
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 cup fat-free skim milk
salt/pepper to taste

Pie Mixture
1/2 pound 90% lean/10% fat raw ground beef
1/3 cup canned green peas
1/3 cup frozen corn kernels
1/3 cup diced carrots
1 small onion, diced
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 clove garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp canned tomato paste
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary
1 tsp table salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup canned beef broth

Instructions
-Peel potato and dice into chunks. Put into a pot, cover with water, and bring
to a boil. Let simmer for 12 minutes. Drain, add skim milk, salt and pepper
and whip with a hand blender. Set aside to cool.
-Over medium-high heat saute onions and carrots in a large frying pan sprayed with PAM. After 5 minutes, add ground beef and crushed garlic.-Saute beef until pink is gone.
-Add flour and cook 1 minute, making sure that the flour evenly coats the beef
mixture.
-Add broth, tomato paste, corn and peas. Stir well. Add spices, salt
and pepper. Saute 1 additional minutes until a creamy sauce forms.
-Pour meat mixture into two bake-proof ramekins (you can make it in one large dish if you prefer, I just find portion control to be easier when I split it up). Top with potato mixture (you can use a pastry bag if you want to be fancy, or just spoon it on). Bake in 350 degree oven until top starts to turn golden brown.

Healthy meals to Nourish Your Mind.