Easy Shepherd's Pie

After a whole lot of irritation directed at the process of cooking ground meat, I finally decided to look for a better way. That's when I came across the mix 'n chop. It was hands down the best $8 I ever spent for a kitchen gadget. I made Shepherd's Pie tonight (which required the christening of my mix 'n chop), and I must say my ground beef was very finely and evenly crumbled. So, here's a picture of the gadget I used and a recipe for the world's easiest shep's pie!

The handy mix 'n chop. I love, love this tool! 

Shepherd's Pie

1# ground meat (beef or turkey is fine) 

4 cups frozen mixed vegetables (I used the corn/peas/carrots/lima bean/green bean mix)

8 oz gravy (I used a jar of turkey gravy)

2-1/2 cups mashed potatoes (I used instant potatoes today)

1/4 cup shredded cheese for topping, if desired (I didn't use any on mine today)

Brown the meat. Add the vegetables and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in the gravy and pour the mixture into a small baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes and garnish with parsley etc if you like. Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes, until the dish is bubbly and hot throughout. Top with shredded cheese if desired. (Rich added the cheese to his at the table. I didn't care for it--I don't think cheese and gravy "go" together.)

Don't be tempted to add any extra liquid to the dish. I thought an extra 4 oz wouldn't hurt anything and used a 12-oz jar of gravy. The liquid will bubble through the potatoes if there is too much--which mine did. It didn't ruin the taste just the appearance. I served this with homemade bread. As if it needed any extra carbs. Ha. I think the dish I used is a 9 x 7. It made 5 portion in all--2 for dinner tonight, Rich has lunch for tomorrow and we will have the leftovers in a day or two for another dinner.