Easy Shepherd's Pie - Half Homemade

My friend (and step-mother to my oldest son Will), Brittany, blogged about her Shepherd's Pie recipe the other day. It sounded SO delicious, I had to create a recipe of my own.

As I've mentioned before, I like to keep things EASY-PEASY when I'm making weeknight dinners...the kids are so busy with riding and other sports, that I need to save time where I can...while still making my family a delicious, homecooked meal.

Shepherd's Pie is a great meal, because it can utilize leftovers, and a lot of ingredients most people generally have on hand...plus it's customizable for pickier eaters who only like certain veggies. It's definitely a "comfort food" for me, so not the healthiest thing ever, but it is OH so delicious!

Shepherd's Pie
1.5 lbs ground beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
Veggies
Approx. 3 cups Mashed Potatoes
2 c. shredded cheddar

***Notes: the ground beef could easily be substituted with leftover chicken, turkey or steak. The veggies are totally up to you. Last night I used corn, peas and green beans because that's what I had on hand, but try other veggies...onions, celery, carrots, cauliflower...the possibilities are really limitless here. And for the mashed potatoes, I used my leftover garlic mashed, but you could make them the day of or used instant mashed if you don't have any leftovers.

1. (Assuming you're using ground beef and not leftover meat) Brown the ground beef...seasoning to taste. If you are using onion or celery, add it to the meat and cook until semi-translucent.
2. If you are using fresh veggies. cook with the meat until they begin to soften. If you are using canned or frozen veggies, skip this step.
3. Mix meat, veggies and canned soups well and pour into a 9x13 pan.
4. Heat mashed potatoes slightly (they're easier to spread if they're warm) and layer on top of meat/veggie mixture. (As I said, I used my garlic mashed that I make with red potatoes, garlic and parmesan cheese...SO delicious!)
5. Top with shredded cheese.
6. Bake at 350° approximately 45 minutes, or until heated through. Cheese should be melted and bubbly. (I put my 9x13 pan on a cookie sheet in case it bubbles over a little bit)
7. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before digging in!

ENJOY!

Even my boys LOVE this. I know I've hit the jackpot when I get a "Momma, this is YUMMY!" LOL! :)