This kid friendly shepherd’s pie recipe is a family favorite! It is a simple, classic Irish dish that even your picky eaters will love! If you are in search of an easy family dinner, then this recipe is for you! Make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to enter a giveaway for $150 in cash via PayPal!

Kid Friendly Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Name: Kid-Friendly Shepherd's Pie
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1/4 cup olive oil, divided; 2 cups beef or vegatable stock; 1 lb ground beef or turkey; 2 tbsp all purpose flour; 2 packages Idahoan mashed potatoes; 2-3 stalks celery, sliced thinly; 1 cup carrots, sliced thinly; 2-3 cloves garlic; 1/2 medium-sized onion; 1 cup frozen peas; chives for garnish (optional)

Shepherd’s Pie is a simple, easy to make, Irish-inspired dish that has flavors that will please any meat and potatoes lover! I made this recipe for my husband for the first time last week, and it was love at first bite. My husband grew up in Cuba, so Irish dishes definitely weren’t eaten in his household! He loved the meat and potato combination, and I love that it is full of veggies that are kid-friendly, like carrots and peas!

This dinner is easy to throw together on busy week night, which is a must for dinners in our household! Since my husband and I both work full time, we need meals that are easy to throw together in a pinch!

This recipe is versatile, too, since you can use either ground beef or turkey. I’m sure veggie crumbles would work, too!

To start, you simply chop the vegetables that are needed for the recipe (carrots, celery, and onion, and garlic). I always recommend using a garlic press instead of chopping garlic. It makes the process a lot easier and I’m all for that!

Once the veggies have softened, you can set them aside and cook your meat of choice (ground beef or turkey) in the same pan. After the meat has browned you use the flour and stock to create a roux or thickened sauce.

Then you simply add the veggies and peas in with the meat and spoon the mixture into a 9×9 dish.

Instead of making mashed potatoes from scratch for the topping, I use Idahoan mashed potatoes (and no, Idahoan didn’t pay me to say that, I just really love this brand!). They make a variety of flavors, but for this recipe I love the butter & herb variety. Idahoan mashed potatoes are so simple to make and taste just as good as home made! Of course, if you prefer to make your own mashed potatoes that is perfectly fine, too!

After you make the potatoes, you gently spread them over the top of the meat and veggie mixture and cook for 40 minutes or until the vegetables have fully softened. And if you like, you can garnish the top with chopped chives.

If an easy dinner for busy week nights is what you are looking for, I hope you love this kid friendly shepherd’s pie recipe as much as we do!

Kid-Friendly Shepherd's Pie

This delicious and kid-friendly shepherd's pie recipe is sure to become a family favorite!

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 cups beef or vegatable stock
1 lb ground beef or turkey
2 tbsp all purpose flour
2 packages Idahoan mashed potatoes
2-3 stalks celery, sliced thinly
1 cup carrots, sliced thinly
2-3 cloves garlic
1/2 medium-sized onion
1 cup frozen peas
chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 tsp. of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery and carrots to the skillet and saute for 3-5 minutes to soften. Add in the onions and garlic and saute for 2 more minutes.

2) While the veggies are cooking, warm the beef or vegetable stock in a small saucepan over medium heat.
3) Add 2 tbsp of broth to the vegetable mixture to deglaze the pan. Transfer the veggies to a bowl and set aside.
4) Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in the skillet over medium high heat.
5) Add the ground beef or turkey to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink.
6) While the meat is cooking, prepare the mashed potatoes according to package directions.
7) Turn the stove down to medium low heat and sprinkle the flour over the cooked meat. Stir together and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
8) Add 1 1/2 cups warm stock to the beef and stir quickly to prevent lumps as the sauce can thicken quickly. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes and then remove the skillet from the heat.
9) Return the vegetable mixture to the skillet and add in the frozen peas. Stir to combine.
10) Combine the mashed potatoes with the remaining 1/2 cup of stock and mix well.
11) Spoon the beef and vegetable mixture into a 9x9 baking dish and gently spread the mashed potatoes over the top as evenly as possible.
12) Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, then turn the oven up to 400 degrees and bake for an additional 10 minutes to ensure that the vegetables have fully softened.
13) Let cool slightly and garnish the top with finely chopped chives (optional).

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