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Easy 5-Ingredient Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Routines/schedules: Do they serve you or enslave you?

Easy 5-Ingredient Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

This Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe is a great frugal weeknight dinner idea! It’s also versatile and is a great way to clean out your fridge, use up your leftovers, and fill up your family without breaking the bank!

Recipe created by my sister, Brigette.

If you’re on the lookout for frugal, simple, fill-you-up kinds of recipes, this one is for you!

With only a few ingredients, it couldn’t be any simpler! It’s also my 15-year-old son’s most requested meal (so that tells you how good it is!).

Ingredients for Easy Shepherd’s Pie

NOTE: The measurements are very “loose” for this recipe — use what you have on hand and don’t worry about exact measurements.

1-2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained
2 cans (10.75 oz. each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted (or homemade condensed tomato soup)
2 cans (14.5 oz. each) green beans (or another veggie), drained
3 cups prepared mashed potatoes* (here’s an easy mashed potato recipe)
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper (to taste)

*Anytime I make mashed potatoes, I purposefully prepare lots of extras so we have enough to make this recipe the next day.

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe Substitutions:

Shepherd’s Pie is extremely versatile — feel free to customize it to your own preferences or even use up whatever leftovers you have in the house!

Here are some substitution ideas or ways to change up the flavor:

Add in more veggies (a can of corn, leftover cooked carrots, or steamed veggies) for a little extra flavor and color variety.
Bulk it up by adding more mashed potatoes to the top — a great way to feed those hungry teens.
Use brown gravy (preferably beef) in place of the tomato soup for a beefier flavor.
Add in sautéd or caramelized onions for a big flavor boost.
Mix up the cheese (fresh parmesan is fantastic!).
Sprinkle a little parsley or chives (fresh or dried) on top of the potatoes and cheese.

How to Make This Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.

2. Spread cooked ground beef in a large baking dish (9″x13″ pan, Dutch oven, cast iron pan, etc.).

3. Pour both cans of soup over meat (you could also use beef gravy).

4. Pour cans of drained veggies over soup and meat.

5. Top with already-prepared or boxed mashed potatoes.

6. Sprinkle grated cheese over potatoes.

7. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until heated through.

Easy Shepherd’s Pie

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword easy dinner, family favorite, potatoes, weeknight dinner

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Servings people

Calories 400kcal

Author Brigette

Ingredients

1-2 lbs ground beef (browned and drained)
21.5 ounces condensed tomato soup (condensed tomato soup, undiluted)
29 ounces canned green beans (or another veggie, drained)
3 cups mashed potatoes (leftovers or instant)
2 cups cheddar cheese (shredded)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.
Spread cooked ground beef in a large baking dish (9″x13″ pan, Dutch oven, cast iron pan, etc.)
Pour both cans of soup over meat (you could also use beef gravy).
Pour cans of drained veggies over soup and meat.
Topped with already prepared mashed potatoes.
Sprinkle grated cheese over potatoes.
Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until heated through.

Notes

Shepherd’s Pie is extremely versatile and the measurements are very “loose” — use what you have on hand and don’t worry about exact measurements (this recipe is a fantastic way to use up leftovers!)

Use pulled pork or leftover roast in place of the ground beef for a “fancier” meal.
Add in more veggies (a can of corn, leftover cooked carrots, or steamed veggies) for a little extra flavor and color variety.
Bulk it up by adding more mashed potatoes to the top — a great way to feed those hungry teens.
Use brown gravy (preferably beef) in place of the tomato soup for a beefier flavor.
Add in sautéd or caramelized onions for a big flavor boost.
Mix up the cheese (fresh parmesan is fantastic!)
Sprinkle a little Parley or Chives (fresh or dried) on top of the potatoes and cheese.

Nutrition

What are your favorite go-to frugal meals?

Routines/schedules: Do they serve you or enslave you?

Well, we recorded this episode at the latest time we’ve ever recorded a podcast episode — past 10 p.m.! We found a window of time to record this before our family trip to Missouri to pick up Silas from camp followed by his big baseball tournament in Mississippi and so we jumped on it, even though it was late at night!

Jesse has been getting up at 6:00 a.m. to hit the CrossFit gym again, which has been a fantastic start to his days, although it certainly makes 10 p.m. feel like midnight!

In a recent episode, Jesse and I discussed our goals for the summer, and I am thrilled to share that I’m making some great progress, especially with tracking everything on the Strides app! For the first time, my goal of spending 1,000 hours outside this year is in the green (summer and baseball make it much easier to be outdoors more!)

I am also on track with my reading goal and am aiming to finish fifty books by the end of the summer, I have already finished almost ten, and it’s only June! (Plus, my annual goal is seventy-five, so if I actually finish 50 this summer, I’ll be well ahead of schedule!)

Jesse and I also discuss how our slowed-down summer theme has allowed us more family movie nights. We watched The Boys in the Boat, a beautifully crafted film based on true events, and The Challenger: The Final Flight, a riveting documentary on Netflix about the 1986 Challenger disaster. I vaguely remember the tragedy from my childhood but learned a lot that I don’t remember about the events surrounding it since I was so young.

We also discuss something that resonated with me this summer – whether our routines and goals serve us or enslave us. For example, running 100 miles this summer has been a positive challenge for me. It’s a time for prayer, thinking, and even playing brain games like Connections from The New York Times while I run. It’s been beneficial rather than burdensome as it might be for some others. Asking ourselves as we create routines or set goals: “Will this serve us or enslave us?” Can be a really insightful question!

In This Episode

[0:36] – This is the latest that we’ve ever recorded an episode – it’s after 10 p.m.!
[1:44] – Jesse’s morning routine of starting with a cold shower and workout significantly impacts his day.
[3:36] – I am excited that my summer goals are progressing well, with significant improvement in outdoor hours!
[4:41] – An update on how I’m doing on my reading goals for the summer.
[5:45] – We have enjoyed films like The Boys in the Boat and Challenger: The Final Flight this summer.
[8:44] – I reflect on how watching Challenger: The Final Flight revealed surprising details and life lessons about decision-making.
[11:31] – A listener thanks us for introducing Ruta Sepetys’ books and recommends A Higher Call.
[12:54] – I recently finished Slow Growth Equals Strong Roots by Mary Marantz which resonated with my journey of confronting perfectionism.
[15:53] – A friend inspired me with her unscheduled summer approach, although I do need a routine to slow down.
[17:24] – Do your routines serve you or enslave you?
[19:09] – I’ve been enjoying playing the Connections game during my runs because it keeps my mind engaged.
[20:41] – I personally cherish my time running, when I pray and think freely; it’s liberating to me, not confining.