Jess's Spin on Deb's Shepards Pie

I had told the Mr. I wanted to whip together a Shepard’s Pie for the first day of Fall, I was telling him what I was going to put in it and when I mentioned tomato paste added to the ground meat .. he almost fell out of his chair! His mom (Deb) growing up ALWAYS used Cream of Mushroom Soup .. when he told me that, I almost fell out of my chair too. It seemed so bizarre to me. I decided though, that the flavor of the Shepard Pie was more important to him then me, so I agreed to create a recipe using mushroom soup. I did however stand firm on using ground chicken instead of ground beef to really make it my own. It turned out amazing!

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Lb. Ground Chicken

• 1.5 Cup Shredded Italian Cheese

• 1/2 Cup Milk

• 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese

• 4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 Small White Onion, diced

• 1 Can Peas/Carrots, drained

• 1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup

• 2 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

• 1 Tbsp. Butter

• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

• 2 Tsp. Salt

• 2 Tsp. Pepper

• 1 Tsp. Dried Parsley for garnish

Directions

• Pre-heat oven to 400F degrees. Boil potatoes in a large pot with water. Continue boiling until potatoes are soft enough to easily stick a fork all the way through (about 20 minutes).

• While potatoes are browning, combine chicken, onion, 1 tbsp. garlic powder, salt and pepper in a pan. Add Worcestershire and continue to cook. Turn heat down slightly and allow all flavors to blend. Add can of mushroom soup and 3 tbsp. of milk., continue to simmer.

• Drain potatoes and then add back to the pot, add 1 tbsp garlic powder, salt, pepper, remaining milk and parmesan cheese. Mix well.

• Spray a glass casserole dish (typically 9X11 but you can make any size work really) with cooking spray to avoid sticking.

• Scoop ground meat into the bottom of the dish and flatten out. Layer on peas/carrots then scoop out the potatoes evenly on top of all. Ensure you smooth the potatoes out well. Top with remaining shredded cheese (always feel free to add extra if that is your style!).

• Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling well. Sprinkle with dried parsley and then serve with a nice piece of garlic bread.