I have been craving sweet potatoes lately, and am always looking for an easy, filling dinner… so I threw together this incredibly simple, delicious & comforting Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie.
We all loved it, including my 6 month old baby who had his pureed with this great baby food mill!
(This would also be great with ground turkey instead of beef, if that’s your thing!)
If you like sweet potatoes, give these a try! And if you like spicy food, go a little crazy with the chipotle chili powder and garlic. They really add something special to this dish (and marry so well with the sweet potatoes!)
Ingredients
- 2-3 lbs ground beef
- salt & pepper, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder or cayenne pepper
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 1/2 cups beef stock
- 3 cups frozen corn
- mashed sweet potatoes*
- paprika or more chipotle powder, for sprinkling
- 1-2 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil, for drizzling on top, optional
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Grease a 9x13" baking dish and set aside.
In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef, breaking it up into small pieces and seasoning it well with salt & pepper and chipotle powder.
Remove the meat with a slotted spoon to the prepared baking dish.
Drain off all but 1 tablespoon of the leftover grease (add a bit of coconut oil or butter if your meat was very lean!) and sauté the onions until soft, about 5-10 minutes, and then stir in the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until very fragrant.
Stir in the condensed soup and stock, stirring well to combine, and simmer on low for 5-10 minutes, until heated through.
While the sauce/onion mixture is simmering, scatter the frozen corn on top of the ground beef in your baking dish. Pour the sauce evenly over the top, then 'frost' with your mashed sweet potatoes*.
Sprinkle the top with additional chipotle or paprika, and drizzle with a touch of melted butter, if desired.
Bake in your preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly browned and the sauce is bubbling.
TIP: This is a great make ahead dish: Just prepare the dish without baking it and place it in the fridge or freezer until you are ready to use it. If refrigerated, bake time will be more like 50-60 minutes!
*This is a great way to use up leftover mashed sweet potatoes if you have them. If you don't, an easy way to do this is to microwave your sweet potatoes (stab all over with a fork, then cook on HIGH for 8-12 minutes until very soft!), scrape out all the filling into a bowl with some cream or milk, salt & pepper, (garlic & chipotle, if you'd like) and whip up with a fork until well blended and fluffy!
http://sweetannas.com/2009/10/simple-sweet-potato-shepherds-pie.html