Picture with me for a moment: at the end of a busy day, sitting down with the family around a glistening, melty pan of this healthy Shepherd’s Pie. What makes it even better is that it’s high-protein, uses clean ingredients and requires no skill or brain power!
This recipe is special because it is a variation of a recipe from my wonderful Mother-in-Law, a super health-conscious lady who raised nine children. As you can imagine, she needed recipes that were filling, quick, and easy. This is one of my favorites because it is classic and super easy to memorize, so you can make it once and then make it over and over without referring to the recipe. And as a busy mom with frequent brain fog, this is a must in my kitchen!
I mixed things up a little by using mashed sweet potatoes instead of traditional mashed potatoes on top of the meat and veggie mixture. I think the sweetness pairs so well with the savory meat and vegetable filling.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- High-protein
- Quick and easy
- Healthy
- Filling
- Family-friendly
If you’re looking for more no-fuss family-friendly recipes, try my Easy Crockpot Roast or my Quick and Easy Chicken Soup!
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products that I have personally used and would recommend!
Products used in this recipe:
- Pacific Foods Cream of Chicken soup (condensed soup with clean ingredients)
- Pacific Foods Cream of Mushroom soup (condensed soup with clean ingredients)
- Salt (my favorite)
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground meat
- 16 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
- ½ can Pacific Foods Cream of Mushroom Soup
- ½ can Pacific Foods Cream of Chicken Soup
- About ¼ cup finely chopped onion (see notes), optional
- 2 lb. sweet potatoes, cooked until very soft and skin removed (see notes)
- ½ cup milk (any kind)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 ½ cups any kind of shredded cheese
Directions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 F. Brown meat in a medium-sized pan.
Step 2: In a large casserole dish (about 9 by 13″), combine cooked meat with vegetables, condensed soup, and onions if using.
Step 3: In a separate bowl or container, thoroughly mash the sweet potatoes with the milk and salt. Spread over top of the meat and veggie mixture, gently so as not to disturb the first layer too much.
Step 4: Top with cheese and bake uncovered at 350 F for about half an hour. (If you have a microwave-safe casserole dish, you can even cook it in the microwave until heated through.) Then, if desired, broil until the cheese gets nice and bubbly and slightly browned. Watch it carefully to avoid burning. Enjoy! Makes about 8 hearty servings of around 300 calories each.
Notes: I like to purchase a tub of pre-chopped onions from my local grocery store. The small extra cost is well worth it to me for the extra convenience!
While you can cook the sweet potatoes however you like (including in the microwave, which is my second favorite option), I think the easiest way is to throw them in the crockpot earlier in the day. Then let them cool well and remove the skins. They should come off easily.
