Reviewed: Feb. 17, 2009

Good base recipe. Made the first time exactly as recipe states. Wasn't too thrilled; the flavor was a bit too bland for my household's taste. Made again with the following changes and got a WOW from my bf: diced 1med onion and sweat in 2 tblsp olive oil. cook until translucent & add 2 tbsp minced garlic. cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 2lbs ground beef sirloin, parsley, salt and pepper and brown, drain excess. Add 15oz tomato sauce, 1 can peas, 1 can green beans, 1 can corn, mix together. Add flour and water mixture (2.5tblsp flour/4tblsp water), mix well. place into baking dish, top with colby jack or sharp cheddar cheese (I used about 1-2 cups) and then mashed taters (I did cheat and used boxed mashed potatoes that I doctored up with chives, garlic and onion powder) and cook for 20mins. take out and brush top with butter and milk and bake for 5 more minutes. Not sure if this can still be called shepherd's pie after my alterations, but we love it.

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Reviewer:

Nita Abner

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Mount Clemens, Michigan, USA

Living In: Sterling Heights, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 23, 2009

This is excellent; have made it 3 times now. My changes: Add chives to potatoes (and I like LOTS of potatoes on top); add garlic, Onion Soup Mix, 1/2 can beef broth, and beer. Simmer for about an hour. Shredded cheee on top. Can use tomato soup instead of sauce (I was in a out of the tom. sauce but decided I loved the flavor of tom. soup in this one).

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Reviewer:

GailRT

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Jan. 21, 2009

amazing! Few changes...1) I seasoned the beef some would say "mexican style" with onions, garlic, red bell pepper, cumin, oregano, chili powder, onion powder, plus the tomato sauce and parsley and salt and pepper, but i didn't have worcestershire sauce. I still thicken the beef with flour as well. 2) I don't mix the beef with the green beans. I put down the beef first and then the green beans and finally the potatoes. Of course I top it all with cheese! My mom always made this for me growing up, and now I think with this recipe, mine is probably better than hers! ;)

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Reviewer:

sassagrass

Home Town: Houston, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 6, 2009

I enjoyed this recipe; however, my four children would not eat any more after the first bite! Sorry to say I will not be making this again.... unless my children change their minds! Thanks for the recipe, though.

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Reviewer:

tracylee24

Living In: Waterloo, Iowa, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 31, 2008

Excellent recipe!!!

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Reviewer:

BeCreative2009

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Reviewed: Dec. 13, 2008

Found recipe very bland and lacking of much flavor.

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Reviewer:

PacNWCook

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Seattle, Washington, USA

Living In: Yorba Linda, California, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 4, 2008

my son, who is very fussy, loves this. I sometimes cheat and use instant mashed potatoes (the ones from real flakes) since it saves time. I also add some creamed corn to the potatoes for extra nutrition, which is good for moms who need to 'hide the vegetables"!

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Reviewer:

Steff

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Living In: Carlsbad, California, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 2, 2008

great base - as I got comfortable with it I started realizing that I could toss whatever frozen veggies I've got in the mix. Once I even just served the mix over mashed potatoes because we were to hungry to wait for the baking process - not fancy, but hearty and tasty.

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Reviewer:

Makalika

Cooking Level: Beginning

Home Town: Buckeye, Arizona, USA

Living In: New York, New York, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2008

Anything that turns out as well as this did the first time making it deserves at least 4 stars. Very Good! I'd give it 4+ if I could. I didn't have bell pepper so I used a whole poblano and two roasted green chili peppers, diced. Also, next time I make the potatoes for layering, I would add additional butter, salt and pepper to give them a little richness and depth to go with the savory meat mixture. I've added this to my meal rotation and look forward to making it again.

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Reviewer:

Lorenj

Reviewed: Nov. 12, 2008

I used 1/2 diced onions and seasoned the beef prior to cooking. I had leftover chunky mashed potatoes and they were excellent on top of the pie. Worked great!!

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