Get ready to have the most impressive lunch out of anyone you know. (Yes, even the chick with the bento boxes who carves boiled eggs into bunnies.) These mini Shepherd’s Pies are easy to make, and they reheat wonderfully, so you can whip up a batch for dinner and single-serving leftovers for the next day.
Plus, their small size can serve as portion control, particularly if you’re a mashed potato addict like me. Just serve ’em with a hearty salad or a non-starchy vegetable side (honey-glazed carrots, garlic-parmesan broccoli or fresh green beans are all awesome), and you’ve got a filling meal that won’t weigh you down quite like the full-sized version of this dish. It’s funny how even the most incredible foods taste better in moderation. That light side balances out the heavy entree, and you walk away from the table feeling satisfied, not…bloated and guilt-ridden.
Pre-made biscuit dough serves as a real time-saver, as does the fact that each Shepherd’s pie is palm-sized (less cook time!). You can make these in 4-inch cake tins, like we did, or in classic cupcake or muffin tins. We followed Aaron McCargo’s recipe to a T and loved it. Basically, the real work is prebaking the pie crust (AKA biscuit dough) in the muffin tin while browning the meat and making the mashed potatoes. Assembling it and cooking the whole thing is so easy we made a gif to show you:
Get Aaron’s recipe for Mini Shepherd’s Pies here
And if you have your own take on ’em, let us know. We want to try it (and feature it!).
I love shepherd’s pie, your pics look great!
Thank you! We loved the single-serving size (because I’ll be real: when I start eating anything with mashed potatoes in it, my willpower plummets). -Candace