Piping Hot Freezer Pie

I love freezer cooking! It is a life saver! I have found everything people say about how it saves time and money while being far healthier than fast food to be true! It’s like having a safety net if the day gets away from me or if the weather is terrible and I don’t have any groceries or if someone is sick, etc. I can still serve a yummy meal without dishing out extra cash for delivery.

Before we moved, I was able to be a part of a freezer cooking event at the church my family belonged to. In the days leading up to cooking day, the congregation signed up to bring the ingredients needed and then dropped them off to the church kitchen. The morning of cooking day, a group of a dozen or so women came together in the church kitchen and turned out a couple dozen meals. All the meals were stored in the church freezer and when someone was ill or had a new baby or some other immediate need, the pastoral team would take them a meal. I love this ministry. It is so simple but such a powerful way to help another person and I was blessed to be a part of it.

I have given away freezer meals to friends of mine who could use a little dinner time relief and I have also given them as gifts! People love food! And if you can feed them something delicious that they don’t have to fuss over, what a fabulous gift!

I have done the one day freezer cooking marathon before and it was good. I made the meals I had planned and ended up with three additional meals from the leftover ingredients. The result was something like 22 meals; lasting roughly three months at my house. That is just about perfect as you don’t typically want to keep meals frozen longer than three months. However, my favorite way to do freezer cooking is just to double something I’m already making and pop one in the freezer. This gives me a wide variety in the freezer and I don’t have to dedicate hours to the cause; just the amount of time I was already going to spend on dinner.

Today’s doubled-up recipe is Shepherd’s Pie. Yet again, I am not claiming authenticity… it just tastes good! I have had shepherd’s pie at an Irish pub but I found it a bit bland. I’ve been playing with my recipe for a little while and this is my family likes it best! My method for making this might be a bit odd. I like to make my meat base and divide it into two pans and freeze it. Then I make my mashed potatoes, cool them, and spread them over the frozen base. Two reasons I do this, 1) It’s really easy to spread the potatoes over the frozen base, 2) It allows me to break up the process on the days I have less time in the kitchen.

Shepherd’s Pie comes out of the oven piping hot and full of comfort! The meat and veggies are coated in savory gravy and the potatoes are just barely starting to crisp. It’s not fancy but it just feels like home.

Shepherd’s Pie

(makes 2 casseroles)

2 lbs ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

3 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1 bag frozen mixed vegetables (1 lb), thawed

4 lbs potatoes

1/3 cup whole milk

1/2 cup butter

Salt & Pepper to taste

Over medium-high heat, brown ground beef and onions. When beef is cooked through, add 3 Tbsp butter and 1/4 cup flour. Stir and allow flour to cook 1-2 minutes. Gradually add beef broth and stir to avoid lumps. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce.

Add mixed vegetable and allow to simmer about 10 minutes.

Transfer meat mixture to two greased baking dishes (8”x10” or similar). Allow to cool and then freeze until solid.

For mashed potatoes:

Peal and boil potatoes. When potatoes are fork-tender, drain and set aside. Melt butter in pan potatoes were boiled in over medium heat. Add milk and let it warm for 2-3 minutes. Add potatoes back into butter and milk mix and mash. Season with salt and pepper.

When potatoes are cooled, remove meat mixture from freezer and top with potatoes. Smooth potatoes with spoon or spatula so entire meat base is covered and potatoes reach edges of pan.

Immediately return pan to freezer if you are not eating it on the same day. To serve on the same day, place in the refrigerator to thaw meat base.

To heat Shepherd’s pie for serving, preheat oven to 350°. Cover and bake approximately 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake additional 15-20 or until heated through and potatoes are just starting to brown.