Shepherd's Pie Peppers

And now, an homage to my roots.  Shepherd's Pie is traditionally made in a pie crust with a layer of meat and vegetables, topped with delicious mashed potatoes.  The problem is that if we ate Shepherd's Pie once a month, we would probably have high blood pressure and cholesterol.  We barely even have the real thing once a year--I requested it as my special birthday dish this year. The hubs made the family recipe and it was delicious!  So having that fairly recent memory in my head, how did this light version measure up??


First, if you look at the recipe you'll notice that we have the peas and carrots on the side when they should be in the peppers. Oops. It was a Top Chef improv moment, and it turned out ok.  


I thought this was delicious!  I made sure to cook the peppers to near exhaustion, so that they would be sure to fall apart with the light touch of the fork. :)  It was a great way to have a taste of Shepherd's Pie.  The best part? Only two servings. That way you're not stuck with a weeks' worth of fatty, salty, delicious, unhealthy leftovers.  


As for the alterations, we clearly left out the peas and carrots but cooked them as a side dish.  Additionally, we used ground beef instead of lamb or sirloin.  Based on comments from other reviewer, we also swapped refrigerated mashed potatoes for the frozen ones.


I would make it again but when asking the other half of this duo, he replied 'I like the regular version better'. Duh cause it's laden with a heavy (but delicious) pie crust.  If you're looking for a quick fix, this will get it done.




As of today's post, two people rated this a four out of five. I would agree.


Recipe by Angie Sinclair, Cooking Light, June 2003

• YIELD: 2 servings (serving size: one stuffed pepper)
• COURSE: Main Dishes

Ingredients

• 2 large green bell peppers (about 1 pound)
• Cooking spray
• 6 ounces lean boneless leg of lamb or lean boneless sirloin steak, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup fat-free beef broth
• 2/3 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup frozen mashed potatoes
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese
• Dash of paprika

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Cut tops off bell peppers; discard tops, seeds, and membranes. Cook peppers in boiling water 5 minutes; drain and set aside.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add lamb; cook 6 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. Wipe drippings from skillet with a paper towel.
• Return lamb to pan; add broth and the next 6 ingredients (broth through salt). Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring well with a whisk. Add to lamb mixture; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Divide the lamb mixture evenly between peppers. Place stuffed peppers in an 8-inch square baking dish, and set aside.
• Combine the potatoes and milk in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring well. Microwave at HIGH 2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Let stand for 2 minutes. Spoon warm potato mixture evenly over tops of stuffed peppers, and lightly coat the potato mixture with cooking spray. Combine the cheese and paprika; sprinkle over potato mixture.
• Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until potatoes are golden.

Nutritional Information

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• Amount per serving
• Calories: 386
• Calories from fat: 21%
• Fat: 9g
• Saturated fat: 3.3g
• Monounsaturated fat: 3.4g
• Polyunsaturated fat: 1.1g
• Protein: 30.1g
• Carbohydrate: 43.3g
• Fiber: 6.2g
• Cholesterol: 66mg
• Iron: 3.7mg
• Sodium: 991mg
• Calcium: 173mg