Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!! I have never really done much to celebrate this holiday, although I think any reason for some fun is a good thing. Also, any reason for great recipes is a great thing. 😀

Last night I made a recipe that was recently posted on Gina's Weight Watchers Recipes blog. I have never done Weight Watchers, but I do really like how they focus on making healthy eating a lifestyle. Gina's recipes are a great example of that too. I love catching the recipes from her site because they epitomize the main 3 rules of anything I am willing to attempt to cook. 1) Nutritious and wholesome ingredients, 2) Delicious, and 3) EASY!! I have said numerous times, I am not a culinary master, or even much of an apprentice for that matter, so the simpleness of the recipe is a must for me.

So, what recipe did I whip up en la cocina last night? A perfect meal for St. Patty's Day - Lightened Up Shepherd's Pie. We'll pretend I made it a day early so I could post the recipe on St. Patrick's Day. 😉 Mmmkay? Now to the good stuff!

INGREDIENTS

Shepard's Pie, Lightened Up
Gina's Weight Watcher Recipes
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: about 10.6 oz • Calories: 274 • Points: 5 ww pts

Potatoes:

• 1 1/2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, diced
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 tbsp fat free sour cream
• salt and pepper
• paprika

Filling:

• 1 lb 95% lean ground beef
• 1 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 celery stalk, chopped - omitted bec didn't have any
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 8 oz mushrooms, diced
• 10 oz frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, peas, green beans, baby lima beans)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 cup fat free beef broth
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary leaves
• 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper

In advance I apologize for the lack of pretty pictures and no photos for all parts. I was too distracted by these two goofy characters:

my sis and M

Step One: Peel and chop the potatoes. Then boil until soft. Mash with chicken broth, sour cream, S&P, and paprika. Set aside until ready to top the filling.

Potatoes Getting Ready for a Party in the Hottub

*Go ahead and preheat oven to 400*

Step Two: Brown the ground beef. Could also use ground turkey or prepare some soy "meat" crumbles for a vegetarian dish. When finished, set aside on a plate or dish.

Cooking up that Lean Beef

Step Three: Add oil to the pan. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil. After 2-3 minutes, add the diced mushrooms and saute another 4-5 minutes.

Saute, Hey!

Step Four: Add the flour, salt, and pepper and mix well. Then add the remaining ingredients - frozen veggies, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, beef broth, herbs, and beef. Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Step Five: Pour mixture from pan into a 9x13 baking dish.  Spread evenly.

Base Layer of all the Goods

Step Six: Top with the mashed potatoes. Should form about a 1/4" or so even layer over the top of the filling.

Creamy Potato Blanket

Layered Up

Step Seven: Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. You can go ahead and clean your kitchen here too. 😉

I Cook with Energy

Step Eight: Allow to cool and then dish yourself out a nice sized serving.

My Plate

This recipe was GREAT! And I at least made it to culinary apprentice with its success. 😉 It will definitely become one of those staples for us to have every few weeks. 😀 I foresee some leftovers for lunch. Gotta celebrate the Irish day some way.

Do you do anything for St. Patrick's Day?

Do you have any recipe rules like my Simple, Delicious, and Nutritious guide?

Psst...a couple giveaways to check out. Amie from The Healthy Apple and Heather from Heather's Dish.