Italian Shepherd's Pie

I am really ready to make fall food! Can you tell? Well, this was so good, warm, and fast! I tested it out by making it on a Sunday afternoon when everyone is hungary and ready to eat! It came together in no time and hit the spot! YUM!



Ingredients:

1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, trimmed of fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1/2 teaspoon season salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms (optional, my hubby doesn't like mushrooms so I left them out)
1 14oz. jar of pasta sauce, your favorite
6 potatoes, peeled, cubed, cooked and mashed (add your salt, butter and milk)OR 1 pouch of Betty Crocker roasted garlic mashed potatoes (made with water, milk and butter)
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
chopped fresh parsley

1.Heat oven to 375. Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium/high heat. Add beef, onion, and carrot to skillet. Sprinkle with season salt and pepper. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is brown.
2. Stir in mushrooms and pasta sauce. Heat to boiling. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spread into casserole dish. Sprinkle with cheese.
3.Ok, this is where you have two options. You can make mashed potatoes from scratch or instant potatoes. I prefer the flavor of fresh so while the meat and veggies were browning I boiled my potatoes and mashed them. You could definitely use instant and follow the instructions on the back. Either way you will have yummy potatoes. Now when your potatoes are ready spoon 6-8 mounds of potato on top of the hot beef mixture.
4. Bake 25-30 minutes or until bubbly and potatoes are a light golden brown. Top with parsley!

* I mixed up a quick fat free muffin mix and cooked the muffins and the same time as the casserole was browning. There are lots of veggies in this dish but a crisp green salad would be great too!