Have you ever had shepherd’s pie before? I remember when I was younger and my mom used to make it with the leftover mashed potatoes that we had from our dinner the night before. Shepherd’s pie can be a lot of different things but basically it’s a casserole with layers of cooked meat, vegetables and mashed potatoes. My mom used to put green beans, beef and there was some sort of tomato based layer, I think. It’s been a long time…but I do remember loving it.
Sometimes we need to repurpose leftovers for another meal. This is one of those meals. Making something new out of last night’s dinner. But not having it taste exactly like last nights dinner..that is the trick!
you eat your shepherd’s pie…
there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch
over their flock by night.
lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone
round about them: and they were sore afraid.
angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people.
unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is
Christ the Lord.
For this recipe I started with leftover roast beef and mashed potatoes and gravy from a large Sunday dinner we ate with my husband’s family. The roast beef was the kind you carve and somewhat dry. But don’t you worry friends, it’s not going to be that any longer. I believe in change. Don’t you? I threw the leftover roast beef (it was a pound of cooked meat) into the slow cooker along with a package of Hurst’s Slow Cooker Chili. You see I wanted to make this a mashup of two different recipes–shepherd’s pie and chili. Weird, maybe? Genius, I think so.
These beans don’t need to be soaked overnight. If you remember to soak the night before then do it, but if you don’t it’s not the end of the world. I didn’t soak mine this time (although in the past I usually do).
Turkey Bacon Avocado Bean Soup: another great post-Thanksgiving recipe for any leftover turkey….
Posted by Hurst Beans on Wednesday, November 25, 2015
I added in about half the chili seasoning packet into the slow cooker and reserved the rest for later. I like to add half the seasoning at the beginning so the flavors can cook into the food and then add half at the end so that the cooked food gets a brightened flavor.
After the beans and the dry roast cooked together all day along with a few other ingredients, the roast became fall apart tender and shreddable…just what I was hoping for. I was telling my husband “isn’t it weird that you can take meat that’s been cooked already and is all dried out and cook it again all day and it becomes amazing?!” This happens with roast…just make sure to surround the roast with some type of liquid and give it several hours to cook on low.
to try featuring Hurst’s Beans:
- Turkey Bacon Avocado Bean Soup
- 15-Bean Chili with Cajun Lime Sour Cream
- Chipotle White Bean Chicken Chowder
- White Bean Soup with Ham, Cheddar and Bacon
- Warm Cheesy Bacon Dip
After the beans and roast are tender you ladle a large scoop over warmed up mashed potatoes. Comfort food perfect for a cold winter night.
Shepherd’s Pie Chili
- Cook Time: 8-12 hours
- Total Time: 47 minute
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 package Hurst’s Slow Cooker Chili with seasoning packet
- 6 cups water (if you soaked overnight) or 8 cups water (if you didn’t soak the beans)
- 2 tsp beef bouillon
- 3 Tbsp dehydrated onion or 1 onion minced
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 lb leftover roast beef
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 cups leftover beef gravy
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- Leftover mashed potatoes
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Soak beans overnight if you remember. If not, rinse them and add to the slow cooker. Add in 8 cups of water if you didn’t soak the beans and 6 cups water if you did soak the beans. Add in half of the Hurst’s seasoning packet. Reserve the rest for later.
- Add in bouillon, onion, garlic powder, roast beef and salt.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-12 hours, or until beans are tender and roast is falling apart and easily shreddable. Shred the meat, it really shouldn’t be hard to do this step.
- Add in remaining portion of seasoning packet, 2 cups of leftover beef gravy, tomato paste and then stir. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Warm up leftover mashed potatoes and scoop into individual servings bowls. Ladle beef and bean mixture over the mashed potatoes and enjoy.
Notes
Next time I make this I will add in a bag of frozen peas at the end.
Ideal slow cooker size: 6 quart
what kind of beans and how much? they aren’t mentioned.
★★★
it’s this product: https://hurstbeans.com/products/hursts-slow-cooker-chili
I love this idea but you should rename it Slow Cooker Cottage Pie. Shepherd’s pie is lamb and Cottage Pie is beef 🙂
What amount of beans ??
1 (15.5 oz) package.
What kind of beans do you recommend?
this sounds just about perfect for cold nights!!
We all love chili at our house and I think my family would really enjoy this dish!
This is brilliant! Shepherd's Pie is a huge favorite here…my kids love it! I love the idea of this combo…and making it in the slow cooker!
Thanks! I hope you like it 🙂