Mini Shepherd’s Pot Pies

ately, I’ve been playing with pre-made pie crusts. If you know me well enough, you know I can’t bake AT ALL. In fact, this whole blog name centers around this sad lack of talent of mine. But lately, I’ve been brave and tried out the wonder that is a pre-made pie crust. It’s cheap, it’s easy, it’s a cheat but it tastes so gooood.

And since I don’t bake, I have never had a reason to use baking-related stuff. The first time I used a muffin pan in my life was a month ago when I made hash brown egg nests. Yeah, it was a little bit of an unconventional way to use muffin pans but hey, it worked and it was yummy. And today I found a second reason to use them.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 9″ refrigerated pie crusts
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1/4 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 beef bouillon cube
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste (optional)
• Pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 cups mashed potatoes (homemade or instant)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare the mashed potatoes and set aside.
2. Over medium-high heat, brown beef until fully cooked. Drain off any excess fat. Remove and set aside.
3. Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add mixed vegetables, crumble the beef bouillon cube and simmer until vegetables are soft.
4. Add beef, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and season with pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, unroll the pie crusts and roll each crust to 12″ in diameter. Cut six 4″rounds from each crust.
6. Press each round on the bottom and sides of a muffin pan and bake at 350 degrees F for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside.
7. Divide beef mixture among all 12 cups.
8. Top with some cheddar cheese and finish with mashed potatoes.
9. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until crusts are golden brown and mashed potatoes have browned.
10. Broil at 450 degrees F for 5 minutes if needed to brown the potatoes some more.
11. Let it stand for 10 minutes and remove by running a knife outside each pie.
12. Dish and serve warm.
13. Enjoy!