Easy As Pie

A while back, I found a recipe that looked interesting and unique on kraftfoods.com and filed it away to try someday. Well today was the day that I finally dusted it off and gave it a whirl. This was a simple but complete dinner that had plenty of leftovers for us to enjoy tomorrow for lunch. It was a twist on your traditional shepherd's pie (and I would say a healthier twist). So if you are looking for a quick and fairly simple dinner recipe with ingredients you probably already have on hand, this is a keeper. I think that it has made its way into our dinner rotation. I doubled the recipe and had all ingredients on hand but you could probably make some easy substitutions if you didn't have them all in your pantry.

Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 30 min
Makes: 2 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

1 sweet potato (1/2 lb) peeled, cut into 2 in chunks
2 Tbsp chive and onion light cream cheese spread
1/2 lb extra lean ground beef
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 green onion, chopped
2 Tbsp light balsamic vinaigrette reduced fat dressing
2 tsp flour
1/4 cup water
1 cup frozen green beans

Preheat oven to 375 F. Microwave potatoes in small microwaveable bowl on high 4 min or until tender. Mash until smooth, gradually adding cream cheese spread and mixing until well blended after each addition. Set aside.

Cook meat with mushrooms and onions in dressing in large skillet until meat is browned, stirring occasionally. Drain. Meanwhile, mix flour and water in medium bowl until well blended. Add to meat mixture; cook an additional 2 min or until slightly thickened, stirring constantly. Add beans; mix lightly. *Spoon into 2 cup ramekins; top evenly with potato mixture, spreading to evenly cover meat mixture in each dish.

Bake 15 min or until casseroles are heated through and tops are lightly browned.

*Since I doubled the recipe, I used a 2 1/2 qt casserole dish. You could probably use a 5x8 loaf pan instead of the ramekins.

Enjoy!!