Pitch In – Southern Shepherd’s Pie

For dinner during our up-cycle event, we decided to do it pitch-in style. Only instead of everyone bring their own dish, we all provided some ingredients. The idea was simple: take stock of the supplies and see how creative we could get with a recipe. Here is what we had to work with:

Ali supplied: Pie crust & sliced cheese
Bryce supplied: Instant mashed potatoes, green beans, milk, and smoked sausage
Kyla supplied: Cream style corn, corn bread mix, and bacon

We opted to make one big comfort food style dish! Something with a pie crust, but with a little of our own homestyle flair! Southern Style Shepherd’s Pie. Just like the classic dish, but with a few little substitutions…

Instead of beef, we used smoked sausage and bacon. With the leftover bacon, Kyla used her grandmother’s southern cooking skills to whip up some gravy! We poured a layer over the meat and topped it with some cut green beans (in place of peas). 

And to top it all off, we threw on some instant mashed potatoes (buttery style) flavored with granulated garlic. The last layer was some ripped up sliced cheese and a dash of paprika for color. All the ingredients you need for the perfect comfort food dish.

For a side item, we made corn bread muffins and added a can of cream style corn, making them just a little bit heartier. A classic companion to a meat & potatoes dish. Not only was our little experiment not a failure, it was a smashing success! Thanks to some salt & pepper and a dash of ingenuity, we had an extremely tasty dinner! Paired with a little wine, of course.

bon appetite!
Ali, Bryce, Kyla, & Tosha