Feed 6 on $5 part 2

Another example of a satisfying, albeit very simple, meal put together to feed 6 people on $5, with leftovers for the next day!

Our Reformation celebration dinner (see post below) was just scrumptious: a Scottish shepherd's pie with some trimmings (bread, crudites, relish plate, shortbread cookies). I've been craving that shepherd's pie ever since. So I thought I'd give it a shot at home, and even without the recipe to go by, it turned out quite well. Here are the basic instructions, followed by the cost breakdown.

Brown a pound of ground beef in a heavy skillet and drain it well. Season with thyme, sage, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add 1 cup diced carrots and 1 cup frozen peas. (I steamed both in the microwave first to soften a little.) Cook together until carrots are tender enough to put a fork into, but not mushy.

Meanwhile, roughly peel and then cube about 4 medium sized white potatoes. Boil in salted water until soft. Drain and mash with 1/3 cup milk.



Spread the meat and vegetables evenly in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.



Top with the mashed potatoes, and sprinkle with about 3 ounces of shredded sharp cheddar cheese (or other strongly flavored cheese).
Bake in a 375 degree oven just until cheese is well melted. Serve immediately.

We got 6 very hearty servings from this dish with enough leftovers for a solid side dish for the girls and me at lunch the next day.

Here's the cost breakdown (tax included):

1 lb. ground beef on sale at Ingles for $1.88/lb: $1.92
4 medium carrots, Aldi 2 lb for 99 cents: $0.26
1 cup peas from 6-cup bag for $2.29: $0.39
3 oz cheddar cheese, on sale at Ingles for $3.99/lb: $0.76
1/3 cup milk, Aldi $1.99/gallon: $0.04
seasonings--salt, thyme, sage, Worce. sauce: $0.25
4 medium potatoes (free for us from FIL's garden, but
at Grocery Outlet for $0.78/lb loose) $1.19

Grand total: $4.81
(And for us, since the potatoes were free this time, it was really just $3.62 so even when we add in milk for the girls to drink, the total was just $3.87. Again, nothing fancy, but not too bad! And we were NOT hungry at all afterward.)