Paleo Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is a staple in every British household and ours was no exception. I remember secretly cheering as a child when I knew Mom was fixing this for dinner. One of my favorite parts was the melted cheese on top that Mom had set under the broiler just before serving. While the nutritional yeast in this recipe is not exactly as yummy as real cheese, it does give the same added creaminess to the potatoes. The only modification I had to make was eliminating the brussel sprouts. I keep finding recipes to sneak them in, and the family just will not let me win. So...I replaced with green beans. Peas would also be a good option. And so this recipe...while not Mom's, is a great Paleo option to a childhood classic.

Ingredients

Beef Mixture:

• 1 tbsp ghee for cooking
• 1 1/2 lbs grass fed ground beef
• Sea salt and pepper (for seasoning beef
• 1 cup carrots diced
• 1 1/2 cup Brussel sprouts chopped (or green beans/peas/whatever veggie you like)
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• sprinkle of sea salt for veggies
• 3/4 cup beef or chicken bone broth
• 2 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp fresh minced thyme
• 1 tsp fresh minced rosemary

Mashed Potatoes:

• 4-6 russet potatoes or 2 1/2 lbs peeled and cut into 2” pieces
• 2/3 cup full fat coconut milk blended prior to adding
• 3 Tbsp organic ghee
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

Prepare the potatoes:

1. Heat a 3 quart pot with water, sprinkle with salt and bring to a boil. Add 2” potato pieces to the boiling water, and cook until very soft
2. Drain the potatoes and return to the pot. Set heat to low and add the ghee and coconut milk. Mash with a potato masher over very low heat, once smooth, turn heat off and add nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. If you want your potatoes really creamy, you can use an immersion blender at this point (I just put mine right in the pot.)

Prepare beef mixture and assemble/bake pie:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. In a deep oven proof skillet* (mine was 10”, add beef to skillet and sprinkle with sea salt. Brown beef over med/hi heat breaking up lumps with spoon. remove from skillet to a plate with slotted spoon and set aside.
3. Adjust heat to medium and add Brussels sprouts and carrots to skillet, stir to coat and cook about 2 minutes, then add onions and cook until softened. Add garlic and sprinkle veggies with a bit of sea salt, stir, then cover the skillet briefly to soften carrots until fork tender, if necessary.
4. Add the remaining ingredients for the beef mixture to the skillet, stir to combine, then return beef to skillet and stir to coat, simmer for 2 minutes or so to thicken the sauce and blend flavors.
5. Spread all the mashed potatoes over the beef mixture and use a spoon or spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle with parsley, then place skillet on a large baking sheet (to catch any bubbling sauce) and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and top begins to turn light brown.
6. Remove from oven, allow to sit about 10 minutes before serving hot. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*If you don't have an oven proof skillet, you can use a casserole dish instead to bake your shepherd's pie - cook beef mixture in a skillet and then transfer mixture to casserole dish once done cooking; spread mashed potatoes over the top and bake as instructed

Recipe: www.paleorunningmomma.com

Braided Spaghetti Bread

Ingredients

1. 1 Loaf Rhodes™ Bread Dough or 12 Rhodes™ Dinner Rolls, thawed to room temperature (I have also used PW's pizza crust recipe and it turned out great)
2. 6 ounces spaghetti, cooked
3. 1 cup thick spaghetti sauce
4. 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
5. 1 egg white, beaten
6. Parmesan cheese
7. parsley flakes

Instructions

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Drain and let cool slightly. Remove wrap from dough. Place spaghetti lengthwise in a 4-inch strip down center of dough. Top with sauce and cheese cubes. Make cuts 1 1/2-inches apart on long sides of dough to within 1/2-inch of filling. Begin braid by folding top and bottom strips toward filling. Then braid strips left over right, right over left. Finish by pulling last strip over and tucking under braid. Lift braid with both hands and place on a large, sprayed baking sheet. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and parsley. Bake at 350°F 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice to serve.

Spray counter lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Roll loaf or combined dinner rolls into a 12x16-inch rectangle. 

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 10-15 minutes. 

Recipe: http://www.rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/braided-spaghetti-bread

Chicken Tortilla Stack

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 9-inch flour tortillas
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 1/2 cups shredded chicken
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced, for serving
• 1 roma tomato, diced, for serving

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick spray.
• Heal olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Working one at a time, add tortilla and cook until crisp and lightly browned, about 1-2 minutes per side, flipping only once.
• Place 1 tortilla on the bottom of the springform pan. Spread 2-3 tablespoons sour cream evenly over the top, followed by chicken, sharp cheddar, Pepper Jack and mozzarella. Repeat with 3 more layers; top with remaining tortilla, sour cream and cheeses.
• Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cheeses have melted and the stack is heated through.
• Cut into wedges and serve immediately, garnished with avocado and tomato, if desired.

Recipe: http://damndelicious.net via Pinterest

Frito Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 can cresent roll dough
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 3 cups crushed corn chips
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 stick melted butter

Instructions:

1. cook ground beef and add taco seasoning and water
2. simmer 5 mins
3. add crescent roll dough to greased 9" pie pan
4. press triangles into pie dish with points toward the center
5. press seams together to seal
6. press 1 1/2 cups of the crushed corn chips on the crescent crust
7. spoon ground beef over chips evenly
8. mix sour cream with salsa
9. spread sour cream mixture over meat
10. cover with the shredded cheese
11. top with remaining crushed corn chips
12. top corn chips with melted butter
13. bake at 400 degrees for approx 20 mins (until crust is brown)

Recipe: http://centslessdeals.com/2013/05/frito-pie-recipe.html/

Cream Cheese Spaghetti

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 large can spaghetti sauce (26.5 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chopped green peppers (or red peppers, or omit all together)
• 1/3 cup chopped onions
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• French Fried Onions (small can)

Directions

1. Cook spaghetti according to directions on the package. Cook to al dente, drain and set aside.
2. Brown ground beef. Drain excess grease. Add spaghetti sauce to skillet and heat.
3. Combine onions, peppers and butter in small glass bowl. Cover and microwave 4 minutes on HIGH until soft.
4. Add cream cheese and milk to vegetables and stir well. (If cream cheese is not soft, microwave it for 20-30 seconds to make it easy to spread.)
5. Using a 10 x 6 dish, assemble in the following order:
6. Thin layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish.
7. Spaghetti
8. Cream cheese/vegetable mixture
9. Spaghetti sauce and beef mixture
10. Parmesan Cheese (amount subject to your own taste)
11. French Fried Onions (added during last 5 minutes of cooking)
12. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with French Fried onion and continue baking 5 more minutes. (This is the secret ingredient–don’t let them burn.)

Notes

Make this ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze without the French Fried onions. Don’t forget to add them 5 minutes before casserole is finished cooking.

Serves: 8


recipe: http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/scooters-spaghetti

Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg frozen hashbrowns
• 1 can cream of celery or chicken soup (do not dilute)
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• 8 oz. sour cream
• french fried onions
• add sliced ham and/or veggies if desired

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a greased 9x13 baking dish.

Bake at 350 F for 55 minutes
Add french friend onions and bake for additional 5 minutes

recipe from Mom

Pepperoni Rigatoni Casserole

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 bag of rigatoni noodles
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
• 1 bag of shredded cheese
• 1 bag of pepperonis

Fry the ground beef and drain. Boil the noodles until done. Then mix the hamburger, noodles, and spaghetti sauce together. Put half of the mix into a 9x13 pan. Then put half of the cheese and pepperonis on top. Layer again with mix, cheese and pepperonis.

Bake in oven on 350 F for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

recipe from Christina Lint

Bow-tie 'Lasagna'

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Ground Chuck
• 5 cups Bow Tie Noodles
• 3 cups Spaghetti Sauce (or Pizza Sauce, Whatever You Prefer)
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoons Garlic Powder
• 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning (or More, Make It To Your Taste)
• ½ cups Mozzarella Cheese
• ½ cups Sour Cream

Fry ground chuck in small pan. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to package directions.
After noodles are cooked, drain and drizzle with olive oil. Mix in your spaghetti sauce.
Add your fried hamburger, seasonings, cheese, and sour cream. Fold together and allow it all to combine and melt together, over low heat, for about 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Serves: 6
recipe from Rozanie at www.tastykitchen.com