Shepherd’s Pie Soup

All of the flavours of shepherd’s pie is soup form with the mashed potatoes mixed in, making for a thick and creamy broth!

Shepherd’s pie is a kind of savoury meat pie that’s served under a topping of mashed potatoes rather than in a pie crust. I enjoy a nice hearty and tasty soup on cold days and this soup, inspired by shepherd’s pie, is amazing! The main pie ingredients including ground beef, onions, carrots and peas form the basis of the soup and the flavours of the pie’s gravy: garlic, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary and thyme, are included in the soups broth. The potato component of pie, the mashed potato topping, is included in this soup in two ways, as mashed potatoes mixed into the broth and as diced potatoes. The mashed potatoes mixed into the broth make the broth so nice and thick and creamy! I like to season the mashed potatoes in shepherd’s pie with butter, sour cream and aged white cheddar cheese and they all go well in the soup! Is this Shepherd’s pie soup the most perfect cold weather comfort food?

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 pound ground beef (or lamb)
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 cups chicken broth (or beef broth)
• 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup aged white cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
• 1 cup frozen peas
• salt and pepper to taste