Mexican Shepherd's Pie

This is one of those quick & easy recipes- just like I like !  And best of all, its something DIFFERENT ! I'll admit every once in a while I get in a "cooking funk " - where I feel like I'm cooking the same things over & over again. That's when you just want something that you've never had before. And you should have seen my husband's face when i told him what we were having for dinner- it was not pretty! But amazingly, he tried it- and actually liked it !


Mexican Shepherd's Pie-
  here's what you need :
1 pound ground beef, 1/2 cup sliced green onions, 1 cup thick & chunky salsa,
1 1/2 tsp. chili powder,  3/4 tsp. cumin, 1 can of Mexicorn (11 oz.- drained), 1 pouch of Betty Crockers loaded mashed potatoes (from a 6.1 oz box) , 1 1/3 cups water, 2 tbsp. butter, 1 cup milk,  1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1 medium tomato ( cut into wedges), Tortilla chips.

here's what you do : 
In a 10 inch skillet, cook the ground beef and a 1/4 of the onions over medium heat, for about 7 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked , then drain.  Stir in the salsa, chili powder, and cumin. Spoon corn evenly over the beef mixture in the skillet. Cover & cook over low heat until its thoroughly heated.
In the meantime, in a 2 quart saucepan, heat water & butter to boiling. Remove from heat & stir in milk & the pouch of potatoes just until blended. Let stand for about  a minute , fluff with a fork.
Spoon the potatoes over the corn in the skillet & spread evenly. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining green onions. Cover & cook over low heat for about 5 minutes more. Then top with the tomato wedges, and garnish with tortilla chips around the outside edge of the skillet.

** Makes 4 servings. (1 1/2 cups each)
*  wanna make it a little healthier  ? Try using ground turkey instead of beef, use reduced fat cheese, and lowfat milk .


Enjoy :-)