Microwave shepherd’s pie in a mug
Savory lamb and vegetables in a rich gravy under a cap of fluffy mashed potato and melted cheddar, the British pub classic for one, made in a mug.
- 22 min total
- 12 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 1
- About $2.78 a serving
- 560 calories
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 1 servings.
- 3 oz ground lamb
- ⅓ cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp brown gravy mix
- ½ cup instant mashed potatoes
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp shredded cheddar
From your pantry
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- 1 pinch dried thyme
- ¾ cup water, divided
Each serving has about 560 calories, 24 g protein, 39 g carbs and 34 g fat, and costs about $2.78 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No ground lamb? 85/15 ground beef works.
- No frozen mixed vegetables? Frozen peas or frozen corn or frozen green beans work.
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No milk? Half-and-half works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the lamb into a big microwave-safe mug with the frozen vegetables and onion powder, cover with a paper towel, and microwave 2 minutes.
Crumble. Crumbling means breaking food into small, rough bits with your fingers or a spoon, like feta or ground meat in the pan. Small bits spread through the dish, so there’s some in every bite.
How you’ll know: The pieces are small and uneven, about pea-size, with no big clumps left.
Timer: 2 min
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Break the meat up with the fork and microwave 1 minute more, until no pink is left.
Timer: 1 min
Food safety: Ground beef, pork and lamb are done at 160°F. When it’s cooked through there’s no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Hold the meat back with the fork and pour off the fat onto a wad of paper towel.
Stir in the tomato paste, Worcestershire, gravy mix, thyme and ¼ cup of the water, cold, and microwave 1 minute until it into gravy.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Timer: 1 min
the rest of the water in the kettle.
Boil. Boiling means heating a liquid until big bubbles rise and break all over the surface. It’s the fastest way to cook pasta, potatoes and eggs, because it’s as hot as water gets.
How you’ll know: Bubbles are breaking across the whole surface, not just at the edges, and steam is rising.
Stir the potato flakes, butter and milk into ½ cup of the hot water in a bowl until fluffy.
Pile the mashed potatoes over the filling, rough up the top with the fork, and sprinkle the cheddar over.
Dolly’s tip: The ridges you make with the fork catch the cheese and melt into little golden peaks.Microwave 1½ minutes, until bubbling at the edges and the cheese .
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 1 min 30 sec
Let it sit 1 minute, then eat it from the mug, holding the handle with a folded paper towel.
Timer: 1 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
