Southwestern Shepherd’s Pie

🧂 Ingredients

• 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage
• 1 large onion

  chopped
• 1 red bell pepper

  chopped
• 1 green bell pepper

  chopped
• 1 medium jalapeno pepper

  seeded and sliced
• 1 leek

  green top removed, washed thoroughly and diced
• 2 cloves garlic

  finely minced
• 29 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles

  (two 14.5-ounce cans)
• 6 oz. can tomato paste
• 15 oz. can Fiesta corn

  Mexicorn or Southwestern corn, undrained
• 15.25 oz. can black beans

  rinsed and drained
• 15.5 oz. can chili beans

  in chili sauce, undrained
• 15.5 oz. can dark red kidney beans

  rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/3 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes

  boiled until tender
• 1/2 cup salted butter

  (1 stick)
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 cups sharp Cheddar cheese

  divided use
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. fresh cilantro

  chopped, for garnish

Instructions

• 1 Brown ground beef and Italian sausage in large saucepan over medium heat and
  cook until no longer pink.
• 2 Use a hamburger chopper to break the meat up into tiny pieces while frying.
• 3 Add onion, garlic, leek, red and green bell peppers, jalapeno pepper and about ½
  cup fresh cilantro leaves.
• 4 Cook about 5 minutes over medium heat.
• 5 Transfer ingredients to a crock pot.
• 6 Add remaining ingredients and stir well to combine.
• 7 Cover with lid and cook on high about one-and-a-half hours, stirring
  occasionally.
• 8 Remove bay leaves.
• 9 Top with Cheesy Mashed Potato Topping.
• 10 Reduce heat to low; cook an additional 20 minutes, or until cheese melts.
• 11 Peel and boil potatoes until tender.
• 12 Drain potatoes in a colander.
• 13 Transfer potatoes from colander back to the Dutch oven used to cook them.
• 14 Mash potatoes with a potato masher.
• 15 Add butter, half and half, salt, pepper and 1 2/3 cups Cheddar cheese.
• 16 Stir until well-combined.
• 17 Spoon over top of beef mixture to the edges of the crockpot.
• 18 Sprinkle remaining cheddar cheese over top.
• 19 Then sprinkle the paprika as evenly as possible over top of the cheese and
  potatoes.
• 20 Reduce heat to low.
• 21 Cook an additional 20 minutes or until the potatoes are hot and cheese has
  melted over top.
• 22 Sprinkle with diced cilantro as garnish over top.

Nutrition Info