Freeze Dried Shepherd's Pie

This easy dinner came about by accident!  A freeze-dried take on traditional shepherd's pie, all the ingredients come from your pantry.  I started out trying to adjust a veggie meatball recipe to be pantry-friendly before realizing a couple of things wouldn't work out.  But it turned out great!  So now I present:

FREEZE DRIED SHEPHERD'S PIE

PREP TIME:  25-30 minutes
COOK TIME:  25-30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 - 3 c. instant potatoes, dry
• 1 - 1 1/4 c. freeze dried ground beef (I get mine here.)
• 1/4 c. dried minced onion
• 1/3 c. dried carrot pieces (available here and here)
• 3/4 c. freeze dried zucchini (available here and here)
• 2/3 c. freeze dried peas (available here and here)
• 12 oz. evaporated milk
• 10.5 oz. cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 10.5 oz. cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley

DIRECTIONS

In a medium pot, bring 3 c. water to a boil.  Remove from heat and stir in beef, onion, carrots, zucchini, and peas.  Cover with a lid and let sit 20 minutes, stirring about halfway through.  Meanwhile, put potatoes in a bowl and reconstitute according to package directions.  While the potatoes sit, whisk in a medium bowl the evaporated milk and the soups along with the parsley.  Spread the potatoes in a 9x13 pan.  Drain the meat-vegetable mixture and spread it over the potatoes.  Top with the chicken-mushroom gravy, spreading to cover.  Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes or until heated through.

* Different brands dry food using different methods.  This can result in different flavors.  Freeze-dried food usually locks in freshness, while dehydrated food sometimes tastes the same as fresh but sometimes doesn't.  I have links to a couple of brands I'm familiar with, but there are other options out there also.  These happen to be my favorite.

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