In the mood for a fun, fast, easy meal that screams “comfort food”? Yeah, I thought so. I’m loving this recipe from Shannon, aka The Fit Slow Cooker Queen! It’s called Shepherd’s Pie Sweet Potato Skillet Fries, and it deserves to be called its full name because it sure is full of flavor.

And if you haven’t done so already, follow Shannon on Facebook, Instagram, or check out her website, www.fitslowcookerqueen.com. Her recipes are healthy, many are Paleo or Whole 30 compliant, and they are easy as the majority of them are…yep, you guessed it, slow cooker recipes (just not this one)! Shannon, if you’re reading this, I look forward to seeing your future recipes!

Shepherd’s Pie Sweet Potato Skillet Fries

Ingredients

32 oz. frozen sweet potato fries

1 lb lean ground meat (Shannon used chicken, I used beef)

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 garlic clove

6 oz. can tomato paste

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup low-sodium broth (beef or chicken, depending on meat used)

10 oz. frozen mixed vegetables, thawed (I’ve never thawed the vegetables and haven’t had an issue. They heat up quickly!)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and prepare fries according to package instructions.
2. While the fries are baking, add meat, onion garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper to a skillet.
3. Cook until meat is browned and drain any excess grease.
4. Stir in tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and broth.
5. Add vegetables and bring to a simmer, and cook until thickened slightly and fries are done.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Transfer the fries to an ovenproof baking dish or skillet and top with meat mixture and shredded cheese and return to oven for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Some Notes:

To make Paleo and Whole 30 Compliant – omit the cheese and Worcestershire, and slice your own sweet potatoes to make the fries.

To make Vegetarian – Instead of meat, use crumbled tofu, coarsely mashed chickpeas, tempeh, lentils, or roasted mushrooms! YUM!

Want to make it Vegan-approved? In addition to the meat substitutes, you can substitute the cheese with my Vegan Cheese Sauce. Recipe below!

Vegan Non-Cheese “Cheesy” Sauce

Yields about 1 ½ cups

Ingredients

¾ cup chickpeas (in a pinch you could sub navy beans)

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp spicy brown mustard (or Dijon, I prefer spicy, and this really does not make the sauce spicy AT ALL, just allows for some added flavor)

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup nutritional yeast

¾ cup vegetable broth

¼ tsp turmeric

Pinch of cayenne

Zest and juice of half a lemon

1 TBSP Cornstarch

Directions

1. Combine chickpeas, garlic, garlic powder, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper in food processor.
2. Add yeast, broth, turmeric, cayenne, lemon zest and juice, process to combine.
3. Add entire mixture to a saucepan, over medium heat stir with a whisk and add 1 heaping TBSP cornstarch mixed with 3 TBSP warm water.
4. Continue stirring until sauce thickens and starts to boil. Remove from heat once comes to a boil.

Click here to to download a printable copy of the Shepherds Pie Sweet Potato Skillet Fries Recipe.