Mexican Shepherd's Pie

Not your mother's shepherd's pie!

I. Love. Tex-Mex. 

It's a problem, really. My motto has always been, "When in doubt, make it spicy and top it with an egg." It's worked for me so far. You don't have to follow my social media for very long before you will notice my motto at work.

I recently had some leftover taco meat and cauli mash, and as I've mentioned before, I hate eating the same thing two days in a row so I have become somewhat of a genius at re-imagining leftovers. I knew exactly what I wanted to make when I saw those two ingredients sitting in my fridge. This is, by far, my favorite leftover remake! A spicy twist on an old favorite, this Mexican Shepherd's Pie is sure to please the whole family, and satiate that craving for comfort food on a cold winter's night!

Mexican Shepherd's Pie (for small casserole dish)

Note: If using leftover taco meat that is already spiced, you do not need to use spices listed below. Also, if you want mild heat cut back on the spices a bit.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb ground beef
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp Flavor God Everything Spicy seasoning + more for sprinkling

Perfect comfort food for a cold winter night!

1/2 green pepper chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes (or mild salsa fresca)
1/4 cup creamy cashew butter
3 Tbs Tessamae's hot sauce
2 Tbs OMghee (or ghee of choice, can also use grass fed butter) + more for sautéing vegetables
1 avocado
2-3 cups Cauli mash

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375*F. Brown the meat (skip this step if using leftover meat). In a pan over medium heat melt a little ghee or fat.  Sauté peppers and onions until caramelized. Add tomatoes and cook down. Add ground meat, spices (if meat has not yet been spiced), cashew butter, hot sauce, and ghee and cook until butter and ghee have melted and you get a somewhat creamy meat mixture. Remove from heat. Add an avocado and mash it well with the meat mixture. Put meat into a small casserole dish. Top with cauli mash and sprinkle the top with some Flavor God. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 15-20 minutes. Switch the oven to high broil. Broil for approximately 5-10 minutes until top has browned a bit. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. ENJOY!