Spooky ghost shepherd’s pie for the win! This easy dinner is the perfect way to kick off October or enjoy on a busy Halloween.
I think this spooky ghost shepherd’s pie is my new favorite meal to make in October. The kids will DIE with laughter when they see it served up on the table!
I think this spooky ghost shepherd’s pie is my new favorite meal to make in October. The kids will DIE with laughter when they see it served up on the table!Whether you are going to make this spooky ghost shepherd’s pie for your family to kick off October or for a Halloween party, it is sure to be a hit! It might even make our list for BEST gluten-free Halloween recipes.
I personally love making this in late September or early October while Monster Mash is playing throughout the house. This lets my family know it is officially time to kick-off Halloween month!
The kids think it is so funny when I place it on the table. Everyone erupts into laughter and they get so excited. The best part for me as the mom, is that it is super duper easy to make… Win-win!
Our spooky ghost shepherd’s pie is even easier to make when you use leftover cooked ground beef like we do almost every time. You can go EXTRA easy on yourself and take it one step further by using instant mashed potatoes.
If you do go this route, I recommend the ones from Costco because they are real potatoes and actually taste very good.
Almost every week, we do a big taco night. On this night I like to brown up like 4-5 pounds of ground beef. I season all of it with black pepper and salt plus some onions salt or dried onion usually.
Then I remove half of the meat (sometimes more) to save for other meals that week. It makes life SO much easier! We have more tips like this for saving time and money in our cookbook, Gluten-Free on a Budget.
I like to use the leftover ground beef to make this fun and spooky ghost shepherd’s pie in October. The rest of the year, it is great to make our baked bean nachos (think, easy and very little dishes) or cheeseburger tots.
My friend Erin from Meaningful Eats has a great recipe for the best sloppy joes that use ground beef as well. Chrystal of Gluten-Free Palate’s nacho potato power bowl would be fantastic to make with your leftover ground beef as well!
I always love getting into the theme of whatever holiday is near with movies and food! Some other fun Halloween meals I like to serve my family are our spooky ghost sandwiches.
Our bacon wrapped meatloaf with ghost mashed potatoes is another family favorite comfort dish that is sure to put a smile on your little ones faces.
Spooky Ghost Shepherd’s Pie Tips
- Try to use leftover ground beef to save yourself even more time on prep
- Instant mashed potatoes (that are really potatoes) also make this dish quicker
- When applying the black sesame seed eyes, wet your finger tip just slightly to get the seeds to stick, then gently place them on the piped mashed potato ghost
- Pipe your mashed potato ghosts either in a swirl motion like ours or your can make a larger opening and simply do on large squeeze that starts wider at the bottom and gets smaller at the top
- Save leftover mashed potatoes to “frost” individual servings (my kids think this is so fun!)
This ghost shepherd's pie is so easy to make for the family and everyone will love it on Halloween!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef (I love using cooked leftover beef from taco night)
- 2 cans green beans, drained
- 2 cans tomato sauce
- 1/4 tsp. onion salt
- 1/4 tsp. garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp. Real Salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 6 large yukon gold potatoes
- 4 T butter
- 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 tsp. Real Salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 C cheddar cheese, shredded (optional)
- Chives or black sesame seeds for ghost eyes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- In a frying pan, crumble and cook the ground beef with onion and garlic salts plus 1/2 tsp. black pepper until no longer pink but not crispy
- In a 9x13 pan, combine the drained green beans and tomato sauce with 1/2 tsp. Real Salt
- Add the cooked beef to the green bean mixture and stir well
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese (optional)
- Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until hot throughout and cheese is melted
- Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into 1" cubes
- Boil in a pot of water until fork tender
- Once the potatoes are cooked, drain them
- Mash first with the butter until melted, then slowly add in the cream, 1 1/2 tsp. Real Salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper until well whipped
- Place the mashed potatoes in a piping bag or plastic baggie with the corner cut off and pipe them into ghosts on the baked shepherd's pie
- Serve hot, Happy Halloween!
Notes
Feel free to use instant mashed potatoes and leftover ground beef for an even easier meal.
Here are some more fun Halloween recipes for you to try…
Originally published October 28, 2014…look at that awesome photo!
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