Yet another cold and rainy weekend in the South had us craving some warm comfort food.  What better than a Shepherd’s Pie with a Spanish twist!  I love a traditionally Shepherd’s Pie but ran across this Spanish inspired recipe in my Weight Watchers One Pot cookbook.  It was very easy to prepare and made a hearty meal with a WW points value of only 7 points (for those that might be counting points too).  The recipe suggested freshly steamed broccoli with lemon juice but I had some fresh brussel sprouts that were perfect steamed and served along side this hearty dish.  Enjoy y’all!

Picadillo-Style Shepherd’s Pie with Chipotle Mashed Potatoes

(courtesy of Weight Watchers – 7 points – serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lean beef (7% fat or less)

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 onion, chopped

1 small zucchini, diced

1 small yellow squash, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 (14½-ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons golden raisins, chopped

8 pimiento-stuffed green olives, chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (24-ounce) package refrigerated mashed potatoes

1 tablespoon chipotles en adobo, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Spray 2-quart flameproof casserole dish with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add beef, and cook, breaking it apart with spoon, until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.   Add oil to casserole dish. Add onion, zucchini, yellow squash, and garlic; cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 6 minutes. Return beef to casserole. Stir in tomatoes, raisins, olives, cinnamon, and cumin; bring to boil. Wipe bowl clean.   Mix together mashed potatoes and chipotles in same large bowl. Spread potato topping over beef mixture. Transfer casserole to oven and bake until potato topping is browned and filling is bubbly along edge, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

PER SERVING (generous 1 cup): 266 Cal, 7 g Total Fat, 2 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 46 mg Chol, 692 mg Sod, 31 g Carb, 7 g Sugar, 4 g Fib, 19 g Prot, 86 mg Calc.