Kitty's Shepards Pie

This is another recipe that my mother and I go back and forth on how to prepare. She makes hers with taco seasoning, I like mine with a mushroom sauce. This is a very hearty stick to your ribs meal.

Kitty's Shepards Pie

3 cups mashed potatoes, seasoned to your liking
1 lb ground beef or veal, browned
2 cans of whole green beans
1 can mushroom stems and pieces
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
½ teaspoon pepper
2-3 cups shredded colby jack or cheddar cheese
1 ½ cup French’s french fried onions

400°. Pam the inside of an oven-proof baking dish (I’ve used everything from corning ware to a roasting pan) and fill the bottom layer with a mixture of the ground beef, soup and pepper. Top that layer with the drained green beans. Make the next layer out of potatoes. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the whole top with mounds of cheese and bake for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melting. Top with the French fried onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the onions are a caramel brown.