Shepherd's Pie with Cornbread Topping

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 yellow onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 clove garlic
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 1½ cup beef broth
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• ¾ cup cornmeal
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 large egg
• ¾ cup milk
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Dice onion, carrots, and celery. Mince garlic.
2. Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it apart, until browned. Drain excess fat.
3. Add onion, carrots, and celery to the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, flour, thyme, salt, and pepper; cook for 1 minute.
4. Pour in beef broth and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens. Stir in frozen peas.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt for the topping. In another bowl, whisk egg, milk, and melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.
6. Spoon the cornbread batter evenly over the beef filling in the skillet. If your skillet is not oven-safe, transfer the beef mixture to a 9x13 inch baking dish before adding the topping.
7. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the cornbread topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.