These individual serving mini shepherd’s pies are the perfect handheld comfort food for parties and events. The basic meat and veggie sauce, topped with a robust serving of mashed potatoes, makes assembly easy and quick. Consider making these for your next VBS, kids camp, business party, or social event.
Healthy VBS Snacks
It’s my philosophy to actually FEED kids at VBS. What I mean by that is aiming for nourishment and sustenance, something that will fill their bellies and fuel their day, not just a sugary bite that leaves them wanting more. While I don’t fulfil this perfectly, it is in the back of my mind as I plan our VBS snacks and treats each year.
The Simple Mini Shepherds Pie
This snack was perfect for the first day of our AIG Emerald Crossing VBS and seemed like the simplest solution. Make meat and veggie sauce. Make instant mashed potatoes. A scoop of each in a foil ramekin and it’s onto the tables for the kids.
Mini Shepherds Pies
Serving Size: 1 shepherds pie
Supplies List
Meat and Vegetable Sauce: 1/4 cup per serving (see recipe below)
Instant Mashed Potatoes: 1/4 (preK) to 1/2 cup per serving
4 oz foil ramekins: one per serving
#8 serving dipper (4 oz capacity)
Spoons (try these wooden ones)
Calculating Supplies
Use the chart below to help you calculate the quantity of supplies you need for your event.
| (# of Servings) | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Meat/Veggie Sauce | 13 cups | 25 cups | 38 cups | 50 cups |
| Potatoes (PreK) (2 oz) | 13 cups | 25 cups (1 box) | 38 cups | 50 cups (2 boxes) |
| Mashed Potatoes (4oz) | 25 cups (1 box) | 50 cups (2 boxes) | 75 cups (3 boxes) | 100 cups (4 boxes) |
| Foil Ramekins | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Spoons | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes 3.25 lbs box (Available at Sam’s Club) The information on the box says this size yields 65 servings with a #10 dipper, which is 3/8 of a cup. I calculated the servings for this recipe based on 1/2 of a cup. At a #8 (4 oz – half cup) serving you will get 50 servings from one box.
Meat Sauce Recipe
Below I have included a simple starter recipe for making the meat sauce in bulk. The beauty of this recipe is that it is flexible to slight variations in quantities.
- ground beef (precooked)
- frozen mixed vegetables OR peas and carrots
- tomato sauce
- worchestershire sauce
- beef broth
- dried thyme
- dried rosemary
- dried minced onion
- salt & pepper
Combine all ingredients in a roaster or slow cooker until heated through.
Use the chart below to help you calculate quantities. (NOTE: CALCULATIONS ON THIS POST ARE STILL IN PROGRESS)
| (# of Servings) | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Ground Beef | 2-3 pounds | 4-5 pounds | 6-7 pounds | 8-9 pounds |
| Frozen Vegetables | ||||
| Tomato Sauce | ||||
| Beef Broth | ||||
| Rosemary and Thyme | to taste | to taste | to taste | to taste |
| Minced Onion | to taste | to taste | to taste | to taste |
| Salt and Pepper | to taste | to taste | to taste | to taste |
Helpful tips: Precook all the meat ahead of time and freeze it.
Mashed Potatoes
| (# of Servings) | 50 | 100 | 150 | 200 |
| Potatoes (PreK) (2 oz) | 13 cups | 25 cups (1 box) | 38 cups | 50 cups (2 boxes) |
| Mashed Potatoes (4oz) | 25 cups (1 box) | 50 cups (2 boxes) | 75 cups (3 boxes) | 100 cups (4 boxes) |
Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes 3.25 lbs box (Available at Sam’s Club) The information on the box says this size yields 65 servings with a #10 dipper, which is 3/8 of a cup. I calculated the servings for this recipe based on 1/2 of a cup. At a #8 (4 oz – half cup) serving you will get 50 servings from one box.
A half cup of potatoes is quite a good portion, so I adjusted to 1/4 cup for preschool and kindergarten portions.
Assembling the Mini Shepherd’s Pie
Prepare the instant mashed potatoes according to package directions. Place in a roaster pan to keep warm until needed.
Prepare meat sauce mix and keep warm in roaster pan until needed.
Measure 1/4 cup of meat sauce into the bottom of a 4 oz foil ramekin.
Top with 1/2 cup (#8 scoop) of mashed potatoes. (1/4 cup for younger portions)
Serve warm.
Keeping the Pies Warm
Once your pies are made, you can place them on baking sheets and store them in a warm oven (200 F) up to 30 minutes.
Try my other VBS recipes…
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