Herbie Likes Spaghetti: Nomtastic St. Patricks' Day Dinner: Mac and Cheese Shepherd's Pie

St. Patrick's day is tomorrow, and if you want to have an "Irish" meal that's really delicious, and, dare we say, nomtastic, this mac and cheese shepherd's pie fills the bill. Where a traditional shepherd's pie would be topped with a nice crispy browned topping of mashed potatoes, this one is topped with a nice crispy browned topping of mac and cheese. Does it get any better than that? We think not.

This dish is inspired form the Dinosauce Bar-B-Que cookbook and makes use of the delicious Dinosaur Barbeque BBQ Sauce. This is one of our favorite books to cook from since everything that comes out of it is really, really yummy, and this one is no exception. So, if you want a delicious, cheesy, smoky, yummy Irish-inspired dinner this weekend, read on!

Making the Dish
What you'll need
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp, olive oil
1 lb, ground beef
1 tbsp, cajun seasoning
salt and pepper
1/2 cup, bbq sauce
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1.5 cups whole milk
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 cups, cheddar cheese
1/2 lb pasta shells

Get started by making the beef mixture. In a skillet, heat up your olive oil, and then add in half of your diced bell pepper, half of the onion, and all of the garlic, and sauté over medium heat until everything is soft and fragrant, about 5 - 7 minutes.

Add in the ground beef and half of the cajun seasoning, as well as a touch of salt and pepper. Cook until all of the beef is nicely browned. When browned, add in the barbecue sauce and the spicy brown mustard and stir together. Let simmer for about 3 - 5 minutes until everything has thickened slightly, and taste for seasonings. Remove from heat when complete.

Now, preheat your oven to 375 and get started on the mac and cheese. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook your pasta shells until 2 minutes less than the package indicates. In a non-stick skillet melt the butter over medium heat and start to simmer the remaining onion and green pepper until they are golden brown and soft, about 7 minutes.

Once softened add in the flower and stir together until the flour is completely incorporated. Then, start to stream in the whole milk, bit by bit, stirring to incorporate as you do. This will start to create a thick sauce. Add in more milk until the sauce is at the desired thickness. Then simmer for a few minutes.

Into the sauce add in the dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and the other half of he cajun seasoning, and the cheddar cheese, and stir everything together. Add more milk if necessary to get it to the desired level of thickness.

Drain the pasta and add it to the cheese sauce, and stir together until all the pasta shells are nicely coated.

In a baking dish, lay out the beef mixture all across the bottom in a nice flat layer. Pour the mac and cheese over top and flatten out the top. Pop it in the oven and cook until everything is nice and brown and crispy on the top, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Spoon out onto a plate and garnish with parsley (optional). Dig in, and enjoy. Then go back for seconds!

The Result
This is one of those meals that everyone will love.

It's cheesy, meaty, tasty, and delicious. It's the perfect St. Patrick's day meal for kids, since it's got their favorite mac and cheese, and adults will love it too since it has a complex array of flavors throughout.