Review: Marie Callender's - Beef Shepherd's Pie

Marie Callender's Beef Shepherd's Pie frozen meal features seasoned beef, diced carrots, and corn in a brown gravy topped with mashed potatoes.

An 11.5-oz box was $2.50 on sale.

The Beef Shepherd's Pie is part of Marie Callender's layered pie selection and, of the ones that I've tried, they've never come out looking very good. It looked like the components sloshed around a bit before being frozen.

The beef here came in more of a finer mince than a coarse grind. The texture was neither hard nor soft but somewhere in between. It had a lightly seasoned flavor that was enhanced by the gravy.

The gravy was fairly thick with a mild but savory flavor. It was actually separate from the beef and had to be mixed in. I wonder if that accounts for the thicker texture as the moisture from the beef didn't dilute it.

The carrots and corn were cooked through but still kept a somewhat firm texture and added a nice sweetness.

The mashed potatoes were decently rich and creamy with a somewhat thin, whipped consistency to it. Part of the top mashed potato layer formed a bit of a hard and chewy crust that wasn't so great.

Overall, Marie Callender's Beef Shepherd's Pie made for a good showing as far as frozen beef shepherd's pie go. The flavor is milder than some of their pot pie fillings but I still enjoyed it and, for the most part, each of the components turned out well. I'd put it above Blake's version but below Aldi's Shepherd's Pie.

Nutritional Info - Marie Callender's Beef Shepherd's Pie
Serving Size - 1 meal (326g)
Calories - 300 (from Fat - 120)
Fat - 13g (Saturated Fat - 6g)
Sodium - 1100mg
Carbs - 25g (Sugar - 1g)
Protein - 19g