Budget Friendly Skillet Cowboy Pie 

The hallmark of a great cook is someone who can walk into a kitchen after being told there's nothing to eat, and make a filling, delicious meal for the family. That's skill.

Usually when somebody says "It didn't turn out the way i wanted it to." It's the best meals I've ever eaten.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend Bob :( He sounds like a really thoughtful, helpful guy. What a wonderful way to remember his kindness and generosity.

My mom used to tell anyone that was cooking " if you can tell me what you need, I can tell you how to do without it"😊

Great options for families. I’ve raised mine, but I worry about these dear families paying so much for groceries these days. Be inventive with what you have. You demonstrate that well.

I love that most of your videos tell people to use the recipe as a suggestion. Make changes and substitutions. Get creative. Cook with ingredients you like, and you’ll like the end result.

When I was a kid in Middle School (I'm 52, now) my mom broke her foot. The day it happened or maybe the next day the neighbor lady, knowing Mom would't be up to cooking that day, showed up with something she called 'tamale pie' and left it for us to have for supper (that was what it was like if a friend/neighbor was in need in the South in the 1980s and, honestly, for years before).. We really enjoyed it so when Mom got better she asked for the recipe. That became one of the go to recipes in my family's rotation for years afterward. I have cooked it for other people who also loved it. Your cowboy pie reminds me a little of tamale pie. For tamale pie you brown ground beef, drain the excess grease, then saute in a little chopped onion (if you like). When the onion is cooked through you add a can of Mexican style corn aka Fiesta corn (partially drained) and a small can of tomato sauce. The original didn't call for it but I like to also add a can of black beans. You can mix in salsa if you have it and want to but, again, the iriginal didn't have it. Then you mix up enough cirnbread (real cornbread, not that sweet, cake like nonsense that passes for 'cornbread' in less civilized regions 😁),pour it over the top and bake at 350° until the cornbread is done. Serve it hot and let people top it as they like, depending on what you have. I like shredded cheese, a good hot sauce or taco sauce and, if I have it, sour cream. A big skillet of that will fill a family of four until stuffed with at least a helping or two left for someone to have for lunch the next day.

Jiffy corn bread mix would be great to top this one. Thanks for these budget videos!

I love this series because you leave no stone unturned as far as ingredient options go. Being on a budget sometimes it’s easy to forget how many ingredients I actually have available. Thank you, Mr. Wolfe.

What a great person to make you those tools!!!🙏🏻♥️

I’m not struggling to buy food but I do struggle with cooking because of health issues and your tips really help without making me feel ashamed for struggling with things like carrying a heavy pot of water or not having the energy to shop. You have such a great approach that’s helpful without being condescending!

couldn't help but notice your wonderful color choice for nail polish that day while talking about your custom spatula. LOL

when I saw the thumbnail I thought it was something cornbread related and then you mention that when you take it out of the oven haha. Bob sounds like a cool dude

Always appreciate your budget friendly vids. Keep 'um coming!

God bless you man. There are actually quite a few people out there that NEED this kind of information.

I call 'em all meat pies. Use what meat is available. 😊

I make at least one meal a week similar to this using whatever I have on hand. It cleans out the fridge so nothing goes to waste.

Looks super tasty!

Youre a good man. Thanks for the content over the years

You are the comfort food version of youtube!

For better low budget options, use ground beef, fresh potatoes and brick cheese over bagged pre-shredded. You can make homemade mashed potatoes for less than Idahoan. Or use Hungry Jack instant flakes. Either have a lower price overall plus you can get several more batches than the single pack. Same for the cheese. You have a cheese grater or you should. If not, just make thin slices. Either way, you’ll get more cheese for the money you pay.

Total comfort meal, I love this.

I love your advice to use what you have. It's the way people have been feeding their families for probably as long as there have been families. One comment: buying chunks of cheese and grating it yourself is healthier, tastier and less expensive. Packaged grated cheeses usually have non-cheeses stuff added to keep it separated. The something often is some kind cellulous, often wood. Keep up the videos. They are really good.

These recipes are more valuable every day thanks brother

On a budget ill call it a dang souffle 😂

My cousin made a whole set of fat handle wood utensils for my mom. I got them when she passed and with my arthritis they are great. I love the ladle, the spaghetti spoon,the short and long mixing spoon, he even made a two prong fork for turning meat.

A rule. Not a guide! Brilliant, thank you. You have helped us put

I was coincidentally just looking at a recipe for a cowboy pie earlier today, but it used ground beef and beans.

Looks super good. I have most all this stuff sitting around. Maybe it'll be my dinner tomorrow.

That does look good, and I get your point. A "recipe" is advisory only. There's a lot you can do with the basic elements of this dish. Thanks.

Okay you've convinced me to add instant mashed potatoes back into my pantry list

Even when you aren't struggling, the ability to improvise and throw things that seem like "nothing" together and create a good meal for you or your family if you have one is a good skill to have. Technically, every recipe in the world already exists in your head, you just need to put the pieces together and solve the puzzle of "What's for dinner?" For example, if you have some seasonings, pasta, frozen broccoli, frozen breakfast sausages, and some butter? You can prepare them and throw them all into a bowl with some garlic powder. It might not be a millionaire's dinner but it's still a good meal for me! Also, I feel like with how housing prices and inflation is going up and up and up, these videos could come in handy for any young adult / teenager who was kicked out of their parents house and now needs to find some shoebox apartment to survive in. Keep doing what you do best, and I hope you all have a good day!

Thanks, Larry ❤

Times are tough, and my budget is very meager. I really enjoy watching your frugal creativity.

That looks awesome !!!

I’d love to try this with ranch style beans

Another delightful video. There are endless options for putting meals together and some days yoy've just got to roll with what you've got. Lol, today was lentil day here.

I might try this with the yam/sweet potato substitution for the mashed potatoes.

Maybe it didn't look perfect to you but I bet it tasted perfect. I know it looked good to me.

Looked yummy Larry! I love dump receipes! 🍲 Keep the ❤ coming with your videos.

Cornbread would have done the trick, Larry!

With pork and beans I'd love it with hot dogs. Beanie weenie pie.

Thank you for your channel, Mr. Wolfe & Family. You're really helping us out, they're trying to kill us here!

I call these WIFF meals…What I Found in the Fridge. For budget and variety sake, a box of Jiffy mix is cheaper than those potatoes.

If anything. Try the Wild mikes Ultimate pizza to see how "NO ARTIFICIALLY ANYTHING" It is. Just a request. I the Joshie loves your videos. Taught me how to cook up a perfectly recipe, even for an eating on a budget recipe.

awesome recipe because I did not have alot of that stuff but still gonna make it

Thanks WolfePit looks good 🍻

If you're gonna use instant taters I recommend using less than the recommended water on making them, as they will absorb steam etc while cooking in an awesome pie like this 😊

Nice.

This is the first time I've ever even heard of a Cowboy Pie but HOT DAMN it is right up my alley. I've go to try to make this sometime.

Looks hearty and filling! Awesome. I know you're not a spicy guy but some cajun seasoning in that (or jalapenos) would be killer! Gonna give it Try for superbowl this weekend! Thinking i could scoop it on tortilla chips!!!

Don’t matter the looks that would definitely 💯 be delicious, made me hungry lol

A Shepard's Pie made with beef is also known as a "Cow Pie."

My favorite cottage pie is a base of chicken stew. My husband likes it best when I add homemade mashed potatoes with cheese on the top, but my absolute fave is drop biscuits from my favorite recipe, added to the top of the stew. Both are delicious. When I boil up a big pot of chicken, I like to freeze some of the tasty broth, and some of the meat, for a chickken pie, later. Thanks for all the inspiration, and the brave tastings!

Another great video! I have been watching a lot of budget cooking videos and really enjoying them, I’m getting so many great ideas.

I love his cadence and voice.

History trivia: Prior to the second world war, the baked beans were had in the UK were pretty much identical to the canned pork and beans you get in the US. The pork got removed due to rationing, and it never got put back in. When having a fry up for breakfast, I kinda make up for it by cooking the beans in the pan I've just used to fry the bacon. Anyway, really cool to see Cowboy Pie make an appearance. It was one of the first things I made in cookery lessons. We used whole sausages (bangers), cooked and laid into a casserole dish in a cartwheel pattern, then the fried onions, then a can or two of beans, topped with the mash. Been a couple of years since I've knocked one up, but am very tempted to make one. Sausage, beans and mash (cooked separately, not in pie form) is a working class British comfort food, but combined into a pie elevates it.

Great idea. I'd definitely eat that!

Mmmmm, roadkill with raisins pie. 😋😋😋

I like the vidio

Put in front of me. I would eat the heck out of it. Taters were a little wet. Corn bread too hell yes

Whenever my Mom was gone for a couple of days, my Dad took over as chef. He made something similar to your recipe but called it Hungarian Goulash. His method was very simple: open the refrigerator, grab all the leftovers, and dump them into a large kettle, turn on the heat, bring to a boil, stir once or twice, and serve it up. Hearty, warm, and filling. You can’t beat that. All six kids were overjoyed when Mom came home again.

The food banks give ground chicken and turkey, a good substitute, just add alot of seasoning

It's a lovely dish Larry, and with a few extra touches could be even better - even for a struggling, on-a-budget person or family 1) Pull the skins off of the sausages/franks before you slice and cook them 2) After cooking the ingredients, remove pan from heat, and remove the ingredients but leave as much of the liquid/oils in the pan as possible 3) Crush-up some crackers (saltines, clubhouse, Ritz, combination thereof, whatever you have!) and mix the crackers into the remaining liquids, adding a bit of melted-butter or tallow (e.g. bacon fat/drippings, beef fat, Crisco, or even vegetable or olive oil) if needed. Not too much, just enough to make the crushed-up crackers malleable. Off the heat, form the crushed crackers into a crust along the bottom and sides of the pan 3) Put the pan/crust back into the oven at 350° for 15-20 minutes, or until the cracker-crust is fairly crispy 4) Add all of the ingredients back in, top with the mashed potatoes, and bake per Larry's instructions 5) After baking, put under a low-heat broiler for 6-8 minutes to develop a flavorful crust on top of the mashed potatoes 6) After broiling, turn the oven off, add the cheese on top, and let sit in the oven for another 5-8 minutes to melt Just my own 2¢ in the hat, but regardless, you make a mean 'n tasty Cowboy Pie! 😊

Love, love, love!! And with your saying substitute, you just made a WHOLE bunch of other meals. And help me with ideas. And this looks good. Thanks 👍🙏🙏

I had some last night and it was delicious!

Good idea to give lots of options like gr. beef, diced leftover pork chops, corn, peas, carrots, celery, etc., for ppl who are just learning how to cook. 👍👍

This was a very useful & creative approach to cooking! Thanks!

Lol! My knees are giving me trouble & today all I had to hand was a can of white albacore tuna, leftover cheese topping from a box of Mac & cheese, and a small bottle of cheap maple syrup. Couldn’t get to the stove… I mixed them up & it was almost good! It certainly wasn’t bad, and I had a sleeve of saltines. Yum!

You’re very ingenious in how you figure out ways to cook just about anything someone may have. You’re doing a great service to people during these times. Thank you, sir. Also, I hope the family of the wonderful man who made the beautiful cooking spoon will maybe sell his plans to a reputable place…people with mobility issues and fine motor control issues can always benefit from such a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. I’m sure he’s doing a great job on what The Man Upstairs (my husband calls him that, too) needs doing. Thank you.

Love your eating on a budget videos. Born in the UK in 1953, I never had cottage made with anything other than minced, left-over roast lamb

I made cottage pie last night! Used a whole bag of frozen mixed veg, 2lbs of medium hamburger and 3lbs of mashed potatoes! Meals for 8 suppers! ❤

Looks great! We add chopped mushrooms to stretch the meat a little and top with tater tots. Just made it last weekend but now want to try it with beans 😀

The great thing about cooking is that you can usually eat your mistakes. This looks so good !

That does look really good. Thanks, Larry!

Thank you so much for your wonderful food and recipes. Hi from Texas USA.

I make an egg scramble with sausage and the same type of veggies that you use. Good with breakfast or any sort of sausage. My favourite broke meal was liverwurst on burnt toast .

I was a years post masters degree psychotherapist most of my professional career but retired at 62 due to damage done on the job. I was bored because my job was fast paced and dangerous and decided to dabble in work I had never done before. I cooked all my life and was an excellent from scratch cook. I worked part time in a CBTF and my co worker fought over who got to work with me as they loved my cooking and baking. The group home manager told me to punt one night as most of the meat in the freezer had gotten freezer burnt. I found hamburger that was not affected and made a hamburger stew with scratch dumplings on it. My co worker could not get enough nor could the clients I served. I was asked for the recipe. There was not. I used what was salvageable in the refrigerator and the storage cabinets. I even got a co worker to try my pumpkin, chocolate chip walnut cookies. She said she hated pumpkin but took a couple of cookies home for her husband to try. I brought a Chinese wok into the group home and the residents loved it.

Love Love your humor-------enjoyed watching even though I won't be able to eat this due to health issues. However, I'm going to pass this on to family and friends so they can enjoy this good looking meal. 😁

Another possible topping would be mashed cauliflower. That's what I use when I make my vegetarian, low-carb cottage pie.

Thanks for the inspiration. I decided yesterday that I’d make a variation on this for my dinner tonight. I took some Kangaroo meat and made 14 misshapen sausages. I cried them, cut them up and dropped them into a bowl of beef and black pepper gravy. I boiled a tin of black beans and frozen diced vegetables, fried 2 large brown onions. I put it all together in a skillet and cooked it on low for an hour, keeping an eye on it. Then I let it sit, occasionally returning it to the heat just to keep warm to hot. I made msg potato with a sprinkle of some old nutritional yeast I had in the back of the pantry. I turned my grill on for the first time since 2019 and let it heat up and burn away any dust. I spread the mash on top of my concoction, sprinkled breadcrumbs and some shredded choose, here in Australia cheese is really expensive… so I didn’t use as much as I’d like. I grilled it and got a nice cheesy crust. I did t really add any extra herbs… but it still tasted great. The roo meat was something I wasn’t keen on using. I usually make meatballs or a spaghetti bolognaise with it. But this lot of meat might not have been bleed as well as it should have and has a strong smell. It’s not off, it’s just the way Roo meat is. It’s not for everyone. In this meal, the roo sausage chunks work really well with the other flavours and the simplicity of the mash is a great way to balance the gamey flavour of this particular lot of meat. Thanks again.

If your potatos are not as firm as you'd like, put the potato-covered dish in the oven till the potatos lose some of their looseness. Then put on the cheese. OR! Put some breadcrumbs all over the potatos. When the crumbs absorb some of the potato moisture, place the dish in the oven till you get a crumbly crust. Then, put on the cheese and put it back in the oven. 🤩

When my son was little, I made a cheap easy dis we called Cowboy Supper: a little ground beef (saved out from a pound used for another meal), browned, sliced hot dogs, pork & beans or baked beans, and that’s it. If I used pork & beans, I added barbecue sauce or steak sauce, or ketchup. Sometimes at the end I added grated cheese. Cooked in a skillet, it was fast and yummy.

So true.!!! Great videos😊

Nails are looking good Wolfeman!!!

There is a trick with firmer potatoes. I discovered this when making Shepherd/Cottage pie. When you finish putting the potatoes, seasoning and cheese on, put the whole thing in the fridge for a few hours to allow the potatoes to firm up. Then cook it and it will be firm. Not sure since you used pork and beans for beneath the potatoes, but the potatoes are firm.

I forgot all about this channel. I used to toon I'm all the time back in like 2017. I'm glad I stumbled upon it again

The first video of yours that I watched was you doing the Carnivore diet, so I went to your page and it looks like you are not doing that anymore. What happened?

Cool this gives me a really good idea thanks

Looks really good I'll have to try this recipe

I really enjoyed your video and the way you presented it 😊

Hi ! I really like your content! Thank you !

Nothing beats meat in a blanket of potato's, looks tasty!

With the suggestions you made that easily makes a dozen of variations. Even when nnot on a budget your approach is appealing. I may have not gotten around to do grocery shopping or they may have been out of an ingredient or two. Besides using leftovers prevents food waste which in itself is a good thing.

This looks and sounds delicious whether you're on a budget or not. 👍😊

I like using the refrigerated Bob Evans mashed potatoes.a package of chicken gravy and leftover chicken, but no green peppers, just frozen mixed vegetables.

God that looks good. I am so going to try this. Don't know why I haven't considered adding mashed potatoes over sauted vegetables / meat and beans. Top with cheese and bread crumbs, and it'll get a similar effect. It pays to be creative in the kitchen using what you got!

Alright I made something similar basically a can of spam, your choice of defrosted mixed vegetables or can vegetables, crushed potato chips blended with water until consistency is like mash potato whatever flavor or brand of choice, and grated cheese on hand and topped it off after cooking with a small amount of homemade pickled red onions and a little bit of pickled banna peppers. Additional you can add your choice of hot sauce

I love that spatula

looks like a meal I would love.