This shepherd’s pie recipe is a classic for a reason. It is a homely dish that’ll warm you from the inside out. I guarantee your mouth will start watering once the dish comes out of the oven. Nothing beats the ground beef and veggies filling simmered in a rich, savory gravy topped with mashed potatoes.
The filling of traditional shepherd’s pie uses lamb or mutton as the dish originated in the UK and Ireland. However, it is more common to use ground beef in America. Regardless of which type of ground meat you use, this easy shepherd’s pie recipe is a comforting and hearty dish everyone will love.
While shepherd’s pie is perfect for celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, it’s a great dinner recipe year-round. It’s perfect for when you’re craving a cozy meal on a cold day. If you want another comforting recipe, then try my chicken pot pie recipe, creamy tuscan chicken recipe, or beef stew recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Potatoes — I like russet potatoes, but you can also use Yukon gold. Avoid using a waxy potato. Russet potatoes are high in starch, leading to lighter and fluffier mashed potatoes.
Half and half — I prefer using half and half over milk for the potato topping as it’s higher in fat, making the topping more creamy. You can also use heavy cream.
Butter — the butter adds to the richness of the potato topping as well.
Vegetables — I use onions, carrots, peas, and corn for the filling, but feel free to add in more vegetables.
Beef — using lean ground beef will prevent the filling from being greasy. If you use ground beef higher in fat, you will have to drain the grease.
Tomato paste — adding tomato paste to the filling helps thicken it and adds flavor.
Beef broth — if you do not have beef broth, then you can use chicken or vegetable broth. But beef broth adds the best flavor to the shepherd’s pie.
Worcestershire sauce — you don’t need a lot, but the Worcestershire sauce adds depth of flavor to the filling.
How to Make Shepherd’s Pie
1. In a medium pot, bring the potatoes, salt, and enough water to cover by 1-inch to a boil. Cook until potatoes are fork-tender. Drain well.
2. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth.
3. Stir in the half and half, butter, pepper, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt until the butter is melted and the mixture is combined. Cover to keep warm.
4. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
5. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant. Add the ground beef, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally and using the spoon to break the meat up into small pieces.
6. Stir in the flour until combined.
7. Gradually pour in the broth and Worcestershire sauce while stirring.
8. Stir in the peas and corn.
9. Transfer to a greased casserole dish. Scoop the potato topping over the filling and spread it into an even layer.
10. Bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbly. Let the shepherd’s pie cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley or chives, if desired.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Have fun with the potato topping! You can pipe the potatoes over the filling or draw some ridge designs over the potatoes with a fork.
- If desired, you can cook the filling in a 12-inch oven-proof skillet, top it with the potatoes, and bake in the skillet.
- For a little extra comfort, you can sprinkle the top of the shepherd’s pie with grated parmesan or shredded cheddar cheese in the last few minutes of baking.
- You can use a potato ricer instead of just mashing the potatoes if you’d like a silkier potato topping.
- If you’re worried the potato topping will sink into the beef filling, allow the filling to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Doing so will help keep the layers separate.
- Keep an eye on the shepherd’s pie in the oven in the last few minutes so that the top of the potatoes doesn’t get burnt.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re in a hurry and don’t want to make the potato topping from scratch, you can use instant mashed potatoes for the shepherd’s pie. Obviously, making them from scratch will taste better.
For sure! If you prefer sweet potato topping to regular potatoes, you can make mashed sweet potatoes.
Traditionally, shepherd’s pie filling uses ground lamb, whereas cottage pie uses ground beef. However, over time, the two names have become interchangeable.
You can definitely make this recipe ahead of time! Simply make the potato topping and filling, allow them to cool to room temperature, and transfer them to separate airtight containers in the fridge. When ready to enjoy, assemble the shepherd’s pie and bake as instructed.
Shepherd’s pie is freezer-friendly. After it has cooled to room temperature, transfer any leftovers or the entire dish to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Shepherd’s Pie recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
- Medium pot
- Large skillet
- 2-quart casserole dish
Ingredients
For the Potato Topping:
- 1½ pounds russet potatoes peeled and cubed (675g)
- 3¼ teaspoons salt divided (26g)
- ½ cup half-and-half (120mL)
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (57g)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Meat Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1½ pounds lean ground beef (675g)
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup beef broth (160mL)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup frozen green peas (170g)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels (143g)
- Chopped fresh parsley or chives for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
For the Potato Topping:
- In a medium pot, bring the potatoes, 3 teaspoons salt, and enough water to cover by 1-inch to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until potatoes are fork tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain well.
- Return the potatoes to the pot. Using a potato masher, mash the potatoes until smooth. Stir in the half and half, butter, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt until the butter is melted and the mixture is combined. Cover to keep warm.
For the Meat Filling:
- Light grease a 9×9-inch or 11×7-inch casserole dish.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ground beef, tomato paste, salt, and pepper. Cook until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally and using the spoon to break the meat up into small pieces, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the flour until combined. Gradually pour in the broth and Worcestershire sauce while stirring. Stir in the peas and corn. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish. Scoop the Potato Topping over the filling and spread into an even layer over.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until the filling is bubbly. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley or chives, if desired.
Notes
- Have fun with the potato topping! You can pipe the potatoes over the filling or draw some ridge designs over the potatoes with a fork.
- If desired, you can cook the filling in a 12-inch oven-proof skillet, top it with the potatoes, and bake in the skillet.
- For a little extra comfort, you can sprinkle the top of the pie with grated parmesan or shredded cheddar cheese in the last few minutes of baking.
- You can use a potato ricer instead of just mashing the potatoes if you’d like a silkier potato topping.
- If you’re worried the potato topping will sink into the beef filling, allow the filling to cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Doing so will help keep the layers separate.
- Keep an eye on the shepherd’s pie in the oven in the last few minutes so that the top of the potatoes doesn’t get burnt.
