This Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe is the ultimate comfort food. Hearty ground beef is mixed with all sorts of goodies and topped with a rich garlic potato topping. It can keep you warm on even the coldest days!
LOOKING FOR MORE HEARTY COMFORT FOOD? CHECK OUT:
- SCALLOPED POTATOES WITH HAM AND CHEESE
- HAM, GREEN BEANS AND POTATOES
- PHILLY CHEESESTEAK PASTA
- CLASSIC CREAMED CORN RECIPE
What Is A Shepherd’s Pie?
Technically, this isn’t a Shepherd’s Pie. It is a Cottage Pie, which is an English dish and traditionally made with ground beef. A Shepherd’s Pie hails from Ireland and is made with ground lamb (Shepherd’s would eat it while tending to their sheep). But, like many cultural and traditional cuisines over the years, the lines have been blurred here in America.
Can You Make Shepherd’s Pie Ahead Of Time?
This Shepherd’s Pie recipe consists of two parts, the meat layer and the mashed potato layer. You CAN make each of these ahead of time. But I would not put the potato layer on top of the meat layer until you are ready to cook it. And no, I would not recommend cooking this dish ahead of time, it is much better fresh out of the oven.
You can keep leftovers for a couple of days in your fridge. We often use our Le Creuset Casserole Dish because it comes with a lid! You can just keep your leftovers right in your casserole dish in the fridge!
Or, if you are looking for something a little less expensive, this one works great too!
Also, this recipe is a lot easier with a nice, large skillet to cook all the ingredients together. We love to use this Farberware NonStick Dishwasher Safe Saute Skillet. It’s 6 quarts, which means it’s big enough to get any recipe started no matter how many ingredients you are adding!
What Ingredients Do I Need For This Shepherd’s Pie Recipe?
FOR THE MEAT LAYER
- ground beef
- onion, diced
- garlic, minced
- salt
- pepper
- dried parsley
- dried thyme
- dried rosemary
- frozen corn
- peas and carrots
- beef broth
- corn starch
FOR THE POTATO LAYER
- potatoes, peeled and cubed
- salt
- pepper
- garlic powder
- butter
- milk
- parmesan cheese
How Can You Make This Recipe Healthier?
Absolutely! You could sub out your ground beef for ground turkey. You can also trade the mashed potatoes for Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie.
What Can You Serve With Shepherd’s Pie?
The great thing about Shepherd’s Pie is that is a complete meal just by itself! With combination of meat, vegetables and mashed potatoes, there really isn’t a need for any “side dish”. But you could also serve this with a side salad or some nice, crusty bread to dip into the rich sauce!
Shepherd's Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Meat Layer
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
Ingredients for the Potato Topping
- 4 large potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup milk
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and prepare a 9x13 baking dish by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
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Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the diced potatoes and cook until tender. Remove from water and set aside.
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While the potatoes are cooking, brown the ground beef in a large skillet with the diced onion and minced garlic. Season with salt, pepper, parsley, thyme, and rosemary.
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Stir in the frozen corn, peas, and carrots.
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In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the beef broth and corn starch until well combined. Pour over the beef mixture and simmer over medium low heat until thickened.
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Pour the meat mixture in the prepared baking dish and set aside.
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Prepare the potato topping by seasoning the cooked potatoes with salt, pepper and garlic.
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Stir in the butter, milk, and parmesan cheese. Use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until smooth.
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Spread the potato mixture over the top of the meat mixture.
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Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until the potatoes have begun to brown and the sauce is bubbling.
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Remove from oven and allow to rest for five to 10 minutes before serving.
Linda Treend says
Delicious! I loved the seasoning. Thanks for detailed instructions.
Kathy says
You are welcome! I am so happy you enjoyed our recipe!
SANDRA GRIFFITH says
Love This first time I ate it yummy
Kathy says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment!
Donna says
Delicious😊I changed up the spices to parsley, cayenne, and turmeric and no parm or milk in potatoes and it was amazing😊
Kathy says
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing!
Isabella says
My mother and I loved it! I’ll be making it again tomorrow to take to work for a few days!
Kathy says
Thank you for sharing. I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe!
Dawn says
I made I for my family of 5 and even my mom veggie eaters enjoyed it and wanted to know when I am going to make it again.
Kathy says
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it!
Lori says
First time making Shepherds Pie and this is so yummy, I doubled the recipe and made 2 smaller ones to freeze. Now to see how it turns out when coming out of the freezer for hubby while I’m convalescing from surgery.
Kathy says
Thank you! I hope it works well to freeze. Come back and let us know. Wishing you speedy healing on your surgery.
marion says
great recipes ,, but no,, no,, Shepherds Pie is made with left over roast Lamb and pickled boiled Lamb, minced together and added with tomatoe sauce and worcestershire sauce, a pinch if seasoning,, no vegies added,, only mashed potato on top, the pie is heated through in oven (as meat is already cooked) then put under grill to brown potato,, and serve with beans, carrot and cabbage,, the texture and taste is amazing ,,, but you need a meat mincer,,
Cottage Pie is made with mince meat to be cooked andvegies added from the cottage garden,, a huge difference !!!
Kathy says
Thank you for the comment. That is great info!
As I mention in the recipe, I say that it is not an “authentic” Shepherd’s Pie, it’s sort of our “blurred lines” version of a cross between Cottage Pie and Shepherd’s Pie.
Brenda Virgin says
I am from UK. I use ground beef, and then boil the mince with chopped onion in 2 cups water until mince is cooked. I add 3 English Oxo beef cubes so no salt needed. I separate meat from gravy, and when cool I put gravy in fridge. I sometimes do this day before. Next day there is 2” of hard fat on top of gravy which I remove and discard. Mashed potatoes. on top and put in oven for l hr. This extra time makes a brown crust on top. The gravy is like jelly due to all the protein from the meat. Heat and serve gravy – most people love the gravy – so rich. No fat visible but LOADS of flavour. I am going to make my next pie your way. Sounds delicious. I always serve a cruciferous veggie on the side – usually cauliflower or brussel sprouts.
Kathy says
Thank you for sharing your method. I hope you enjoy our recipe when you try it. Let us know what you think.
Craig says
Shepherd’s pie is made with ground lamb anything else made with ground beef or a meat mixture of is called cottage pie/ mutton pie please actually do research and produce the right information for the right meaning of the dish.
Kathy says
Did you read my post? That is actually exactly what I said in the post. Please actually read the whole post before making a snarky comment. Thanks! 🙂
Cheryl says
To: Marion & Craig……your criticism.
If these people are going to criticize your way to make Shepherds Pie, I’d tell them to take a flying you know what & don’t read your recipe. You didn’t post it to get criticized!!! Come on people, isn’t there enough of cruelty & judgement in this world already?!!! Try & be nice- it’s pretty darn easy….