The Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie – AKA Shepards Pie or Cottage Pie. Ground Beef (or lamb) with vegetables in a rich gravy, topped with cheesy mashed potatoes, and baked.
Shepherd’s Pie
So, this is how you spell it: Â Shepherd’s Pie. Â But, from doing a quick google search, it came to my attention that TONS of people think it’s Shepards Pie.
Irish Shepherd’s Pie
Traditional Irish Shepherd’s Pie would actually call for ground lamb. Â The difference between Shepherd’s Pie and Cottage Pie is the meat. Â Cottage Pie uses ground beef, while Shepherd’s Pie uses ground lamb.
I called this recipe Shepherd’s Pie. Â But, I wrote the recipe so that you could use ground beef or ground lamb.
I typically use ground beef because it is widely available. Â But, for a special occasion, like St. Patricks day, I would use ground lamb.
How To Make Shepherd’s Pie
(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
- Sauté some chopped onions in olive oil.
- Add ground beef or ground lamb.
- Add dried parsley, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Stir and cook the meat mixture until the meat is browned.
- Add minced garlic and Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook the garlic for a minute.
- Add flour and tomato paste.
- Add beef broth, frozen mixed peas and carrots, and frozen corn kernels.
- Simmer the meat gravy until it is thick.
- Boil some peeled and chopped potatoes until they are soft.
- Drain the potatoes
- Add butter, half & half, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Mash the potatoes until smooth.
- Pour the meat mixture into a casserole dish.
- Top it with the cheesy mashed potatoes.
- Bake until the meat is bubbling and the potatoes are golden.
Easy Shepherd’s Pie
Making the best Shepherd’s Pie is not difficult. Â But, there are a few steps to it. Â You have to make the meat mixture, the mashed potatoes, assemble the casserole, and bake it.
I find that the easiest way to make this dish is to work ahead. Â You could make the beef or lamb mixture ahead of time. Â Or, you could make the mashed potatoes ahead of time.
You could also make the whole recipe ahead of time. Â Just assemble the casserole, cover the dish, and keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. Â I find it is best to bake it within 3 days of preparing it.
When you are ready to bake it, take it out of the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before you need to bake it to let it start coming to room temperature. Â Uncover it, and bake.
What to serve with The Best Shepherd’s Pie
- Deviled Eggs
- Roasted Broccoli from Skinnytaste
- The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies
Watch the Video for the Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie Below.
Find more of my recipes on TikTok
Best Classic Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Video
Ingredients
Meat Filling:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup chopped yellow onion
- 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef -or ground lamb
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 garlic cloves -minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots*
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
Potato Topping:
- 1 ½ - 2 lb. russet potatoes -about 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 stick
- 1/3 cup half & half
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
Make the Meat Filling.
- Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
- Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain.
- Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Make the potato topping.
- Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.
- Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.
Assemble the casserole.
- Pour the meat mixture into a 9x9 (or 7x11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer.
- If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn’t bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Check out all of my great ground beef recipes.
If you want to triple the recipe make sure you check amount of each ingredient because they aren’t all tripled. Look it potato amounts and butter. After corrections it was great
Delicious!!
I used Costco mashed potatoes and I doctored them up.
My family luved it.
My go to Sheppard’s pie recipe. Made it a hand full on times with whatever leftover meat I had left. Perfect for clearing out the fridge.
I’ve been making Shepard’s Pie for years now but decided to try your recipe. I’m glad I did! My husband loved it. The Parmesan cheese instead of cheddar was a winner. The extra butter in the potatoes made them smooth and flavorful. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks
Was delicious and simple to assemble 💜
This recipe is amazing. Full of so much flavor and is easy to prepare. My family loves the taste of this very special dish.
I absolutely loved this! I did add about a teaspoon of A-1 sauce and extra garlic to the beef, and about a 1/4 teaspoon more salt in both layers and pepper in the taters, but I loved this!! I learned the hard way not to make the potatoes first or they’re hard to spread, but it was so delicious anyway! I made this for myself for my birthday dinner. Thank you!!
I made this recipe today. My husband and I both love it. The flavors are great!! The only thing I would say is you need to change your prep time. No way it only takes 20 minutes. I was in my kitchen for 2 hrs. before I even put it in the oven.
I’ve made this for my daughter several times — she really enjoys it!!!! DEFINITELY takes a whole lot longer than 20 minutes to prepare, and I am an experienced cook. Still, definitely worth making! Thank you for the recipe!
This was easy to do, though took longer than my standard and less sophisticated version. The tastiest Shepherd’s Pie I have ever had – seconds were requested all round!
Very good recipe. 2nd time made I cut the herb amounts in half so not as strong tasting. For some family members they liked it better. But truly look forward to eating this Shepherd’s Pie!!!
Best Shepard’s pie I ever made
The recipe was perfection!
This has become our favorite shepherd pie recipe! I’ve taken it to a grieving family who was not only appreciative, but they loved it as well. Surprisingly, I don’t have rosemary, so that was left out.
Tonight I used mashed cauliflower in place of the potatoes, so I’m sure it won’t be AS good, because potatoes are just better, but I’m so looking forward to it! 23 minutes to go!
Thank you.
Made the recipe and everyone loved it. My only lazy “gripe” is that recipes should have a Metric measurement toggle button.
This recipe was delish. The gravy is very savory. I doubled it but only used half a teaspoon rosemary and it tasted heavenly.
Loved this! First time I tried making shepherd’s pie!
Made this in my cast iron and it turned out perfectly! I used about 5 medium sized potatoes, but would probably use 2 more next time. I like a thicker potato layer. Otherwise very delicious!
My first time and it was easy enough. Everyone loved it! But it only served four of us-not six.
Amazing recipe I’ve made it three times now and it’s super simple and easy to follow instructions. Each time I make it I make some modifications if I don’t have certain ingredients, and it still comes out flawless. 100% recommend